Connecting Disney and Lucas Films with a young female audience to connect their cultural passions with the launch of Force Awakens.
Background
Disney and Lucas Films were incredibly focused on successfully launching their partnership with the first Star Wars episode of the Disney-era, The Force Awakens. JJ Abrams, Kathleen Kennedy partnered with us to unpack their mission of connecting with the young female audience (many who considered Star Wars something for their uncles and Dads.
Our challenge was to find a way to leverage our platforms to connect with this audience in a genuine way. We dug into consumer insights on Instagram and saw that fashion trends that we heating up looked incredibly close to the costume design crafted for The Force Awakens. Earth tones. Rugged. Flowing fabric. The fashion runways looked like they would seamless connect with the Star Wars universe.
We decided to change the lens looking into the Star Wars universe from lasers, spaceships and aliens - to powerful use of imagery, craft and beauty to draw the audience in The Force Awakens in a way that felt native to the IG feed. We partnered with legendary fashion photographer, Julia Noni, to bring the look to life. in a way that would light up IG The Campaign worked incredibly well and cemented a long-standing Disney partnership that continues today.
Instagram Carousel (One of the first brand crafted versions)
At the time. carousel was a newly available creative canvas for us to explore. We crafted multiple variations and targeted them to audiences. All resonated well and the IG element of the marketing push was a first step into the Facebook and Disney approach to marketing films uniquely on our platforms in ways that go well beyond the “golden trailer” approach.
Credits:
Facebook Creative Shop
Bob Bjarke: Instagram Creative Strategist
Lily Wycoff: Instagram Creative Strategist
Tom Gilmartin: Instagram Creative Director and Group Lead
The Walt Disney Studios
Jessica Intihar: Lead Client / SVP Digital Marketing
Photographer
Julia Noni
Every once in awhile, we’re lucky enough to work on a project that not only lights up our hearts but lights up the family, as well. As a someone who is proud of raising a Star Wars loving family, this project was one for the Ages and significantly increased the level of my FORCE in the eyes of my kids.
