Posted on by

Game of Thrones’ Clever Illusion

In what’s got to be one of the smartest print ad campaigns I’ve seen in a while, HBO’s hit show “Game of Thrones” was advertised in Monday’s New York Times using an innovative technique that makes you do a double-take. With the new season starting this month, I bet we’re about to see even more similar stunts advertising the show on various other platforms. How long did it take before you got it?

Published by James Dean

James is the manager of moillusions.com. He spends his time finding the most popular optical illusions so that YOU keep coming back to your site for more! Check him out on https://plus.google.com/u/1/109932087769818686311/

33 Replies to “Game of Thrones’ Clever Illusion”

    1. That’s not the word “Media”, it’s “Medea” which is a play. A real play being resurrected at a fictional (?) playhouse/theater.

  7. I like billboards and innovative campaigns, much more than repeatedly ad nauseam TV ads. That show was already in my queue list. Very clever campaign!

    Reply

  11. I looked it up and found out that the whole entire 2 pages are filled with fake stories so they can print the shadow. HBO has done this more than once. They shadowed a whole entire building (no idea how) and other places to. But if you look closer at the paper, the G in GAME OF THRONES is reflected on the other side near the center crease. If you also look up and down the center crease, you see reflections from the right page on the left. That is what confused me mostly to make me look it up, because I thought that was a clue to how the dragon appeared, but it is not part of the illusion. What happened?

    Reply

  14. Shadow printed on the page, only a short double take, as it is obvious what has happened, but an effective ad campaign and a nice image too.

    Especially as book 3 has alot more dragons in it than book 2!

    Reply

  15. It’s just a dragon. Not really an illusion. I saw it clearly before I read your article. Unless, of course, I’m missing something……..

    Reply

  19. Is there supposed to something other than the shadow of the dragon, the cross printed G and some other text?

    Reply

  20. Am I missing why this is an illusion? I just see a shadow of a dragon on the page.

    Perhaps a different way to have an advertisement, but how is that an illusion?

    Reply

  22. am I missing something? I see shading printed on the paper to look like a dragon (or a flying dragon above casting it’s shadow). Is that the illusion?

    Reply

  23. wow guys. you’re not missing anything. THE SHADOW IS THE ILLUSION, okay! Can you try to understand that???

    Reply

    2. If “THE SHADOW IS THE ILLUSION”, then there’s NO illusion, simply a clever trick…

    3. Thanks for letting me know the shadow was the illusion. I’d never get it otherwise. :)

  24. Sad trombone.

    The illusion is that when you open the page, it appears there is a dragon behind you, flying overhead, since it has cast a shadow on your newspaper.

    So yep. That’s it. Shadow of a dragon. Nothing more to figure out there.

    Oh- and the ‘reflected’ letters are due to the page being in the center of the paper. The ink from each page presses tightly onto the other along the crease and near folded areas, leaving a ‘reflected’ image.

    So yep. That’s it. Shadow of a dragon and cheap printer’s ink. Not a great optical illusion.

    Unless I’m missing something else? And if I am missing something, please reply so we can all know =)

    Reply

  26. the dragon is the trademark of the the hit series ITS NOT A SHADOW ITS CALLED A WATERMARK A WATERMARK IS THE DRAGON SILLOUETTE OR THE OUTLINE IN THE BACKGROUND ITS ACTUALLY A WATERMARK NOT A SHADOW….ITS SUPPOSE TO BE A GOOD SERIES ON HBO AMERICA ENJOY THE SHOW CIAO REGARDS, MSNADIA

    Reply

  27. Here we go…
    What is an illusion? Or other way, WHY is it an illusion, or even better, why can it result for someone under certain circumstances AS an illusion. We have to be more emphatic with other’s perception and try not be arrogant as if we owned the truth. This paper can for sure work as an illusion if laid on the lawn at a city park. Even if you don’t get foolish you can always IMAGINE a passing bird over your head. Illusion is also a question of imagination, I think. Kids use to be more imaginative than grown ups. Play with your mind and imagine… And you’ll get the illusion.

    Reply

  28. This is so not an illusion; I don’t think it’s that clever either.
    I didn’t do a double take, I noticed it straight away, I don’t think this “illusion” is very good.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *