FCB captures raven for Chicago Humanities Festival

George RR Martin is coming to Chicago

The dark harbinger
delivers antique
scrolls announcing
an event with
“Game of Thrones”
author
George RR Martin

FCB Chicago captured an airborne fantasy to help the Chicago Humanities Festival spread the word about its October 11 event, An Evening with George R. R. Martin. To advertise the engagement with the legendary Game of Thrones author, the agency created a spot starring a Raven.

The dark, flapping harbinger is a nod to a common form of communication featured in the HBO show based on Martin’s ongoing series of novels, A Song of Fire and Ice. Flying from downtown Chicago to nearby neighborhoods, the winged messenger delivers antique scrolls that announce the writer’s impending arrival.

The Chicago studios of Dictionary and Cutters handled production and post.

CHICAGO HUMANITIES FESTIVAL
GEORGE RR MARTIN IS COMING TO CHICAGO HUMANITIES FESTIVAL

 
 

Unique and authentic
“Chicago Humanities Festival brings such amazing speakers to Chicago,” said Avi Pinchevsky, FCB Chicago SVP, Executive Creative Director. “When we heard that George R.R. Martin was coming, we knew we had to spread the word in a way that speaks to his work — the first-ever direct mail campaign delivered by raven.”

Chicago Humanities Executive Director Philippe Bahar is pleased with the results of the effort as well as FCB’s technique for getting it done.

George RR Martin
George RR Martin

“We knew we had to celebrate having the brilliant mind behind A Game of Thrones as an upcoming speaker in a unique and authentic way,” he says. “Utilizing trained ravens to deliver our announcements felt like the perfect way to tap into the beloved series while also inspiring the community to discover what we’re all about.”

“Our organization hosts more than 130 events a year that we know people who enjoy creative and thought-provoking topics would love to participate in,” he adds.

Other fans of the spot include the author himself, who mused about it in a September 25 Tweet to 1.36 million followers.

 
 
The Chicago Humanities Festival
Founded in 1990, The Chicago Humanities Festival is a series of lectures, concerts, and films in Chicago.

The organization’s 2019 Fall Program runs from October 1 through November 10. Besides Martin, it will feature cultural icons like Patti Smith, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and John Hodgman. To purchase tickets and view the full schedule, click here. To download the Fall 2019 Program Guide, click here.

 
Credits
Agency: FCB Chicago
   Chief Creative Officer: Andres Ordonez
   Executive Creative Director: Avital Pinchevsky
   Creative Director: Justin Enderstein
   Senior Copywriter: Adam Repp
   Senior Art Director: Christopher Terry
   Copywriter: Derrick Yousefi
   Senior Producer: Ellen Israel
   Chief Strategy Officer: John Kenny
   Executive Creative Producer: John Bleeden
   Director, Strategic Planning: Brian Asner
   Account Supervisor: Lauren Snider
   Senior Producer: Michael Bryers
   Creative Producing Intern: Matt Albertini

Production Company: Dictionary
   Director: Austin Walsh
   Executive Producer: Chris Rossiter
   Line Producer: Cody McGuire

Editorial Company: Cutters
   Editor: Tom Brassil
   Colorist: Patrick Kujawski

 
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