We were busy celebrating Cinco de Mayo and forgot to wish everyone a happy Star Wars Day on May 4. (You know…May the fourth be with you.)

Star Wars is an icon and hasn’t lost its luster since A New Hope was released in theaters in May 1977. With the announcement of a new movie due out in 2015, Disney (now the owners to the rights of Star Wars) is tasked with marketing it accordingly.

The Dark Side

Marketing a 37-year-old franchise is difficult enough, partially because it lacks the flexibility of a brand. A brand can evolve countless ways in 37 years, and the Star Wars story has really only been expanded upon with the line of prequels released between 1999 and 2005.

While there have been products released (think Legos and other toys) and other spinoffs (The Clone Wars; The Star Wars Holiday Special), the main Star Wars story is rooted in the six major films.

Marketing has changed drastically since 1999, not to mention 1977. The Star Wars marketing team must employ new tactics for Episode VII.

This new marketing will serve to appeal to the existing fan base and entice a new, younger set to the Star Wars franchise.

The existing fans are committed to the story. Any content that feels contrived or too salesy won’t resonate well with them. Star Wars has done an excellent job of engaging its audience and keeping the story fresh while looking ahead to the new movie still a year from release.

Going Social

Star Wars adapted to social media quite some time ago, but it got buzz this past December when it created an Instagram account and posted a Darth Vader selfie.

Since then, the Star Wars social platforms have had a sense of humor and a conversational tone to its posts. They have their own version of March Madness with characters, do #TriviaTuesdays and #ThrowbackThursdays, catering to 2014’s social media trends. The posts read more like an old friend than a movie series, taking a look at vintage memorabilia and posting news on Episode VII.

Revealing The Process

Star Wars is increasing its following by letting fans see a little bit of the behind-the-scenes action – from both the older movies and the new. By letting people feel included and “in the know,” Star Wars is creating excitement over a longer period of time.

Forbes provided another take on this, suggesting that Disney take a “no comment” approach to marketing the new movie. This, Forbes said, would create its own buzz around the launch of Episode VII, and leaving everything to the fans’ imagination in the year or so leading up to the movie.

It’s not a bad idea, but by letting the audience see the process, it makes the launch of Episode VII feel a little more personal. Episode VII is at the forefront of fans’ minds – but because they’re looking for original content and not being bombarded with trailers and movie posters.

Sharing Star Wars 

These tactics especially lead to sharing content. Creating Star Wars is fun for the team and they want to share their work in between movie releases.

On the other hand, people share what they’re excited about – whether on social media or in conversation over dinner. The strength in this round of Star Wars marketing is the potential fans have to share with their children and younger family members who may not be as familiar with the franchise – a group of new fans waiting in the wings.

What do you think? Are you excited for Episode VII? What color lightsaber would you wield? Tweet away, Jedi Masters @MagnetoAgency!

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