NZ GoT fans bring down King Joffrey via Twitter
By Annalie Brown on Wednesday, April 9, 2014
To ensure the premiere of season 4 of Game of Thrones (GoT) received maximum social media exposure, a Sky TV NZ stunt enabled Twitter users to unite to bring down the most hated fictional character in modern times.
A statue of King Joffrey was erected in Aotea Square, Auckland with a rope around his neck. Every time the hashtag #bringdowntheking was recorded on Twitter, the roped pulled the hated ruler closer to toppling. Fans could follow his downfall via a dedicated website.
Sky’s Travis Dunbar told Stuff: “It’s exciting to give fans an opportunity they are dying for; to assist in the demise of the King of the Iron Throne.”
It wasn’t just New Zealand fans that got in on the act. In the end, fans from 123 countries contributed to bringing Joffrey down after social media users shared the stunt globally and encouraged others to join in the mutiny.
The King finally fell at 5.32pm on Monday 7 April, just a few hours before the season premiere on SoHo. His “dying” moments were captured on film for all to rejoice.
