‘Star Wars’ tie-ins prepare their assault

LOS ANGELES - Chewbacca is busy recording ringtones for Cingular Wireless. Yoda is using the Force to lure a Diet Pepsi away from a fellow diner patron. And Darth Vader is preparing to fight a boy armed with a light-up SaberSpoon from a Kellogg’s cereal box.

As “Star Wars” fans eagerly anticipate the May 19 opening of “Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith,” the final installment of the most successful and celebrated film franchise in history, the classic “Star Wars” characters from a galaxy far, far away are taking a far more active role in pitching products in TV spots here on Earth than they have for any of the earlier films in the franchise.

As part of their promotional deals with “Star Wars” creator George Lucas’ Lucasfilm for “Sith” — which include tens of millions of dollars of marketing support for the movie —Burger King, Kellogg’s and Cingular Wireless commercials will feature such perennial “Star Wars” favorites as Chewbacca, R2-D2, C-3PO and Darth Vader in their TV commercials. Pepsi has exclusive rights to feature Yoda in its spot. And two other promotional partners, PepsiCo.’s Frito-Lay and Masterfoods’ M&M’s, are featuring their own animated Cheetos and M&M’s brands dressed up as “Star Wars” characters in their TV spots.

While “Star Wars” characters have been featured in other advertisers’ TV spots to a limited extent in the past, this is the first time they have appeared in our world, not their own fictional galaxy, according to Lucas Licensing president Howard Roffman. It also is the first time Lucasfilm has allowed its world-renowned characters to be featured in so many different commercials at one time as the foundation of a campaign, he said.

“This is the first time we’ve really allowed people to go further in terms of using the ‘Star Wars’ characters as icons,” Roffman said. “Because they’re so much a part of the popular culture, we were willing to let the characters exist in situations other than the way in which you see them in the films. What we’re doing this time is a sign of the fact that these are cultural icons that have established themselves over the past 28 years and that allows you to have some fun with it.”

Marketers said it was a huge step for Lucasfilm — which has been extremely protective of its characters in the past —and it was prompted by the studio’s desire to land bigger promotional deals.

“Now they’re thinking it’s more important to get the word out about ‘Star Wars’ than protect their characters,” said Aaron Gordon, president of entertainment marketing firm Set Resources. “It goes against their initial policy of not selling out their characters or diminishing them by putting them in TV commercials.”

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