HBO GO: Bringing a Streaming Giant to CEE Screens
The city was boiling. We made it freeze
Industry
Media / Entertainment
Clients
HBO / Warner Bros.
My Role
Digital Marketing Manager
Deliverables
Influencer Strategy
Social Media Campaign
OOH Integration
Campaign Messaging
Cross-Channel Activation
When HBO GO entered the CEE region, it wasn’t a household name. Netflix had the head start, and local players held loyal audiences. We had to make a paid streaming service resonate in markets still dominated by cable and piracy.
The mission? Launch HBO GO across 6 countries, localize the experience, and build a subscriber base from scratch.
Strategy
To succeed, we needed precision and emotion.
We combined behavioral analysis with local market nuance to design a strategy that felt personal, premium, and must-have. That meant:
- Country-specific positioning and messaging
- A digital-first campaign, supported by high-impact OOH
- Content that spoke to both the heart (binge-worthy storytelling) and the head (easy access, no contracts)
Everything was optimized to convert: from ad to landing page to login.
Execution
With a $300K regional budget, we launched a 360 digital campaign:
- Google Search & social media ads focused on key behavioral triggers (e.g. “what to watch tonight”)
- Custom landing pages built to convert, optimized weekly through A/B testing
- Close collaboration with CRM and social teams ensured message consistency and retargeting loops
In city centers, OOH teased HBO GO’s arrival, alongside TV ad.
In every market, the message was simple: This is how you stream HBO. Locally. Easily. HBO – GO.
Results
We didn’t just launch a platform. We shifted viewing habits.
- +30% YoY subscriber growth across all six markets
- 10% increase in conversion rates after behavioral retargeting adjustments
- 4% drop in churn, driven by personalized content campaigns
- Achieved up to 14% organic growth on owned channels
HBO GO moved from “new player” to “must-have” in under a year