Putting the fire back in newspaper ads

It takes a different type of thinking to stand out from the crowd in newspaper advertising. When the much anticipated season 3 premiere of Game of Thrones was promoted in the New York Times, readers really got the feeling that the show was close to airing. So close, in fact, that they'd be forgiven for looking to the skies in search of a dragon from the series.

The two-page spread featured a full dragon silhouette 'shadow' lurking over articles on the spread. The shadow, which was created simply by adding a transparent grey shape of the mythical creature, created an effect that had everyone talking. The articles are not real though – despite looking like an authentic newspaper spread, it was all fabricated specifically for the shadow effect (apparently all the article titles link subtly to the series).

The Green Room Verdict: Simple, clear and delightful, this use of newspaper print advertising is a winner. If the articles had been authentic, this would have been a huge breakthrough in the ad genre… even so, the idea is highly effective and relevant to the Game of Thrones series. Great stuff.