Decades-old Chilean beer commercials spliced into iconic scenes from the original Star Wars trilogy have resurfaced online, some 20 years after their initial broadcast.
Initially mistaken for fan-made creations, the ads have been confirmed as legit through legal documents discovered on the Chilean Consejo de Autorregulación y Etica Publicitaria website, detailing Lucasfilm’s objections to the campaign.
Around 2003 in Chile, when the original trilogy of Star Wars began airing on television there, they did this funny thing to avoid cutting to commercial breaks. They stitched the commercials into the films themselves. Here is one of them, with the English dub added in. pic.twitter.com/wC7N2vPNvv
— Windy 🛸 (@heyitswindy) March 2, 2024
Launched in December 2003 during a broadcast of the Star Wars trilogy by Chilean Channel 13, the Cerveza Cristal Beer commercials were seamlessly integrated into the films, defying conventional ad breaks.
OMD Santiago, the agency behind the campaign, earned accolades at the Cannes International Advertising Festival in 2004 for their innovative placement strategy, despite facing backlash from Lucasfilm for potentially misleading audiences.
I’d never heard of it, and it’s fantastic.
Above all, it explains how Palpatine somehow survived: with Cerveza Cristal. https://t.co/JtNd4jOE3e pic.twitter.com/kuX3Cn0Ls8
— The Spaceshipper 🚀 (@TheSpaceshipper) March 3, 2024
The alcoholism is strong in my family. My father has it. I have it. And my sister has it. pic.twitter.com/FuMUeAiNX5
— Windy 🛸 (@heyitswindy) March 2, 2024
These ads, including one depicting Luke Skywalker receiving a beer instead of his father’s lightsaber, have gone completely viral on social media, users praised the unconventional approach to advertising, some even saying it makes the film better.
Nobody:
Me, every 5 minutes since discovering the Chilean Star Wars edits: 🎶✨ CERVEZA CRISTAL ✨ 🎶
— Bebo, Chicago Rat Czar 🐀 (@BebopOtt) March 3, 2024
