Cerveza Cristal is celebrated with Star Wars memes, despite legal trouble with LucasFilm

Instead of traditional ad breaks, viewers watching A New Hope or The Empire Strikes Back on free-to-air Channel 13 would suddenly see a scene where Jedi master Obi-Wan Kenobi reveals a cooler of beer instead of a lightsaber. The Cerveza Cristal logo would then appear on the screen with a catchy jingle playing in the background.

This innovative approach was highly praised by the judges at the Cannes International Advertising Festival, who awarded OMD Santiago, the ad agency for Cristal Beer at the time, the Grand Prix. Despite the initial acclaim, the clips from 2003 faded into obscurity until recently resurfacing on X:

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

The clips sparked a wave of memes on social media, with photoshops of Cerveza Cristal into other famous movie franchises circulating online.

For Compañía de las Cervecerías Unidas, the parent company of Cerveza Cristal, the unexpected viral attention comes at a critical time. The company reported a decline in net income and sales in the fourth quarter of the previous year. Factors like inflation-induced price hikes have contributed to the challenges faced by beer brands, with prices rising steadily over the years.

CCU has also faced legal challenges, including antitrust cases brought by Chilean craft brewers and Anheuser-Busch InBev. Twenty years ago, Cerveza Cristal faced legal action from LucasFilm for the advertisements that garnered attention this week.

It’s a (legal) trap

Lawsuits like the one filed by LucasFilm highlight the risks of using intellectual property without permission. While the marketing stunt was creative, it ultimately led to legal consequences for CCU.

Dan Croxall, a craft beer law expert, emphasized the importance of staying within legal boundaries when using pop culture references in marketing. While associating a brand with something recognizable can be effective, it’s crucial to do so legally to avoid potential lawsuits.

Despite the legal challenges, the use of memes and pop culture references in marketing can be a way to engage younger consumers, like Gen Z. By resonating with the interests of younger demographics, companies can potentially attract new customers.

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