'Game of Thrones' Starbucks cup worth $11.6M in brand exposure, firm says

Social media users watching 'Game of Thrones' were quick to point out an item was out of place in one scene. A Starbucks cup from out of the realm appeared to be sitting on the table.

An errant Starbucks cup on the set of HBO’s hit series “Game of Thrones” provided a surprise advertising windfall for the coffeehouse chain, according to a marketing analytics firm.

Ticker	Security	Last	Change	Change %
SBUX	STARBUCKS CORP.	87.84	-0.91	-1.03%

Viewers spotted a Starbucks paper cup sitting on a table during a feast scene that featured key characters Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen in the show’s most recent episode, “The Last of the Starks.” Aside from a few seconds of screen time for the Starbucks logo, the gaffe set off a surge of jokes and discussion on social media.

The surprise appearance gave Starbucks the equivalent of $11.6 million in brand exposure across television, social media and other digital platforms as of early Monday afternoon, Apex Marketing Group said in an estimate first provided to MarketWatch. The total is expected to grow throughout the week. HBO is a division of AT&T following the $85 billion merger of Time Warner.

Ticker	Security	Last	Change	Change %
T	AT&T INC.	16.58	-0.23	-1.37%

Starbucks addressed the incident in a social media post, saying it was “surprised [Danaerys] didn’t order a dragon drink.” Bernadette Caulfield, an executive producer on “Game of Thrones,” confirmed the mistake during an interview with WNYC Radio on Monday.

“We’re sorry! Westeros was the first place to actually have Starbucks and it’s a little-known fact,” she joked.

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“Game of Thrones” is in the midst of its final six-episode run, with a finale set to air later this month. This season’s third episode, titled “The Long Night,” drew a record 17.8 million viewers across all platforms.