It’s Star Wars day, and brands are out in force with punny tributes to a galaxy far, far away. The holiday, which really came into its own on the Internet in 2013, now brings out the inner Star Wars geek in every marketing department — as companies big and small look to cash in on the trend by inserting their name into the conversation. For brands, linking a product to the universally loved movie franchise is an easy win, an uncontroversial way to appear hip and pander to a largely Star Wars-obsessed Internet audience. And with a new installment near at hand, the hype is stronger than ever this year. The same was true in the political realm. Every pressure group’s Twitter account from BP Oil and the UN’s climate change arm to PETA and the NRA got in on the intergalactic action this year. Some brands pulled off witty nods to movie lore, while others just seemed like they were forcing it.
