It might have been Bank Holiday Monday here in the UK yesterday (be honest, how many of you spent it either nursing the mother of all hangovers or doing the gardening?), and the royal birth might have been the news story with the most traction, but online, it was all about Star Wars. Of course, the 7th instalment in the franchise isn't due to hit the big screen until December, but for the last few years, May the 4th (be with you) has become something of an unofficial “Star Wars Day” holiday amongst certain fans, and with a new film on the horizon, people seemed to be feeling the force this year more than ever before. This enthusiasm extended to ad land, with a number of brands using the occasion to give their products a relevant 'force' push.
May the 4th (be with you) has become something of an unofficial "Star Wars Day" holiday amongst certain fans
Honestly, many of the attempts made came across as a little obvious, but a handful of brands actually appeared to put a bit of effort into it. Below I'll be dipping into a few of them, but feel free to let me know in the comments below if there are any good ones that might have passed me by!
The Star Wars themed enthusiasm extended to ad land, with a number of brands using the occasion to give their products a relevant 'force' push
Crest and Oral-B introduced a 10-second video (below) to their social media channels to promote their line of toothbrushes, toothpastes and mouthwashes featuring characters from the Star Wars universe. It shows a boy using the force to balance on one hand as various branded oral care products fly around him. The video was created by Publicis Kaplan Thaler, and also celebrates the fact that the Oral-B brand was the first of its kind to feature Star Wars characters. These characters have been re-introduced this year as part of parent company Procter & Gamble's “Pro-Health Jr” range for kids aged between 8 and 12.
Crest + Oral-B – May the 4th Be With You 2015
Subway really got into the spirit of the day with a delightful homage to everyone's favourite Star Wars droid (because let's be honest, nobody really cared for C-3PO). The image that was shared by the fast food brand across social media featured the loveable R2-DU constructed completely from items found in the restaurant chain's salad bar. My only personal qualm is that they were probably a little too liberal with their use of the cucumber.
Nissan really pushed the boat out with their own Star Wars Day tweet, which featured a range of (heavily photoshopped) creations that combined some of the franchises most beloved droids with their own range of motors. R2, C-3PO and the adorable new BB-8 were all given the Nissan treatment in a series of snaps that really made me wished we actually lived a long time ago in a galaxy far far away.
Jelly London also got into the spirit of Star Wars Day, with many of the agency's top artists lending their talents to a series of images marking the occasion. As one would expect from such a unique agency, the artistic interpretations on display might irk certain purists, but if you're the kind of person who finds the concept of Darth Vader applying lipstick offensive, then you probably need to get out more.
Of course it wasn't just Star Wars fans who were rejoicing this bank holiday, as it also marked the naming of a certain Princess Charlotte. Marketers to take advantage of this rare opportunity included Disney, Nissan, Pizza Hut, Dunkin' Donuts and British Airways, all of whom chimed in to celebrate the royal birth with some predictably some cheesy tweets. It wasn't all thankless puns though. Certain Pizza Hut chains offered a free meal to anyone named Charlotte and Dunkin' Donuts launched a Twitter sweepstakes in the US with the chance for two lucky retweeters to win a trip to London. There were 1.5 million tweets mentioning the royal baby between Saturday and Monday morning, but those numbers pale in comparison to the whopping 11 million tweets related to Saturday night's between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. Seems people care more for punching than babies. Who'd have thought!
Benjamin Hiorns is a freelance writer and struggling musician from Kidderminster in the UK. He regrettably spent his bank holiday in the cinema watching the new Avengers film. And what a hot mess of nothing that was!
