Chapter 920: Shameless Hunger Marketing

Currently, Star Wars: The Force Awakens had seven major global brand partners, spanning industries from cosmetics, breakfast, and fast food to telecommunications and digital electronics. These partners had rolled out Star Wars-themed limited edition products early on, arming the franchise "from head to toe."

Star Wars for the face: Procter & Gamble's cosmetics brand Covergirl launched a series of Star Wars-themed makeup, printing the franchise logo and lines from the film—such as "Light and dark, which side are you on?"—right on the packaging.

Star Wars for the wrist: the watch brand Devon released a limited edition Star Wars watch. Made with materials from the American aerospace industry, only 500 of these expensive timepieces were produced globally, each commanding a staggering $285,000.

Star Wars for the feet: footwear brands armed the franchise from the ground up. Adidas released limited-edition Star Wars sneakers, while the British brand Irregular Choice introduced shoes featuring Death Star heels and R2-D2 designs, complete with interactive sound modules and light effects.

Edible Star Wars: Nestlé was now selling Star Wars-themed Coffee-Mate creamer, using the "light" and "dark" sides of the Force as selling points. The official website's description pitched it like this: "Coffee-Mate's Star Wars-themed creamer takes the limited-edition espresso chocolate to the extreme. You can fully indulge in the power of the dark side."

The Rosenberg Family's Santa Fe Advertising Company also joined the promotional fray, partnering with Lucasfilm to launch a new series of ads based on a simple premise: what if Star Wars characters ran for political office? They shot a mini "Star Wars movie" composed entirely of these commercials. The ads starred characters like Chewbacca and Han Solo, with plots parodying classic campaign commercials as a tribute to the franchise.

For example, Chewbacca and Han Solo running together echoed Hillary's 2008 "3 a.m." campaign ad. In another commercial, Darth Vader stood in for former U.S. President Reagan, reenacting his 1984 "Morning in America" ad.

Every event related to Star Wars: The Force Awakens shared one core principle: emphasize the highlights, but absolutely no spoilers!

Star Wars 7's massive marketing offensive left virtually no blind spots. Duke, with his endless stream of ideas, naturally didn't stop there. He produced a viral video titled "Babies React to Leaked Star Wars 7 Footage." The sight of a baby's jaw dropping in astonishment easily piqued people's curiosity, and the moment the video hit Instant Sharing, it racked up nearly ten million views.

That wasn't all. Lucasfilm also invested heavily in a full suite of peripheral marketing. Looking at the official Star Wars website, everything was covered: news, television programs, communities, mobile games, apps, and more. They had it all.

Offline, to satisfy the hardcore geek fans, the heavy-hitting main cast of Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, and Mark Hamill continually attended various events to promote the new film.

Yet despite watching so many promotional materials—some grand, some heartwarming—the audience hadn't been spoiled one bit. They only knew Luke Skywalker was missing because of his absence from the ads. Since the entire storyline revolved around the search for him, the mystery of what exactly had happened to each character successfully grabbed the audience's attention.

So who had filled Luke's spot in these promotional materials? It was none other than the film's adorable new droid, BB-8. Although this new protagonist was small in stature, it had achieved massive breakout success, absolutely becoming a household name in the Star Wars Series.

Duke knew very well that only by selling cuteness could they rake in cash from the massive Asian box office.

Only this kind of all-encompassing, focused, and suspenseful marketing could transform into the driving force that sent fans frantically buying tickets once the film opened.

Armed with the nostalgia card to cultivate fans, along with the overwhelming marketing campaign and the combined brand power of Duke and Star Wars, Star Wars: The Force Awakens essentially forced the heavily teased North American audience into seeing it. It could basically be summed up as a shameless hunger marketing campaign.

Under this intense wave of hype, the kids in North America wouldn't even dare leave their houses if they hadn't seen Star Wars 7.

However, the film's distributor, Warner Brothers, seemed even more excited than the fans. Warner Brothers' marketing for Star Wars 7 was nothing short of pervasive. Searching for products bearing the film's logo in daily life had become the next big social media treasure hunt craze, following the "Find the Magic Triangle" trend.

Inside a Walmart supermarket, Harris Dunn had just snapped a photo with his Apple phone. He immediately uploaded it to Instant Sharing, adding the caption: "Look what I found, Star Wars Mineral Water!"

On the shelf opposite him sat mineral water printed with the female lead of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Rey, and the main villain, Kylo Ren. Harris Dunn grabbed two bottles and tossed them into his cart. It wasn't that he didn't want more; there were simply too many Star Wars-related goods, and he couldn't just buy one type of item.

Harris Dunn then aimed his phone's camera at the shelf across from the mineral water. After snapping a picture and posting it to Instant Sharing, he grabbed two jars.

Pushing his cart along, he muttered, "R2-D2 and C-3PO coffee and creamer, Sheldon's favorite."

Walking over to the home appliances section, Harris Dunn noticed a manufacturer hosting a promotional event. He hurried over to take a look but, after a moment of thought, abandoned the idea of buying anything. After all, he was going to line up to reserve seats for Star Wars: The Force Awakens next. He couldn't exactly lug a Millennium Falcon electric griddle along with him, could he?

Continuing forward, Harris Dunn took a photo with almost every step he took, uploading each one to Instant Sharing. The number of Star Wars-related products was simply countless.

In the home appliances section, there was also a Moleskine Star Wars Limited Edition Notebook. The notebook's cover, belly band, and title page all featured Star Wars thematic elements, and it even came with a large stack of limited-edition stickers.

Walking further ahead, he saw the Star Wars character-shaped refrigerator released by the Haier Asia International Company. Not only was it an R2-D2 refrigerator, but it also functioned as a robot, making it incredibly cool.

Harris Dunn really wanted to buy one, but the timing was wrong. He would just have to come back for it later.

However, he still picked out one item from the home appliances section: Sony Electronics' "Darth Vader Edition" PS4 console.

As for the Darth Vader head toaster across the aisle, Harris Dunn had to temporarily pass on it for the sake of his wallet. Even though it played Darth Vader's breathing sound while toasting, it wasn't a necessity right now.

Leaving the appliances section, Harris Dunn passed through the cosmetics area and spotted Star Wars Mascara. It featured a standard Lightsaber design, though he wondered if it could shoot laser beams after brushing.

With that thought in mind, he walked into the toy and clothing section. The first things he saw were the Star Wars Series Lego toys. Right next to them, the display area for the Japanese brand Uniqlo was packed full of Star Wars-themed T-shirts, an array so dazzling it made his head spin.

Selecting a T-shirt printed with BB-8, Harris Dunn headed toward the checkout counter. Passing by the footwear section, he specifically stopped to snap a few pictures, then opened Instant Sharing to upload the photos along with their captions.

"UGG snow boots—the Star Wars theme combined with UGG's inherent shape gives an immediate sense of 'cold cuteness.'"

"Fourteen models of Irregular Choice Star Wars-themed high heels—blended with various Star Wars elements. Not only do I want to give the designers full marks for imagination, but I also want to give the girls who wear these shoes full marks for courage!"

Nearing the checkout area, Harris Dunn also spotted oranges packed inside Star Wars packaging. He couldn't help clicking his tongue in marvel.

"Star Wars Oranges... forgive me for not grasping the profound mystery behind these."

After paying his bill and leaving Walmart, Harris Dunn walked to the main entrance and saw an ad for United Airlines, the largest airline in the United States. The Boeing passenger plane on the advertisement was exceptionally eye-catching, its entire fuselage completely wrapped in R2-D2 and STAR WARS elements.

After taking a picture of the ad, Harris Dunn, who hadn't driven, opened the Uber app and requested a ride. By the time he was standing at the entrance to Walmart, having just finished uploading the photo, his requested Uber had already pulled up.

Harris Dunn didn't get in right away. Instead, he snapped a photo of the car first, because it was also Star Wars-themed—its exterior had been painted to look like a white Stormtrooper...

Riding in the car out of the block where the Walmart was located, Harris Dunn arrived at one of the busiest traffic intersections in Los Angeles. He immediately raised his camera and went on another shooting frenzy.

Because even the traffic signs had been Star Wars-ified: Road ragers, you are embarking on the journey to the Dark Side of the Force!

It had to be said, Warner Brothers and Lucasfilm's promotional marketing could only be described as utterly insane.

Along the way, Harris Dunn lost track of how many photos he had taken and how many times he had posted to Instant Sharing. By the time he rushed to the Hollywood Chinese Theater, his phone was already warning him of a low battery. Fortunately, he had come prepared with a power bank.

Harris Dunn had come to the Hollywood Chinese Theater to reserve seats for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Although he already held tickets booked online, American movie tickets almost never had specific seat numbers; seating was first-come, first-served. To snag the best spots to watch Star Wars: The Force Awakens, he had to come early and wait in line.

And right now, there were still five days until the public release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens!

But Harris Dunn didn't feel there was anything wrong with this. The names Duke Rosenberg and Star Wars absolutely made it worth doing.

What's more, upon seeing the situation in front of the Hollywood Chinese Theater, Harris Dunn realized he was actually a bit late.

Hundreds of Star Wars fans had already pitched tents outside the Hollywood Chinese Theater. After receiving his online-ordered tent, Harris Dunn chatted with a few of them and discovered that the earliest people to pitch a tent and wait in line had arrived twelve days ago!