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9 Brands That Used The Force on Twitter During Star Wars Day 2015

Whether to sell a product, service, or just create brand visibility, a plethora of brands used the force on Twitter for #StarWarsDay 2015.

by  Kathryn Wheeler

Reading Time:10 mins May 5, 2015

Puns are great. (Who doesn’t love puns?) However, I never expected one to garner so much attention that it actually became its own holiday.

Then came Star Wars Day (or “May the 4th Be With You” Day). And while it isn’t an official holiday, there are so many fans that celebrate every year that it could fool anyone.

Even big brands take advantage of this popular pun. Last year, brands like Oreo, Mountain Dew, Vans, Spotify, and even Hormel Bacon got in on the marketing action.

Whether to sell a product, service, or just create brand visibility, a plethora of brands used the force on Twitter for #StarWarsDay 2015. In fact, there were so many that participated this year that I had to use the power of the Jedi just to narrow it down.

Without further ado, here are the top 9 brands that used the Force to attack the world with their marketing:

1. Hootsuite

The cuteness factor in this image alone should explain why Hootsuite is on the list. Hootsuite really nailed the Star Wars Marketing on its head – redesigning their logo, creating their own hashtag (#IfStarWarsHadTwitter), and even incorporating a video involving their logo as a mascot – they did it all. And they did it well.

2. Verizon

For some reason, I was surprised to see Verizon Wireless as active in #StarWarsDay as they were. All of their tweets were advertising their #CaptureTheDroid campaign.

Rather than simply sharing the #StarWarsDay or #Maythe4thBeWithYou hashtags in their tweets, they designed their own interactive campaign that involved a custom hashtag. Verizon went so far as to print out posters and place them around NYC in anticipation for their campaign that debuted early on May 4th.

3. PacSun

Another brand that started tweeting preemptively was PacSun, who teamed up with Disney and Lucasfilm for a Star Wars themed clothing collection.

What better day to release the new line than on Star Wars day?

4. StumbleUpon

From dawn ‘til dusk, StumbleUpon spent their day actively tweeting anything and everything Star Wars to keep up with the trending #StarWarsDay hashtag. Although they didn’t incorporate their logo into anything Star Wars-related, or come up with their own creative campaign, they certainly understood the importance of participating in the May 4th celebration to get their blog articles shared. Not only did they include modern news, like Hot Wheels dropping a Darth Vader car, but they also included original concept art to indulge hardcore fans. Creative Bloq used the same approached and is certainly worthy of a mention, too.

5. GoDaddy

GoDaddy’s original hashtag (#SmallBizForce) might not have been an interactive activity like Verizon’s, but it certainly deserves an honorable mention.

Not only was May 4th (unofficially) Star Wars Day, it was also the official first day of National Small Business Week. GoDaddy recognized this and cleverly mixed the two “holidays” together in their #SmallBizForce campaign.

They wanted to give a proper shout out to small businesses, and want you to “join the alliance.”

6. Honey Maid

Remember how I said Hootsuite’s campaign could top them all with its cuteness? Well, Honey Maid might take the pot.

Honey Maid found an intelligent and enthusiastic 12-year-old Star Wars fan to retell the famous story lines for their new Honey Maid Star Wars crackers campaign – and no one could retell it better.

7. eHarmony

They might not have tried very hard to create a Star Wars campaign, or even bothered to use the hashtags in their tweets all day, but everyone needs a laugh – so I had to share eHarmony’s #Maythe4thBeWithYou tweet.

8. Amazon

Oh, Amazon, we can count on you for everything – even participating in #StarWarsDay.

“Solid #StarWarsDay game,” is right! Amazon has given Star Wars collectors and fans their own Amazon page.

9. Good Morning America

Not every tweet from Good Morning America was about Star Wars Day (in their defense, they do have to report the news, too). But they did take the time to recognize this “holiday” with plenty of tweets that saw hundreds of favorites and retweets.

I’m sure that many other have already had thought of this, but Good Morning America tweeted a great point – why don’t we keep on celebrating Star Wars for one more day?! Or better yet, keep it going throughout May 6th for Revenge of the Sixth!

So, How Is It That Disney – Who Recently Purchased Lucasfilm and Has a Star Wars Movie Coming out This Year – Didn’t Make This List?

Honestly, I feel a little disappointed that Disney only managed a single tweet throughout the whole day.

This was, perhaps, their downfall. In the words of Obi-Wan, “I have to admit that without the [tweets] it would have not been a victory.”

Twitter (and other social media) has made it quite easy for brands to keep up with what their audience is interested in. The trending hashtags on May 4th were the perfect opportunity for brands to connect to their Star Wars-loving customers and design a (usually) free marketing campaign to amplify their marketing.

Did I miss any awesome or hilarious Star Wars Day marketing? Share them in the comments below!

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