PR Lessons from the Targaryens

By Laura J Biggs

?? SPOILER WARNING ?? this article contains juicy bits from House of the Dragon Season 2.

House of the Dragon conjures images of violence, incest, Matt Smith and well, dragons. But who knew it could double as a masterclass in PR strategy?

In Season 2, the real battle is for the hearts and minds of Westeros’s great unwashed - the “smallfolk”.

I’ve been (bend the) knee-deep in all things dragon since we started working on the season 2 campaign, including interviewing the lovely cast to create fun content like this and creating a weekly TikTok aftershow ‘Hot Takes’ featuring Harriet Rose.

So here’s my warmish take. This is as much a psychological war as dragonfire, and we can learn a thing or two from the Targaryens (even if it’s what not to do).

The start of the season saw the killing of the infant Prince Jaehaerys. Team Green's Hand of the King, Otto, immediately sees this as an opportunity.?

He exploits the moment, blaming Team Black’s Queen Rhaenyra for the death of the child (despite knowing she had nothing to do with it).?

With a funeral procession through the streets, he makes sure all the town gets a good look at the poor boy, using the tragedy to manipulate the population and gain their sympathy and support.??

Otto’s lesson/s here: storytelling and emotion make people care. Also; look for opportunities in your disadvantages and challenges.

After the battle on Rook’s Rest which resulted in casualties on both sides, Criston Cole attempted to spin the battle as a victory, with his own shock tactic street stunt…?

They parade the so-called ‘traitor’ dragon’s head through the streets. He expects people to honour him, but the smallfolk see the dragons as gods - and this is seen as a terrible omen.?

Lesson: don’t just copy someone else’s idea. Think about what makes sense for your situation/brand. And do some research into your audience. Silly Crispy.?

Bonus learning - don’t underestimate people’s love for animals (as we’ve seen in the amount of support for the rat catcher’s dog).?Here he is.

This is just the start of Team Green’s downfall amongst the common people. By episode 6 the sympathy gained from the prince’s death is gone, and the smallfolk are hungry, sick and scared.?

They are overlooked by Team Green's acting king Aemond, but not by Team Black. Rhaenyra’s advisor, Mysaria, knows the people - she’s one of them.?

They spread rumours of nightly lavish feasts in the castle whilst the smallfolk go hungry, turning their fear into anger.??

Then they pull their own PR stunt: sending dozens of ships worth of food, branded with Team Black banners.?

This whips the smallfolk into a frenzy, and they turn on those in power and declare love for Queen Rhaenyra - a huge success for Team Black.?

Lesson: use your competition’s shortcomings to your advantage - offer people what they’re not giving. Also, hire a diverse range of people, who can come up with different ideas.

Oh and of course - people love free stuff.

It’s been a wild ride working on House of the Dragon. I'm sure there'll be more lessons from the world of Westeros but we’ll have to wait until season 3.

Until then, dracarys! ??