Their cup runneth over.
The “Game of Thrones” coffee cup gaffe may have given Starbucks $2.3 billion in free advertising — even though it didn’t belong to the java giant.
The modern-day disposable cup that made an accidental debut in a scene from HBO’s popular medieval fantasy show was actually from a local coffee shop in Banbridge, Northern Ireland, close to where the scene was filmed.
But the online frenzy mostly assumed it was a cup from Starbucks, which was happy to play along with the buzz.
Stacy Jones, CEO of marketing company Hollywood Branded, told CNBC that the endless publicity over the filming flub may have given Starbucks as much as $2.3 billion in free advertising.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime collision of opportunity for Starbucks,” Jones said.
“But really, this is just the tip of the iceberg, because what isn’t being monitored or estimated is the word of mouth and social media on top of this.”
Starbucks used the opportunity to push its newly released “dragon drink” — a pink concoction made with dragonfruit and coconut milk.
“TBH we’re surprised she didn’t order a Dragon Drink,” Starbucks tweeted Monday.
A Starbucks rep said the timing of the new beverage was just a coincidence — it hit stores before the gaffe on April 30.
HBO has since used digital editing to remove the cup from future airings of the fourth episode of the eighth and final season of the hit show.