Monday, January 23, 2017

"It's a trap!"


In a somewhat surprise move Monday, the multibillion dollar movie franchise "Star Wars" released the title for its upcoming Episode VIII, now dubbed "The Last Jedi". Immediately, the post was picked up and spread around frantically accumulating over 164,000 retweets on Twitter in 8 hours, over 547,000 likes on Instagram, and another 258,000 likes on Facebook (all at time of posting).

The post laid the perfect "trap" for fans, the post is the first campaign feature for the movie scheduled to release on December 15th. The Star Wars franchise had just released Rogue One: A Star Wars Story in December and, most likely, did not want to interfere with the box office success by promoting two different Star Wars movies at the same time. It gave fans a little more Star Wars to keep in mind as Rogue One flair wears off. The title is the first taste fans get from the sequel to "The Force Awakens" which grossed over $2B worldwide, and saw return to the Star Wars universe in over a decade.

The marketing for The Force Awakens, and The Last Jedi should have significant differences. For one, the producers do not have to build up the hype of a return to the Star Wars universe, consumers know it's back and are aware. I think the post was a perfect timing to begin the hype for Episode VIII. The title is simple, yet fans are already speculating its meaning, who is the Jedi? Does the use of Jedi imply singular or plural? Also, the title release is the first time the words "Star Wars" has been written in red, also stirring up complex fan theories. A post from John Boyega, lead actor, includes the hashtag #Timetogotowar and will almost certainly keep fans coming back for more and more.

Star Wars fans may hope to see a potential spot during the Super Bowl, as with Force Awakens released a TV spot about two weeks after the title release. However, I think this would be a waste of resources that could be spent elsewhere. Disney does not need to spend the money on a Super Bowl advertisement to promote the world renown movie series. More likely, Disney will spend the majority  resources on Beauty & The Beast, or Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol 2, which are slated for summer releases.

The Star Wars universe received it's first taste of Episode VIII Monday, and I'm sure Disney marketing professionals will continue to keep fans on their toes throughout the year, and especially as  Star Wars Celebration weekend comes around mid-April. 



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