In case a cloudy, cold July wasn’t enough, winter has come early for the San Francisco AT&T flagship store at 1 Powell St.—the location has transformed itself into a Game of Thrones world.
Crews recently installed replicated memorabilia from the HBO show in the two-floor store, along with interactive elements, artwork, and high-tech gadgetry that references the series. Pieces include an iron throne replica and a large Westeros floor map for attendees to walk over and examine.
The focus, however, is on the White Walkers, main antagonists on epic HBO series in its seventh season who are known for their ghostly skin and glowing blue eyes.
A time-lapse video showing the crews setting up the store invites attendees to join the ranks of the undead army by using a Snapchat photo filter and sending it with the hashtag #WinterIsHere.
The Powell location is among three AT&T stores participating in the immersion experience: similar setups have been built in Chicago and Boston. An unrelated tie-in was spotted in London, where television network Sky Atlantic had five actors roam the city in White Walker costumes. Their getups took eight weeks to create.
The AT&T setups are similarly elaborate. LED walls make up a sizable chunk of the store’s second-floor railings, and a large Night King stares down at attendees from above.
The store’s partnership with the show is pure corporate synergy—Time Warner, which produces Game of Thrones, is set to be acquired by AT&T sometime this year. The transformation will be in the store for at least several weeks as the show airs, according to company spokesperson, Steven Ramirez.
“The idea is to have entertainment experiences that you can be part of,” Ramirez said in a phone interview. “We are literally bringing entertainment to life in San Francisco.”
