How brands wished Star Wars fans a happy May the 4th
It is May the 4th again, a date synonymous with the Star Wars franchise on the merely coincidental fact it sounds like May the Force (be with you) – a cornerstone quote upon which the series is anchored upon.
May the Fourth
As a result, the Disney marketing powerhouse has cranked into full gear to offer the series – and its sponsors – full exposure in the run up to the launch of Star Wars: The Last Jedi in mid-December by celebrating a completely fabricated day.
With The Force Awakens and Rogue One already proving that the series has a powerful draw to brands, today the brands incited nostalgia and underlined select initiatives.
The Star Wars website actually credits Margaret Thatcher's UK election victory in 1979, the Conservative Party took out a half page ad in the London Evening News with a message reading "May the Fourth Be With You, Maggie. Congratulations".
Here’s how brands celebrated it on Twitter.
NHL
Soon our opponents will experience the full power of the dark side. #MayThe4thBeWithYou #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/T8Hz3OPqva
— NHL (@NHL) May 4, 2017
PlayStation
Watching on loop today.#StarWarsBattlefrontII #Maythe4thBeWithYou #StarWarsDay pic.twitter.com/daLRY30dOR — PlayStation Europe (@PlayStationEU) May 4, 2017
Jameson Whiskey
Here’s a sneak peek at Episode VIII: The Last Call #MayThe4thBeWithYou #StarWarsDay pic.twitter.com/bNlFMzp5H9
— Jameson Whiskey (@jamesonwhiskey) May 4, 2017
Discover Ireland
Happy #StarWarsDay one and all! Here's how Ireland became part of a galaxy far, far away...#Maythe4thBeWithYou https://t.co/4U1mKrUxwq pic.twitter.com/YZIS4EounD — Discover Ireland (@GoToIrelandGB) May 4, 2017
Reebok
Practicing our Jedi mind control. #MayThe4thBeWithYou https://t.co/S8IkSL4AiA pic.twitter.com/OQXTGjcaZh
— Reebok Classic (@ReebokClassics) May 4, 2017
Volkswagen
Move at life speed (With your furry co-pilot). #MayThe4thBeWithYou #VWGolf #GTI pic.twitter.com/fmi3YfXOxr — Volkswagen USA (@VW) May 4, 2017
Wicked
The #force is strong with this one…strong enough to #DefyGravity. #MayThe4thBeWithYou pic.twitter.com/wpypjaNpbX
— Wicked the Musical (@WICKED_Musical) May 4, 2017
Lego
Take part in the famous @starwars Trench Run and watch the Death Star be blown to bricks. #LEGOStarWars #MayThe4thBeWithYou #StarWarsDay pic.twitter.com/4uu4CY3ov5 — LEGO (@LEGO_Group) May 4, 2017
Nascar
.@nascarcasm has all the necessary #StarWarsDay gifs for celebrating! Enjoy...and #MayThe4thBeWithYou pic.twitter.com/KhUeQBzfPt
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) May 4, 2017
Rolls-Royce
In a galaxy far, far away (Manchester) today in 1904, Rolls met Royce for the 1st time #MayThe4thBeWithYou #TheForceIsStrongInTheseTwo pic.twitter.com/I9299z3K4T — Rolls-Royce (@RollsRoyce) May 4, 2017
MLBPAA
You thought breaking your neighbor’s window was bad? #MayThe4thBeWithYou pic.twitter.com/9ho6SfCTSa
— MLBPAA (@MLBPAA) May 4, 2017
Nokia
Coming to your galaxy very soon… Nokia smartphones on Android! #MayThe4thBeWithYou #StarWarsDay pic.twitter.com/WiI3RS0EJL — Nokia Mobile (@nokiamobile) May 4, 2017
PGA
That's no club. #MayThe4thBeWithYou #StarWarsDay pic.twitter.com/qHNsVnmzJ1
— PGA.COM (@PGAcom) May 4, 2017
Manchester City
Happy #StarWarsDay! #MayThe4thBeWithYou! #mcfc pic.twitter.com/a5RJfSpP6T — Manchester City (@ManCity) May 4, 2017
Mercedes-Benz
#MayThe4th Be With You! #StarWarsDay inspires our prospect in tech. Here's a little treat from our design team! Your take on the future? pic.twitter.com/EE5muY5wM4
— Mercedes-Benz (@MercedesBenz) May 4, 2017
Cisco
Participate they will. Featured on the @Nasdaq Tower they may be. Cisconians are preparing for #Maythe4th! https://t.co/506X7lUf3p pic.twitter.com/Y5rlzDYTi4 — We Are Cisco (@WeAreCisco) May 1, 2017
Lenovo
Business in the front. Jedi fighting party tool in the back. #Maythe4th pic.twitter.com/eiImciO5cU
— Lenovo (@lenovo) May 4, 2017
Logitech
Choose which side you are on. RT for Dark. for Light.#MayThe4th #starwars #starwarsday #LogitechG pic.twitter.com/3n48EySHLt — LogitechG (@LogitechG) May 4, 2017
Walt Disney World
#Maythe4th = the perfect time to plan your next Star Wars adventure this summer at Walt Disney World. Happy #StarWarsDay! pic.twitter.com/orF3LJkAAk
— Walt Disney World (@WaltDisneyWorld) May 4, 2017
Transport Canada
#Recall All-Terrain Armored Transport the hydraulics could fail in extreme cold causing the #ATAT to fall https://t.co/5fTSLgdPJt #MayThe4th pic.twitter.com/axE5xmIprF — Transport Canada (@Transport_gc) May 4, 2017
Morph
May the Morph Be With You...#StarWars #Maythe4th https://t.co/D5onkPO7Zc
— Morph (@AmazingMorph) May 4, 2017
Nasa
Are your favorite #StarWars planets among the 3,400 real planets we've found so far? Find out: https://t.co/FOgQSW4O2V #MayThe4thBeWithYou pic.twitter.com/fpC1PPEPrt — NASA (@NASA) May 4, 2017
John Legere, T Mobile CEO
We don’t want you to go to the Dark Side. Our T-Force social media squad is always there to show you The Light. #MayThe4thBeWithYou pic.twitter.com/W85P60rELK
— John Legere (@JohnLegere) May 4, 2017
Disney
BB-8 is ready for #StarWarsDay after a little lightsaber practice. #MayThe4thBeWithYou #StarWarsBlips pic.twitter.com/LUM1pCZh7d — Disney (@Disney) May 4, 2017
Toyota Racing
The force is strong. #maythe4thbewithyou #StarWarsDay pic.twitter.com/v87aNzlSic
— Toyota Racing (@ToyotaRacing) May 4, 2017
The takeaways: Sports teams and franchises appear to have larger social budgets, above is only a handful of the many examples in which athletes wield Star Wars memorabilia. There were also more gifs than ever before.
Check out last year's comparison – if you can handle any more Star Wars creative.