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Star Warsfans were exposed to a whole new side of the franchise when a viral video of a Chilean broadcast integrated with commercials made the rounds on social media. The user who posted it onX (formerly Twitter)mentioned that the originalStar Warstrilogy was aired in Chile in the early 2000s for the first time and there was a weird product integration in the broadcast.
The broadcast was reportedly integrated with commercials for the Chilean beer company Cerveza Cristal. Instead of the traditional method of cutting to commercials in the middle of airing, the channel reportedly cut the commercials within the film, showing the beer at pivotal points. The video sparked a trend of integrating the commercial into various other films.
Chilean Beer Brand Integrated Itself Into TheStar WarsFranchise
Star Warswas an international phenomenon upon its release in 1977 due to its groundbreaking visual effects and iconic characters. The franchise has spawned multiple sequels, prequels, and spin-off films and shows, as well as countless other media and merchandise. Created by George Lucas, the film franchise has a global fanbase.
When the originalStar Warstrilogy began to air in the South American country Chile in the early 2000s, broadcasters reportedly created a controversial yet creative ad campaign. Collaborating with Cerveza Cristal beer company, a local beer brand that was famous in Chile, Channel 13 reportedly integratedadsfor the beer within the film instead of cutting to commercials.
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According toThe Guardian, the ad campaign was handled by the advertising group OMD Santiago, which also won the Grand Prix at the Cannes International Advertising Festival in 2004. The commercials and campaigns saw the product being integrated at key moments in the original trilogy. One viral clip saw Obi-Wan Kenobi handing Luke Skywalker a cold one in the scene where he originally handed him his father’s lightsaber.
While many hailed the company for its creative ad campaign,Star WarscreatorGeorge Lucaswas reportedly not happy with the integration of a brand within key scenes of the films. According toBNN Breaking, Lucas filed a grievance with the Chilean Council for Self-Regulation and Advertising Ethics. The grievance resulted in Channel 13 being banned from airing the brand-integratedStar Warsfilms.
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The ChileanStar WarsVideos Made A Comeback As A Meme
Fans of theStar Warsfranchise had a divisive reaction to the product-integrated film broadcast. While some found the videos to be hilarious, others initially questioned the authenticity of the videos. The X userWindy, who was the original poster of the video on X reportedly posted another video after combating questions of inauthenticity.
The videos also sparked a trend in the beer commercial being integrated into other films, making it the new meme template. Films such asDune: Part Two, The Thing, Lord of The Rings,andThe Gladiatorbecame subject to the meme as iconic scenes from these films were manipulated to include Cervaza Cristal beer.
🎶 CERVEZA CRISTAL 🎶pic.twitter.com/238SibRMCw
Caught the first DUNE on Chilean TV the other night, can’t believe they’re still at ithttps://t.co/i5nl05GCcspic.twitter.com/TomhKMAhfj
Please I need her to watch Star Wars at least oncehttps://t.co/6r39GWQxXw
god i thought all of these were a childhood feverdream but thanks for confirming i am not insane
Are you not into 🎶 CERVEZA CRISTAL 🎶??pic.twitter.com/v810nxINhh
pic.twitter.com/uhKwOmRfQr
Many fans were fascinated by the seamless way in which the commercials were integrated into the films. During pivotal scenes, a body double of the hands of the characters would be placed, and instead of doing the action originally written, they would crack open a cold can of Cervaza Cristal.
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While the OMD Santiago group was banned from airing theStar Warsbeer film/commercials, they reportedly redid the campaign for other films such asAmerican Beauty, Notting Hill,andGladiator(via BNN Breaking).
Nishanth A
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2419
Nishanth A is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on TV shows with over 2,000 articles published. He has been an entertainment journalist for the past two years and a scriptwriter at various corporations before that, working on educational content. With a Communications, English Literature, and Psychology triple major, Nishanth usually covers news and analyses on Star Trek, particularly Strange New Worlds and The Next Generation; Doctor Who, the DCU, and more.A Nolan fan, Nishanth spends his time exploring the filmographies of various directors with an auteurial style or can be found making short movies of his own. He has also contributed as a feature writer for Film Companion, focusing on the South division.
