Best Game of Thrones Ad Yet? It Might Be DDB's Stunning Character Graveyard in Sydney

As HBO and its slew of brand partners have been flooding the zone with Game of Thrones marketing in recent weeks, leave it to DDB Sydney and Foxtel—the exclusive Australian broadcaster of the fantasy drama—to unveil perhaps the most remarkable piece of GoT advertising yet. 

DDB and Foxtel built a 20,000-square-foot graveyard that includes gravesites for many of the iconic characters who’ve perished over the course of seven seasons. It includes two grand family mausoleums to the deceased members of House Stark and House Baratheon, as well as headstones for Joffrey Lannister, Ramsay Bolton, Khal Drogo, Tywin Lannister, Littlefinger, Olenna Tyrell and more. 

Here are the two mausoleums: 

Stark Mausoleum

Baratheon Mausoleum

The graveyard—an incredible work of craft, amazingly detailed—can be found inside Centennial Park in Sydney and will be open to the public from Friday to Sunday. It was designed by DDB and built in partnership with Revolver/Will O’Rourke and The Glue Society.

Part of the power of the installation comes from the aging condition of the headstones. They look hundreds of years old, which lends a richness and poignancy to the site—and suggests the battle for Westeros took place long in the past. 

Check out some of the headstones and other objects from the graveyard here: 

Joffrey Lannister

Khal Drogo

Hodor

House Tyrell

Lysa Arryn

Oberyn Martell

Petyr Baelish

Ramsay Bolton

Ros

Sand Snakes

Tywin Lannister

Walder Frey

Wun Wun

High Sparrow

DDB says the a team of top sculptors, designers, painters and builders worked hundreds of hours to build the graves, “richly layered in GoT stories and references.” 

“The detail of the build is staggering, and we’re acutely aware of the pressure on us to execute with meticulous detail,” says Ben Welsh, DDB Australia’s chief creative officer. “When you’re dealing with show like this, with such an obsessive fanbase, you’ve really got to pull out all the stops.”

Got fans are encouraged to bring tributes to lay on the tombs and headstones to pay their respects. 

See some video footage of the graveyard below.

CREDITS

Agency: DDB, Sydney, Australia
Chief Creative Officer: Ben Welsh
Executive Creative Director: Tara Ford
Creative Director: David Jackson
Senior Creatives: Tim Woolford, Tommy Cehak
Designer: Ramon Rodriguez
Head of Integrated Production: Sevda Cemo
Producer: Sam Harris
Planning Director: Joseph Smeaton
Managing Partner: Penny Dixon
Senior Business Director: Kirsty Mould
Senior Business Manager: Lisa Zimpel
Project Director: Liv Pultar
Content Editor: Richard Maxton
Sound Engineer: Danny Grifoni
PR: Mango Communications
Managing Director: Tabitha Fairbairn
Head of Consumer: Ben Handberg
Event Producer: Jim McGorty
Production Company: Will O’Rourke / Revolver
Artists/Project Direction: The Glue Society
Project Director: Pete Baker
MD / Executive Producer: Michael Ritchie
Executive Producer: Pip Smart
Executive Producer: Jasmin Helliar
Producer: Isabella Vitelli
Production Designer: Enzo Iacono
Construction Manager: Greg Hajdu
Construction: Gregsets
Photography: PhotoPlay
Photographer: Romello
Producer: Libby Hams