The Star Wars Versions With Beer Ads Edited Into The Story
During the broadcasts of several Star Wars films in December 2003, Chile’s channel 13 aired three commercials produced by Cerveza Cristal, a popular beer company in the South American country. What set these 30-second spots aside from others was the way that both Channel 13 and Cerveza Cristal engineered them to air. All three commercials were made to look as though they were a continuation of the scene that they interrupted, giving viewers the impression that the beers were a part of the film.
Chile’s channel 13 expertly edited commercials to blend in with Star Wars movies.
Only a single black frame separated the actual Star Wars film scenes from the beer ad, which, at first look, really does make it look like the Emperor is using force to retrieve a cold one. Another scene from Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope cuts to a commercial break just as Obi-Wan Kenobi is reaching out to retrieve an item from a chest, only to have the commercial show a similarly robed arm reach into an identical chest for a beer. But the fan favorite Star Wars beer ad might be the third example.
….the Star Wars beer incident wasn’t the only time that Cerveza Cristal pulled this innovative trick off on viewers of popular films.
In this Star Wars beer ad, Luke Skywalker is reaching to pull out his lightsaber. The film cuts to a commercial just in time to make it appear as though Luke is pulling out a bottle of Cristal beer. It’s difficult to imagine a better product placement.
…Lucas was so incensed at the Star Wars beer incident that he filed a grievance with the Chilean Council for Self-Regulation and Advertising Ethics in 2004…
Funny enough, the Star Wars beer incident wasn’t the only time that Cerveza Cristal pulled this innovative trick off on viewers of popular films. In early 2004, Channel 13 teamed up again with the beer company to produce more of the same, but with other popular films of the day. In February of that year, the network wove the popular beer into scenes from the 1999 film American Beauty. A month later, the two entities were at it again, but this time with the films Notting Hill and Gladiator.
Is such a ploy effective on potential customers? Data shows that 100% of viewers during the Star Wars beer incident stayed tuned in while the single black frame separated the film from the beer commercials. This is 16% more than the number of viewers still tuning in, as the first commercial during a break is when viewers begin to channel surf.
The move by Cerveza Cristal more than two decades ago makes one wonder why it wasn’t aired in the United States. But as protective as George Lucas has been with his intellectual property in the past, potential litigation is most likely the reason. In fact, Lucas was so incensed at the Star Wars beer incident that he filed a grievance with the Chilean Council for Self-Regulation and Advertising Ethics in 2004, who issued a judgment in Lucas Films’ favor by declaring that the commercials could not air again.
Despite the blowback from the franchise’s creator, the Star Wars beer commercials have remained a favorite among fans of the series and with marketing gurus for years. The threat of a lawsuit makes it extremely unlikely that this will ever happen again, though the original Cerveza Cristal commercials can still be viewed online.
