Fast food on the service of galactic heroes No film in the history of cinema has been able to rally around itself such a large group of loyal fans, as it happened in the imperishable “Star Wars” by George Lucas. The triumph of human imagination, faith in one’s own strength in spite of all obstacles, amazing, mind-blowing ideas and their no less spectacular implementation in life made Star Wars a legend that excites the minds of the public for more than forty years. Only having appeared on the screens, the film of George Lucas instantly received the fully deserved status of a cult work, forcing viewers around the world to go to cinemas again and again, in order to penetrate the Far, Far Galaxy in the unique atmosphere of a dark hall, from where you absolutely do not want to get out. Enterprising Lucas was able to foresee the future success of his tape, securing the exclusive right to produce related products for Star Wars. A trial batch of all sorts of figurines, vehicles and soft toys flew between fans in a matter of days. In addition to box office records and rave critical reviews, Star Wars proved to studio executives that you can make much more money on the accompanying production than on a poster. Lucasfilm’s marketing division has expanded the geography of production contacts, allowing Star Wars to occupy the shelves of every section of every supermarket chain. To feel like a hero, you don’t have to close your eyes and dream. Spectators got unique by the standards of the 70s of the last century to take part in space battles, waving lightsabers through the streets and even reincarnate into their favorite heroes with the help of numerous costumes and masks. And if for some reason a person did not want to openly advertise his passion for the creation of Lucas, then he could easily enjoy the Saga at home, drinking coffee from a theme mug and leaving the shower in a specialized robe. And even after the natural end of the Original Star Wars trilogy, the accompanying products did not disappear from stores, but continued to fight for the audience’s attention, in no way inferior to other fantastic stories.
The next round of popularity for toys based on Saga came closer to the end of the millennium, marked by the release of the long-awaited Trilogy of prequels. Along with unimaginable advances in computer technology, George Lucas took advantage of the expansion of production hype and the expansion of the world market, literally throwing consumers a new batch of toys and other products for Star Wars. Moreover, the toys did not just dust on the windows, but with the speed of light scattered from the shelves, settling in the bins of loyal fans-collectors. Popularity was enjoyed by both unchanged heroes of past years like Luke Skywalker and Han Solo, and new characters like Qui-Gon Jinn and Darth Maul. And if anyone thought that after the release of Revenge of the Sith, the final episode of the Prequel Trilogy, people’s passion for related products would diminish, he was gravely mistaken. The mythology of “Star Wars” did not even think to give up, developing with the help of numerous printed novels, worthy of attention plot video games and comics. The release of the animated series “The Clone Wars” in 2008 added a few more points to Saga, and its full-length start, symbolically starting in theaters, without problems recouped all the costs of production, demonstrating to all skeptics that the galaxy far and far will not come off the top of popularity for a long time. So it is not at all surprising that the cooperation of Lucasfilm with manufacturers of various products continued to increase.
As well as the ever-incomparable figures from the Hasbro lineup, viewers got the chance to bring home the original symbiosis from Star Wars and Angry Birds. Famous computer game to the surprise of many users in one of the additions acquired the features of the Jedi, rebels and troops of the Empire, and also migrated into ordinary plastic and soft toys, allowing you to play fun flights not only on the monitor screen, but also in real life. The sequel to the game, based on the Prequel Trilogy, which followed the first part, added to both entertaining popularity points, which the bosses of the McDonald’s fast food corporation could not safely watch. Seeing in the symbiosis of “Star Wars” and Angry Birds a good opportunity for their restaurants, they decided to supplement the children’s menu of the restaurant with themed toys, which was, of course, the right decision, which brought each party multimillion-dollar revenues. And in order for the product to be properly sold and not go from the lips of consumers, it was necessary to advertise it properly and directly force people to come for it with the necessary amount of money. More than once. And in terms of competent marketing, McDonald’s specialists have always been known as connoisseurs. Having obtained a license to produce products based on Saga Lucas and flying birds, they were not lazy to release a charming short film that lures visitors to McDonald’s, where you can buy an attractive set of Happy Meal, timed to celebrate Halloween.
As for the content of the commercial, it is quite understandable, a little funny, but quite traditional material, demonstrating all the charms of buying Happy Meal. On the screen, we see an ordinary boy (Aiden Lewandowski), who was lucky to go to McDonald’s, where his parents bought him a children’s set of goodies, supplemented by a toy from Star Wars. Now our hero can imagine himself either a formidable Sith Lord Darth Vader, or a selfless stormtrooper. Also, Happy Meal sets allow you to get into your collection the best bounty hunter in the galaxy, Bob Fett, who continues to win the hearts of fans along with the main characters in the story of George Lucas. In addition to displaying toys, the guy shows us the features of the Halloween menu. Along with traditional french fries and sugary drinks, McDonald’s supplemented the sets with specially dried apple chips and delicious milk, from which even the most concerned for the health of the child parents are ready to buy Happy Meal without unnecessary reasoning.
Take the video “Star Wars & Angry Birds: McDonald’s Happy Halloween Happy Meal” as a full-fledged independent film work is still not worth it. In fact, this is quite an ordinary attractive advertising, on which the creative team worked properly. With its task, the advertising coped quite successfully, attracting crowds of Star Wars fans to McDonald’s. The advantages of "Star Wars & Angry Birds: McDonald's Happy Halloween Happy Meal" include rapid timing, catchy music and pleasant characters. Realizing that the consumer needs to explain as soon as possible why it is worth buying the presented sets, all unnecessary artistic elements of advertising were thrown away, leaving pure commerce. On the one hand, the video seems purely calculating, but on the other hand, in fact, it does not oblige to anything. You and I can decide what to buy and what to ignore. It is clear that the presented set Happy Meal has one great advantage - attachment to "Star Wars". Fans of the Saga are likely to appreciate both the set itself and the advertising. All other viewers and consumers of the creation of McDonald’s should not take to heart.
6 out of 10