The Starting Harry Potter campaign encourages younger readers and listeners across the globe to start their own Wizarding World™ journey.
In July 2023, Pottermore Publishing celebrated the annual publishing campaign Starting Harry Potter alongside Bloomsbury, Scholastic and the wider international publishers of Harry Potter. The campaign encourages people around the world to discover the magic of the stories and dive into the Wizarding World, starting with Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.
The 2023 marketing toolkit featured the enchanting illustration of Harry with the sorting hat, an iconic moment from the first story in both a static and animated format. Click the video below to see the magical animation alongside a quote taken from the wise words of Hagrid.
We saw some brilliant marketing activity from many of our wonderful partners, reaching across 24 markets from in-app promotions to social posts. Eagle-eyed fans in the UK may have been able to spot a digital Starting Harry Potter advertisement in partnership with Audible, at their local train or tube station. Whilst in New York, the front cover of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone featured on the external screen outside the Harry Potter flagship store, encouraging those who passed by to ‘Share the magic this summer’. Swipe through below to see the range of marketing activity our partners engaged in.
Additionally, there was cross-franchise activity to celebrate the campaign with Wizarding World Digital hosting The Starting Harry Potter hub. This year, a beautiful Almanac page was featured, taking inspiration from a spread inside The Harry Potter Wizarding Almanac, publishing in October 2023 by Bloomsbury. The interactive page gave fans the opportunity to experience an unguided tour of Hogwarts, with featured locations accompanied by a quote from the stories and narration taken from Stephen Fry audiobooks.
The successful campaign ended on 31st July, in the anticipation that fans both old and new could come together and celebrate the Boy Who Lived’s birthday.
