Giant Dragon Atop the Empire State Building Marks the Return of HBO's House of the Dragon

Max rolled out its global 'Raise Your Banners' campaign in New York City on Sunday, June 16, for the highly anticipated return of the HBO® Original drama series House of the Dragon. Iconic institutions, sports teams, brands, and local businesses pledged their loyalty to either Team Green or Team Black, culminating in a massive takeover of the Empire State Building to conclude the campaign. 

Max unveiled Team Green’s takeover of the Empire State Building with a 270-foot installation of Vhagar the Dragon coiled around the building’s mast. 132 feet of the true-to-size dragon replica covered the mast and was anchored onto the building at 153 points. For a limited time, the building was illuminated green (with lighting effects every hour) and hosted exclusive fan photo opportunities with the legendary Iron Throne from HOUSE OF THE DRAGON through Wednesday, June 19. Additionally, visitors were among the first to experience Zynga’s high-profile “Game of Thrones: Legends,” now available for pre-registration, on the 80th floor of the Empire State Building.   

“As we head into the second season of HBO’s award-winning series, HOUSE OF THE DRAGON, we wanted to give fans all over the world — the very people whose passion has made this series a success — the opportunity to dive deep into the world of Westeros,” said Zach Enterlin, Executive Vice President, Brand, Content & Creative, Streaming Marketing. “As iconic institutions, sports teams, brands, and local businesses pledge their allegiance to either Team Green or Team Black, we remind fans of the looming battle in Westeros, and call on them to choose a side and raise their banners as the season unfolds.” 

Adds Trevor Guthrie, co-founder of Giant Spoon, "Giant Spoon and HBO teamed up for yet another first—breaking down the wall between the world of the show and the world we know, including a physical dragon coiled around the Empire State Building. Through this campaign, we rallied fans and cultural powerhouses globally to declare their loyalty to Team Black or Team Green. To us, that’s how you expand the way people experience brands."

In partnership with Giant Spoon, RQ and Busterwood, Max brought the Targaryen civil war from Westeros to the modern world through a mix of real-life and digital takeover stunts that rallied fans, landmarks, institutions, brands, sports teams, and local businesses in New York City to choose a side — Team Green or Team Black — and called on the entire world to follow suit in raising their banners. 

The campaign began on Monday, June 10 when the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges raised their banners for Team Green and Team Black, respectively, via a viral CGI stunt promoted by @WhatIsNewYork and @NYBucketlist.  

Cities around the world followed suit, with digital (CGI) banner takeovers of iconic landmarks and buildings, including the Eiffel Tower (Paris), Sugarloaf Mountain (Rio de Janeiro), Sydney Harbor, Al Ula (Saudi Arabia), Petronas Twin Towers (Kuala Lumpur), Obelisco Buenos Aires, Marina Bay Sands (Singapore), and many others. 

Other landmarks and institutions throughout New York City — including the Empire State Building, New York Stock Exchange, Rockefeller Center, Grand Central Terminal, and Citi Field (The Mets) — raised physical banners for their chosen King or Queen, further dividing New York into Team Green and Team Black territories. 

Local NYC bars and restaurants played a significant role in the campaign, offering custom food items and exclusive HOUSE OF THE DRAGON merchandise. Leon’s Bagels, John’s of Bleecker, Mile End Delicatessen, and The Flower Shop pledged their allegiance to Team Green, while Murray’s Bagels, Roberta’s, Gray’s Papaya, and Ray’s pledged their allegiance to Team Black, further fueling the Team Green vs. Team Black rivalry in the city.  

Max’s Human By Orientation hosted an official ‘House of Drag’ watch party in Brooklyn, New York. Hosted by Priyanka of HBO’s “We’re Here,” this one-night-only, sold-out event featured an iconic “Battle for the Iron Throne” with Fagtasia, a Brooklyn-based theatrical drag collective that performed and pledged for Team Green or Team Black in this special Pride Month event. 

Fans at home were invited to become central characters in the fight for control of Westeros through a global “Raise Your Banners” digital character poster generator experience, created in partnership with Media.Monks, where fans could digitally transport themselves into the world of Westeros and pledge their loyalty to Team Green or Team Black. The experience is available globally for fans in nine languages until the season finale, allowing them to declare their chosen side or, as the season progresses, even switch allegiances.  

In partnership with Max, Snapchat launched a unique dual selfie and world view lens featuring the highest-fidelity dragon ever seen on mobile devices, with innovative audio machine learning (ML) capabilities. Through audio ML cues, the dragon will breathe fire and take flight, creating a dynamic and interactive experience. As the lens gains traction, the audio ML will become faster and smarter, enhancing the user experience with every interaction. 

Ahead of the premiere, Max was set ablaze with a homepage takeover, fiery background, and more. As soon as the app was opened, viewers around the world were greeted by a preview video showcasing the series’ dragon Syrax and a festive Max logo. A new list of profile avatars with characters from the show was available for fans to personalize their profiles and pledge their allegiance to Team Black or Team Green.

In celebration of the new season, Max’s 'Iron Throne Room', an immersive environment on Apple Vision Pro, has also been updated to replicate the Throne Room from season two with green banners, the epic Targaryen-era Iron Throne, and a never-before-seen mural of King’s Landing on the ceiling, along with ambient spatial audio that brings the room to life.   

To further fuel anticipation ahead of the premiere, fans could dive into the World of Westeros collection page, home to The Game of Thrones Podcast: House of the Dragon, the official HBO companion podcast to the series, for behind-the-scenes pieces and exclusive extras.