Star Wars: A Social Awakening
By Jacqueline Antworth
As you’ve probably heard by now, Walt Disney Co. and Lucasfilm will release “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” in theaters on December 18th. This is the eighth film in the Star Wars franchise, which spans nearly four decades. What’s different about this film, aside from it being Walt Disney Co.’s first foray into the franchise, is that this is the first Star Wars film to debut in the age of true global social media. That’s right — the last film to be released, “Star Wars: The Clone Wars,” hit theaters in 2008.
After reading in The Wall Street Journal that Walt Disney Co. would cut back on advertising for this film, we wondered how big of an impact social media would have in promoting the movie and, since social largely reflects the voice of the customer, or in this case “fans,” what role would they play?
First, we wanted to know how big the conversation was. In the last week, there were over 1 Million people talking about “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” The reach of social media posts surpassed that of any other film to be released in December by an impressive 992.1%. It’s safe to say that this is the most highly anticipated film of the season.
Next, we wondered, who was the average Star Wars fan? The first film came out 38 years ago, and over that time, the audience has evolved and diversified. We expected to see more males than females discussing the movie, but our gender breakdown analysis indicated that females represented 42.9% of the social conversation. Although Walt Disney Co. cut back on advertising, the company released promotional spots on its owned ESPN program “Monday Night Football,” as well as a spot on ABC featuring Executive Producer and Writer Shonda Rhimes. These two channels arguably cater to specific target audiences. ESPN claimed nearly 60% of the mentions when compared to ABC, further supporting the notion that Star Wars now has broad appeal — an important point for marketers to understand when developing their own promotional campaigns.
Walt Disney Co. partnered with brands to promote the film, including Verizon, Cover Girl, HP, Subway, Fiat Chrysler, Duracell, and General Mills. Verizon was discussed most due to its social media campaign asking people to share their top fan theories about the plot of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” using #TheoryWars. Fans were most eager to predict plot theories around Han Solo and Chewbacca. One of the top theory from Verizon’s #TheoryWars was that “Chewbacca wakes up the Force with a Wookie Call.” #TheoryWars is open to Verizon customers — users must enter their Verizon phone number in order to enter, but several others joined the conversation including comedian and TV personality Chris Hardwick. Verizon’s campaign shows that there are opportunities for brands to be a genuine part of the conversation on social rather than just broadcast their own narrative.
Finally, we wanted to know what was driving Star Wars conversations. Little information regarding the plot of the film has been released but news that original cast members like Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, and Carrie Fisher will make on-screen appearances sparked excitement online. Topping the list of the most mentioned characters were Darth Vader, Han Solo, and Luke Skywalker.
Walt Disney Co.’s decision to reduce ad spend may not have a detrimental impact on “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” due to the influence of social media. Campaigns such as Verizon’s #TheoryWars engages fans in a way traditional advertising never could. When comparing the top Star Wars hashtags, #TheoryWars accounted for 5.1K mentions. The Star Wars fan community has found its voice through social and is a key force in promoting the film, underscoring the impact social channels now play. See you in the theatre!
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