Target is inviting people to share their Star Wars memories from the beginning (1977) to now. the campaign launched yesterday with a video montage of people's (mostly cute kids) videos over the years watching Star Wars, playing with Star Wars toys, explaining Star Wars, playing their own version of the theme song and more. It's a fun, nostalgic look back at Star Wars past and a strong early lead in to the upcoming new film coming this Christmas season.
Being a huge Star Wars geek from the beginning (I was working at a Drive-In theater as a projectionist the year the first one came out), it's no surprise it made my ad of the week. But, it's also a smart campaign by Target. They have been around and selling Star Wars merchandise since the beginning. Getting fans worked up about it and remembering what they loved about it can only lead to original Star Wars fans buying stuff for their kids to make them new Star Wars fans.
Target started a microsite at ShareTheForce.Target.com where fans are invited to upload their Star Wars memories – photos, videos and such. Each upload will get a set of galactic coordinates where they can find their uploaded entries. And as the content gets uploaded, Lucasfilms will archive the memories and make them accessible to all fans. There will also be a "Shop the Force" section in Target stores where new Star Wars merchandise will be sold.
I found myself smiling through the whole video. They did a good job of pulling together clips that will melt the hearts of any fan. And it got me excited for the upcoming movie. All in all, it's a great cross promotion that should gain a lot of traction for both the movie and the store. So, go ahead and enjoy!
Target – Share The Force
I hope it left you smiling too. Let me know what you think. And if you see something you thing is Ad of The Week worthy – drop us a line or suggest it here in the comments. See you at the movies!
Mike McClure – Target fan and Star Wars geek.
