Disney's Advertising Strategy in Star Wars

On March 10th, 2022 the world was given a first glimpse of the long-anticipated return of Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi. McGregor will star in the Disney+ series fittingly titled Kenobi. The series will air on May 24th, 2022, 18 years after his last appearance as the character. Since Disney’s purchase of Lucasfilm, they have been hard at work producing highly demanded Star Wars content. Following the success of the Mandalorian and The Book of Bobba Fett, fans are more eager than ever for a new Star Wars series. This advertisement relies heavily on a pathos (emotional) appeal to audiences (Pathos, 2022). The combined sentiment for the legacy of Star Wars and returning characters captures the affection of film and television consumers alike. Star Wars has created an arguably unmatched influence and sentiment in culture and cinema spanning across generations and conventional demographics.

This series continues to entice film and TV enjoyers to subscribe to Disney+ (Disney’s digital streaming platform). Most certainly, current subscribers will be satisfied as the ad attempts to convince non-subscibers to join Disney+. Kenobi will stream exclusively on Disney+ and the trailer makes that very clear. The audience of this advertisement is anyone who enjoys Star Wars and TV. The call to action for viewers of this advertisement is to subscribe to Disney+. The purpose in subscribing to Disney+ is to access the Star Wars content they have available. Now, every Star Wars film, and released series is available on Disney’s streaming platform. Subscribing will give users unlimited access to Star Wars content (IMDb, 2022).

When it comes to this trailer, Disney utilizes an emotional appeal to audiences. The Greek philosopher Aristotle categorized appeals into 3 different categories: Logos, Ethos, and Pathos (Pathos, 2022). Logos is a logical appeal that often relies on facts and figures (Pathos, 2022). Ethos is an ethical or credibility appeal (Pathos, 2022). Finally, Pathos is an appeal designed to evoke an emotional response from audiences (Pathos, 2022). Kenobi, like many other productions relies on Pathos. Through the use of dramatic music, sounds, loaded dialogue, and cinematic effects the audience is captivated emotionally to watch the series. As a few examples from the trailer, Kenobi begins by saying “The fight is done. We lost.” This references the 3rd movies among the prequels titled The Revenge of the Sith wherein the Jedi lost against the Sith (IMDb, 2022). The music is titled “Duel of the Fates” which is played during the duel between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin in a previous film (IMDb, 2022). Already, the trailer utilizes those past moments to draw the attention of viewers. Trailers often are designed to leave the audience desiring more. That is often why there are called “teaser” trailers (IMDb, 2022). They typically reveal very little about the plot and its intricacies. However, they do reveal enough to grasp the attention of audiences.

Starring a returning legacy character, Kenobi’s advertising relies heavily upon sentiment for previous Star Wars content. The star character, Obi-Wan-Kenobi, appeared in the first Star Wars movie A New Hope released in 1977 (IMDb, 2022). Of course, the actor portraying Kenobi was a different person in the original series. However, considering the positive response from audiences towards the original films, the sentiment towards the character carries over the decades. This is not the first time Ewan McGregor has played the character of Kenobi (IMDb, 2022). He also played the character in the trilogy of prequel films released in the early 2000s (IMDb, 2022). McGregor’s performance as Kenobi left very little to be desired. This has begged his return as the rogue Jedi in the Disney+ series Kenobi. The trailer also teases the return of Luke Skywalker. Although, not the force-wielding Jedi that he would one day become, Luke appears as a young boy. Obi-Wan Kenobi appears to watch over the boy a distance as a sort of guardian angel. Luke Skywalker played by Mark Hamill was the main antagonist of the original trilogy of Star Wars films (IMDb, 2022). When audiences see Luke, it immediately evokes an emotional response and memories of the original films. This captivates the audience and draws their attention. Although he did not make a visual appearance in the advertisement, Darth Vader’s iconic breathing can be heard as the ad comes to a close. There is no visual needed to express his imposing presence and dominating authority. This inclusion in the trailer leaves the audience wanting more as they reminisce upon Star Wars moments from the past. This brilliantly produced advertisement capitalizes on the success of the past while also creating suspense and anticipation for the future.

This is an extremely effective and engaging advertisement. Star Wars does not need an introduction considering its long history of success and media attention. This advertisement treats it as it is, it’s Star Wars! The trailer essentially assumes you recognize the main characters present, namely Kenobi himself. This is not wrong to assume considering the popularity of Star Wars. With no context, it would be a very strange concept. What makes it impactful is the fact that it is a part of a larger series which is so ingrained in culture that it is easily recognizable. Audiences now get to experience the events leading up to the original Star Wars film. Personally, I am already subscribed to Disney+. I love Star Wars, and more specifically the Disney+ series that have been released. This trailer definitely convinced me to watch the series.

References:

IMDb.com. (1977, May 25). Star wars. IMDb. Retrieved March 31, 2022, from https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076759/

Pathos, logos, and Ethos. STLCC. (n.d.). Retrieved March 31, 2022, from https://stlcc.edu/student-support/academic-success-and-tutoring/writing-center/writing-resources/pathos-logos-and-ethos.aspx

Link to advertisement: https://www.ispot.tv/ad/boO2/disney-obi-wan-kenobi