What do the photos below have in common? They’re all pieces of enthralling marketing campaigns led by HBO’s VP of Program Marketing, Emily Giannusa. From Game of Thrones, Westworld, Euphoria, We're Here, The Last of Us and more, Emily's team is using the power of storytelling to galvanize fandoms and empower communities around the globe. Read on to dive deeper into Emily’s work in this exciting Q&A.

Q: As an Emmy-winning vice president of program marketing for HBO, you’ve had the opportunity to work on some of the most exciting pieces of content like Euphoria and Westworld. What are some memorable highlights from your career thus far?

A: I'm passionate about creating marketing campaigns that deeply resonate with consumers. During my tenure at the company, I have successfully launched campaigns for HBO and Max shows such as Game of Thrones, Westworld, Euphoria, We're Here, and The Last of Us. I believe in the power of storytelling and using marketing to evoke emotions and inspire viewers. I'm grateful to the brilliant collaborators and my amazing team at WBD for helping bring some of my most epic career highlights to life. During my time leading digital and social media efforts for all eight seasons of Game of Thrones, I was truly amazed by the dedication of the global fanbase. For the final season, we encouraged fans to tweet their predictions for who would claim the Iron Throne using the hashtag #ForTheThrone. We then displayed their content on billboards in Times Square, London, and Canada. Not only did this initiative place the fans at the center of the campaign, but it also resulted in over 100 million tweets in 2019.

Westworld

The Westworld campaigns I worked on won two interactive Emmys, a Cannes Grand Prix, and many other awards for our transmedia storytelling efforts. We invited fans to experience the theme park through a website filled with hidden surprises, encouraged them to create their own adventures using Amazon Alexa devices, and even infiltrated Austin, Texas and New York City with subversive “host” street vendors that made fans “question the nature of their reality.” The show constantly challenged us to develop new and innovative ways to engage fans and immerse them in the story.

Euphoria

Euphoria has deeply resonated with me and provided an opportunity to genuinely connect with Gen Z audiences. We built the fanbase from scratch and engaged them with compelling content featuring the series’ beloved cast and visceral elements, consistently breaking social records each year. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, we used the show's music to bring fans closer to the series with a virtual #Minimart exclusive music set on YouTube by series composer Labrinth, which garnered over two million views.

The Last of Us

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We captured the world's attention in season 1 of The Last of Us (TLOU) with our immersive in-world IRL fan experiences. These experiences included having fans "look for the light" at the iconic museum in Boston at Brazil Comic-Con (in partnership with the LATAM team) and our transformation of New York's Angelika Theater into a post-apocalyptic Firefly base screening experience. I will delve deeper into the campaign later, but I want to highlight that it was HBO's most extensive launch campaign in 2023, involving over 20 international partners across 200+ territories, and became HBO's second-highest-rated premiere in a decade.

Pretty Little Liars: Summer School

Recently, I'm really proud of the social native content for Pretty Little Liars: Summer School that my team and MAV created. The dedicated fanbase is engaged with content featuring the beloved cast, including set tours, couples’ quizzes, superlative games, day-in-the-life content, and even therapy sessions with the iconic Annabeth Gish, who plays Dr. Anne Sullivan in the series.

Q: HBO’s We’re Here season four is streaming on Max. For the show's premiere, you engaged the LGBTQIA+ community in an impactful way. Can you share what that looked like and the impact it has had?

A: I am a proud member of the LGBTQIA+ community and the leader of a team with several other members and allies, so We're Here is very meaningful to me. Since the show’s launch, we developed incredible activations in partnership with Multicultural Marketing, MAV, Special Events, PR, and more teams across WBD that built trust and forged authentic connections with the queer community. In season one, we created a virtual safe space for the queer community during the COVID-19 pandemic hosting a livestreamed premiere. For season two, we took over the Sony lot in Los Angeles to celebrate the art of drag with interactive touchpoints. Additionally, the "Serving Lewks" extra video content showcased the evolution of drag throughout the seasons, emphasizing the series' powerful, inclusive message. For the latest season, we are hosting events at Barry’s Bootcamp locations in NYC, LA, and San Francisco, where drag queens will be energizing fitness classes promoting inclusivity and acceptance, reinforcing the message that "PRIDE IS HERE FOR GOOD!"

Q: Can you explain your approach to identifying the best way to engage and market content to an audience?

A: Prioritizing your audience leads to authenticity. Before launching any campaign, my team thoroughly researches our target audiences, learning their behavior and influences while remaining flexible with the ever-changing cultural landscape. To genuinely connect with consumers, we must always be aware of their latest interests, to remain fresh and relevant. For example, engaging The Last of Us global fandom is not a “one size fits all” strategy. We began by focusing on our core fanbase of the video game. In the pre-premiere window, we dropped “breadcrumb content” that teased scenes from the show, such as Joel and Ellie witnessing the plane crash remnants, which was iconic to the game. This was done to show the video game fans our reverence for the source material. To speak to and engage with the creative community, we initiated "Fan Art Fridays" and partnered with renowned artist Akiko to create murals celebrating the series. The weekly (Emmy-nominated!) "Inside the Episode" content featured the cast discussing their characters and plotlines, which was engaging to pop culture enthusiasts and industry insiders. Different audience segments have varying influences, so it's crucial to engage them with tailored strategies that resonate with their motivations to foster advocacy authentically.

Q: With news of The Last of Us season two on the way, what are you most looking forward to when re-engaging the video gaming community? What was unique about marketing to this audience in season 1?

A: The Last of Us is the HBO of video games, it’s the gold standard, and it's an honor to work on the television adaptation. It took a village to launch the campaign, and the collaboration between marketing and various teams across WBD cemented the series into a global sensation. In preparation for season one, we conducted extensive research on the TLOU fanbase to genuinely connect with them and make the show a global sensation. Game adaptations have historically fallen short, and we took on the challenge to break the curse by strategizing based on fan insights and behavior. Collaborating with game creator and showrunner Neil Druckmann, showrunner Craig Mazin, and PlayStation Studios, we started engaging fans in 2021 with a first-look photo released on "The Last of Us Day," followed by another photo at Sony’s Summer Games Fest in 2022. These photos showcased faithfulness to iconic game scenes and established HBO’s respect for the source material. On “The Last of Us Day” in 2022, fans eagerly anticipated the next reveal, and HBO delivered a record-breaking first A/V teaser as part of the full campaign. Utilizing an iconic line from the game across our creative materials, "When you're lost in the darkness, look for the light," we initially targeted super fans of the game and expanded to broader entertainment enthusiasts, eventually reaching a global audience. HBO initiated a global takeover with a primed fanbase, featuring a massive in-world "Museum in Boston" activation, character poster reveal, and trailer drop in Brazil at the world's largest Comic Con (in partnership with the LATAM team).

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This was just the beginning; with more than 20 international partners in over 200 territories, the momentum continued to grow. The Last of Us was omnipresent by premiere week, backed by rave reviews and meticulously planned digital and social content. HBO transformed New York's Angelika Film Center into a post-apocalyptic Firefly base to immerse fans in the show's world. Similar storytelling experiences were replicated worldwide, with the "infected man in the wall" becoming an unofficial mascot. Talent and super fans gathered on the LA premiere red carpet, going beyond the QZ with captivating content capture. The show shattered HBO records on premiere day, coupled with publicity and marketing efforts and Carhartt influencer kits, becoming the second highest-rated premiere in a decade.

The Last of Us captivated audiences worldwide, prompting fan creativity, chart-topping soundtrack songs, a companion podcast, memes, and more. The cast and show garnered widespread praise, and the season finale broke viewership records, surpassing the Oscars telecast and dominating social media as TV’s most social drama week over week.

The Last of Us became a global sensation, proving that establishing trust with gamers and engaging broad viewers could conquer the game adaptation curse. We interact with the TLOU fandom throughout the year to encourage ongoing growth, engagement, and enthusiasm. We recently unveiled the first photos from season two, which received over three million engagements from fans worldwide eagerly looking forward to the new season. We are currently in the initial stages of crafting the season two campaign in collaboration with our showrunners, and I'm thrilled for everyone to see what we have planned!

Q: HBO has a lot of exciting content down the pipeline. What are you most looking forward to?

A: First and foremost, The Last of Us season two! I'm looking forward to elevating the series to new levels and launching a global campaign that will significantly impact popular culture for the upcoming season. Additionally, we’re in the early campaign planning phases for a new limited series called TASK (working title) created by Brad Ingelsby, the mind behind Mare of Easttown and starring Mark Ruffalo, which promises to be incredibly engaging. Lastly, I'm incredibly proud of my colleagues working on the House of the Dragon campaign and using the "Green" and "Black" factions of the Targaryens to captivate audiences worldwide. As a fan of the Game of Thrones universe, it's been thrilling to witness the rollout of this campaign, and I'm eagerly anticipating what the team has in store as we approach the premiere in June!