What STAR WARS can teach us about branding

To start, are you familiar with the words “vision” and “mission”? These two terms come up again and again as keywords in branding.

A vision is the picture of what an organization or an individual wants to become—an ideal image, something more concrete and aspirational than a simple goal, almost like a deep-rooted desire.

A mission, in turn, refers to the actions and strategies you take to make that vision a reality.

When a company, organization, or individual sets out to build a brand, the first thing they think about is what the brand should be and where they want it to go.

And since presenting an attractive future to users is what leads a brand to success, you need to accurately understand what your consumers truly want.

What’s already out there in the market? What value can you offer compared to your competitors? What needs aren’t being met?

You approach the strategy from many different angles like these.

Branding requires giving each individual user a clear, lasting impression of your brand—and it only begins to come together once these two pieces, vision and mission, are firmly in place.

Source: https://outatimes.com/967/starwars-opening-crawl-eng/

Before we get into the main topic, let me briefly share how STAR WARS came to be and what kind of story it tells.

The first STAR WARS film was released more than 40 years ago, back in 1977. The world was in the middle of the Cold War, and in the United States, the air was heavy with growing distrust of the increasingly entangled Vietnam War. On top of that, dark, anti-establishment films known as the New Hollywood movement were dominating cinema, and many people were longing for “a happy world that everyone could feel excited about.”

That was when STAR WARS suddenly burst onto the scene.

An evil empire ruling over outer space. The protagonist Luke Skywalker, who stands up against it. A story of him growing into a Jedi—a knight of the light—wielding a weapon called a lightsaber.

STAR WARS, exactly as described, was something everyone could get excited about and rally behind Luke Skywalker for. It hit precisely on what people at the time wanted—an escape from that dark world—becoming a massive hit in America and spreading across the globe.

Now, here’s my own take on why STAR WARS became such a hit and how it connects to branding.

上記にもあるように、暗く重たいアメリカを救うような映画であったスターウォーズは、当時の人々を惹きつける魅力的な世界を提示しました。ブランドもユーザーにいいなと思わせる、より魅力的な世界を提示する必要があります。 このブランドからはどんな未来が手に入るんだろうと思わせるような、具体的で魅力的な世界です。

例えば自分が肌荒れに悩んでいるとします。 どの化粧品を買おうかなと悩んでいる時、これを使ったら肌が綺麗になりそう！ とリアルに素敵な未来がイメージできるものを手に取ると思いませんか?

そのように、ユーザーにリアルに引き込まれる魅力的な世界を提示することは ブランディングにおいても大切と言えます。

実はスターウォーズは映画そのものの売り上げよりも、 グッズやゲームなどの関連商品の売り上げの方が多いことをご存知でしょうか。

1. で魅力的な世界を提示することが大切としました。 なぜならその世界を手に入れたいと思ったユーザーが顧客として着くからです。スターウォーズは、その世界を手に入れたいという心を、 「世界観を持ち帰らせる」という観点でたくさんのグッズを作りました。

加えて、公式で出していない他者が作ったスターウォーズのスピンオフ作品も、非正史としてルーカスフィルムが直々に作品を認めることを証言したことにより、スターウォーズはファンひとりひとりの手によって自由に出入りできる世界となりました。

このような、当時映画界ではありえないと思われるような競合との闘い方をしたスターウォーズ。 あの爆発的な興行収入には、こんなカラクリがあったのです。

他社では満たされていないニーズを満たすこともブランドの成功に必要不可欠な要素と言えます。

Using STAR WARS as our subject, we’ve looked at the elements that translate into branding. When you find yourself with time on your hands at home, why not go beyond simply watching the films and try uncovering the secrets behind their success as well?

I’d be glad if this article gives you a little hint for that kind of viewing.