Ask any fan of Star Wars/child of the late 70's and early 80's "what happened at the Mos Eisley cantina?" And you will be regaled with tales of bargaining for a trip to the Alderaan system, aliens that look like devils, a farm boy being threatened by space pirates, and bounty hunters being pre-emptively shot under a table (depending on version), if lucky, you might even be treated to a tune, one of Figrin D'an and the Modal Nodes' greatest hits.
You likely will not hear anything about Beckham, Snoop Dogg, Ian Brown, Noel Gallagher, Jay Baruchel or Daft Punk (among others). That is until now, in a new Adidas ad to be aired during the World Cup, the athletic apparel company has found promotional inspiration in events that took place "...a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away."
With seamless editing, the various pop culture figures effortlessly appear in this famous film setting, as though it were any other pub (on this world) airing a World Cup match. What is particularly interesting about the ideas inherent in this ad, is that it more or less defies typical modern marketing strategies of encouraging individualism and instead focuses on a sort of collective/generational identification with Star Wars. Though comparable to celebrity endorsements (which, obviously, it does include) this spot pushes further by recognizing a collective experiential enjoyment, if not nostalgia, for Episode IV: A New Hope, and specifically this scene.
Of additional interest is that current branding trends see firms wanting to create stories surrounding their brand identity. This begs the question, if Adidas is following this trend, then what is the story here? Perhaps it is the retro significance of 1977's A New Hope, and its era-relation to iconic Adidas imagery. In using the Trefoil Adidas symbol that emerged in the early 1970s, and tying it to the original Star Wars, there is undoubtedly an inference to the symbolic retro-cool imagery associated with the brand, immediately recalling, among other things, ringer-tees, tri-striped canvas sneakers, Bob Marley, and of course, football (read soccer).
Regardless, for any undercover geek, this is just one of the coolest things, ever... ever! Well, maybe not, but it is fun nonetheless, particularly given Adidas' dedication the strategy, to the extent of creating Star Wars themed athletic wear and packaging shoes in blister packs remarkably similar to the old action figure packaging. The whole approach simply makes me feel "strong enough to pull the ears off a Gundark" just to get at a Vader track jacket.
You likely will not hear anything about Beckham, Snoop Dogg, Ian Brown, Noel Gallagher, Jay Baruchel or Daft Punk (among others). That is until now, in a new Adidas ad to be aired during the World Cup, the athletic apparel company has found promotional inspiration in events that took place "...a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away."
With seamless editing, the various pop culture figures effortlessly appear in this famous film setting, as though it were any other pub (on this world) airing a World Cup match. What is particularly interesting about the ideas inherent in this ad, is that it more or less defies typical modern marketing strategies of encouraging individualism and instead focuses on a sort of collective/generational identification with Star Wars. Though comparable to celebrity endorsements (which, obviously, it does include) this spot pushes further by recognizing a collective experiential enjoyment, if not nostalgia, for Episode IV: A New Hope, and specifically this scene.
Of additional interest is that current branding trends see firms wanting to create stories surrounding their brand identity. This begs the question, if Adidas is following this trend, then what is the story here? Perhaps it is the retro significance of 1977's A New Hope, and its era-relation to iconic Adidas imagery. In using the Trefoil Adidas symbol that emerged in the early 1970s, and tying it to the original Star Wars, there is undoubtedly an inference to the symbolic retro-cool imagery associated with the brand, immediately recalling, among other things, ringer-tees, tri-striped canvas sneakers, Bob Marley, and of course, football (read soccer).
Regardless, for any undercover geek, this is just one of the coolest things, ever... ever! Well, maybe not, but it is fun nonetheless, particularly given Adidas' dedication the strategy, to the extent of creating Star Wars themed athletic wear and packaging shoes in blister packs remarkably similar to the old action figure packaging. The whole approach simply makes me feel "strong enough to pull the ears off a Gundark" just to get at a Vader track jacket.
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