When Emily Giannusa, HBO’s VP of program marketing, found out in 2020 that The Last of Us would be adapted from a video game series into a TV show, it seemed like a perfect match from the start.

The award-winning horror game, a post-apocalyptic tale of survival where a fungal infection has turned most humans into flesh-eating monsters, was already a favorite among Giannusa and other members of HBO’s marketing team when work began on the marketing plan for the series. But challenges were evident—including the long-standing assumption that video game adaptations are generally, well, terrible.

“I feel like The Last of Us is the HBO of video games,” Giannusa told Marketing Brew, but they noted that “with video game adaptations, there’s a lot of scrutiny.”

So far, the show has seemed to withstand that scrutiny. The adaptation premiered on January 15 to critical acclaim and a big audience. The first episode was viewed by more than 10 million people on HBO and HBO Max in its first two days, in line with the House of the Dragon series premiere.

While Giannusa noted the strength of the TV series, the show has also received years of careful marketing support, beginning as far back as 2021, with the intention of making The Last of Us a huge hit for HBO.

“This was a massive-scale campaign. Even though I can’t talk about budget here, we ignited all over the world,” Giannusa said.

Read about the campaign here.—KS

Each Tuesday, we spotlight Marketing Brew readers in our Coworking series. If you’d like to be featured, introduce yourself here.

Danielle Centofanti-Davidson is founder and owner of Main St. Business Strategies LLC. Earlier in her career, she held paid social positions at agencies across WPP and Omnicom.

How would you describe your job to someone who doesn’t work in marketing? I find creative and approachable ways to grow, develop, and scale small business and startups.

Favorite project you’ve worked on? The launch of my client’s home-brand business, Cape Lily Home. As a well-established florist in New York that needed to find creative ways to move business forward during 2020 and beyond, when weddings and soirées were no longer in the cards, the concept of a natural floral wallpaper and textile line was born. Using the photography of real South African flowers she grew up with and are signature to her floral designs, four wallpaper designs were created. With just three weeks to get this new venture launched, I developed Cape Lily Home’s webpages and shop, designed marketing materials (postcards and lookbook) for the launch event, and pitched local and national publications for features. Cape Lily Home was introduced to the world on June 10, 2022. While the work continues, the three-week sprint to get this brand off the ground is by far my greatest achievement.

What’s your favorite ad campaign? AmEx’s Small Business Saturday, which launched during 2010’s holiday season and is now a nationally recognized day devoted to shopping small for the holidays (if not year-round). A campaign turned cultural movement, AmEx’s efforts to get small-business owners on board initially included buying out Facebook ad space for those owners to then use free of charge, as well as sending out a communications toolkit (including those incredibly recognizable stickers you see on most of Main Street’s windows and digital storefronts every year since) to signal participation.

One thing we can’t guess from your LinkedIn profile? I had a past life in fashion merchandising, interning and blogging for Nordstrom’s BP brand while in high school and spent my freshman year of college as a fashion merch major.

What’s one marketing-related podcast, social account, or series you’d recommend? Business Casual and The Money with Katie Show from Morning Brew and Plain English with Derek Thompson from The Ringer.

At the National Retail Federation’s Big Show last week, Roblox’s head of fashion and beauty partnerships “debunked some common beliefs about the platform,” Retail Brew reporter Maeve Allsup recently wrote. Read a snippet of her story below, or click here for the full piece.

Many brands interested in virtual worlds are turning to online platform Roblox to design their own games and experiences for consumers. In fact, in the last several years, Roblox has become positively packed with brand activations, from NIKELAND to Gucci Town. But as the platform gains increasing notoriety among brands of all shapes and sizes, it’s also looking to distinguish itself, not just as a world for gamers, but as a collaborative and creative space to build community.

There are a lot of bad marketing tips out there. These aren’t those.

Thesaurus: Meta made a small tweak to its ad measurement terminology; get up to speed on the change here.

Plan ahead: Check out TikTok’s 2023 marketing calendar, plus tips on making the most of the year ahead.

New leaf: How four companies are changing their social media strategies this year.

Trendsetter tea: Wrapping your head around the metrics of your influencer campaigns can be a doozy—until now. Tagger’s Signals tool offers insight into key data points, creator strategies, and relevant trends. Get the scoop.*

^{*This is sponsored advertising content.}

BeReal is a newer social app that’s gaining popularity. Founded in 2019, it has recently picked up steam. Check out our exclusive report to learn best practices and find out what brands are experimenting with the platform.

Download your free report.

The E-Trade baby, who made a triumphant return to the Super Bowl broadcast in 2022, is one of many iconic advertising moments from the big game. In what year did the original E-Trade baby commercial air?

1. 2006
2. 2008
3. 2010
4. 2012

Keep scrolling for the answer.

Catch up on a few Marketing Brew stories you might have missed.

• Horizon Media created an AI tool that it says can help optimize media spend
• Here are the brands starting 2023 with new CMOs
• What’s going on in the world of measurement in 2023