Since its first release in 2011, for each new season of Game of Thrones, millions of fans eagerly awaited to discover the rest of this saga with multiple plot twists. This medieval and fantastic universe has become a constant source of inspiration for our world. Transposed into the company world and digital transformation, which is disrupting many sectors, this TV show could illustrate many of the issues or challenges that threaten so many companies. This TV series makes us wonder how it would be possible to save our business thanks to digital transformation.
Never think you’ve won a fight
From the first season of Game of Thrones, Ned Stark, one of the main characters, disappeared with provoking surprise. Exactly like in the digital world, a company can never be sure of its success or what’s coming after: it can collapse at any moment because of the high competition. Today, many startups hope to become unicorns. Nowadays, we are used to publish a perfect world of entrepreneurship and the adventure of setting up a business in the media and on the internet. However, there is no magic formula for success. We can record many companies that have failed or will fail. Resilience and recovery after a defeat have become major assets for success and prevent you from repeating the same mistakes. In the TV show, each hero can’t stop inventing himself an exceptional destiny to make his adventure last.
Facing or avoiding?
Game of Thrones seasons are often marked by incredible battles. Wars are terrible. In the startup world, you also have to make tactical choices. Few companies can try to make entire parts of the economy bow down to their power like Uber or Amazon. Finding an innovative category, a niche market by adapting your company to the needs of an unsatisfied customer are keys to a successful first step. Al Ries, a popular marketing reference, said that « If you can, be first. If you can’t be first, create a new category in which you can be first. » A steep or convoluted road can be a successful option. We must try different tactics.
The capacity to make announcement
Game of Thrones has demonstrated a complete mastery in the art of making announcement and revealing plot twists. This TV show lives permanently in connection with the Media and its fans to reinforce its notoriety and impact. To position yourself as a digital leader you must need a strong communication positioning. Any company seeking to position itself at the forefront of this modern and inevitable movement must manage the art of communication and find the right communication relay to highlight its brand and products. Every event, every episode, must magnify the power of global communication.
Build alliances
Like in the TV series, the digital world is made of accelerations and surprises. In a chess game, you have to imagine every pieces movement and combination in advance to be more efficient. The recent history of digital is made of partnerships and common victories. If you find the right partner for your campaign, the development will be faster. Most of the time the digital world is the antithesis of a solitary life when revealing brands collaborations. With more and more powerful user communities, brands are conquering new territories to push the boundaries. Like Michel and Augustin, they do not hesitate to cross the Atlantic to conquer Starbucks!
Inspiration
Spying or taking advantage of other sectors ideas? As in Game of Thrones, information is the key to success. The digital world is also made of breakthroughs, transfers of ideas or technologies. To be innovative, you must know how to open up yourself to others and imagine how an impossible idea could revolutionize a sector. In this world, ideas are constantly coming out of nowhere and crossing boundaries to spread. The reign of perpetual instability has begun. However, incertitude could give you many opportunities to break out with this slump.
Defend your territory
In Game of Thrones, you constantly need to defend your territory against invasions. In the corporate world, technology is causing such changes that data has become the secret that must be constantly protected from attacks. We need to build walls around data to protect it from cyberattacks. Sometimes, those who feel safest are the most vulnerable. Safety isn’t impregnable. Trojan horses are constantly imagined. We must permanently secure our patrimony and strengthen it. The risks of losing our power and our hidden secrets have never been that strong.
Game of Thrones seasons have accustomed its fans to perpetual plot twists and always questioning the future of the story. Every day the real world of companies also shows us that we must never rest on our laurels. In this era of ultra-acceleration and disruption, we can no longer predict future with certainty. It’s up to the leaders to invent and set up at every moment the new rules of the game.
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Translation with Sophie Perrin
