Revenge on “The Last Jedi” Fans?

Happy May The Fourth!

A long time ago… a young writer / director named, George Lucas, brought us The Star Wars.

In an age where we talk about disruption, think Airbnb, Netflix, Uber and the vehicle that enabled it all - Apple’s iPhone… its 1977 equivalent was, Star Wars. This singular film, not only redefined the Sci-Fi genre, it created the Summer “Blockbuster” and forever changed Hollywood filmmaking. Like the brands mentioned above, true disruptors, affect more than their own industry. So too, did Star Wars. 

George Lucas and his independent company, Lucasfilm, disrupted licensed merchandise (think Kenner Toys and everything else), sound (THX / Skywalker Sound), special effects (ILM: Industrial Light & Magic), publishing (DelRey Books), video gaming (Lucas Arts) and even animation (Pixar, that’s right - started by Lucas).

The Past

Drawing from literary genius, Joseph Campbell’s, Power of Myth & The Hero with A Thousand Faces, George’s blending of modern Sci-Fi legends like Flash Gordon, with Samurai lore and ancient myth is what made Star Wars so unique. Similarly, the Indiana Jones trope expanded upon the 1930’s adventure TV serials with friend and director Steven Spielberg.

While Star Wars, unintentionally launched the tentpole companies above, it was The Empire Strikes Back (1980) that solidified Lucasfilm Ltd as a studio. Lucas’ empire, expanded with blockbusters Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), Return of The Jedi (1983), Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989).

Fast forward to 1999, Star Wars was back with the Prequel Trilogy: The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones (2002) and Revenge of The Sith (2005), followed by Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008). While all films did well at the Box Office, due to mixed critical response, Lucas focused on television and other Star Wars licensed projects. Lucasfilm itself, continued to grow as the industry standard for sound and special effects.

The Present

Along came CEO Bob Iger and The Walt Disney Company, in 2012, with a US $4 Billion Dollar check. Mickey Mouse had visited George before…they had collaborated on Star Tours and Indiana Jones and the Temple of The Forbidden Eye attractions at Disney Theme Parks across the globe. This time, however, they wanted to buy Lucasfilm, take George Lucas’ treatments for an untitled Star Wars Sequel Trilogy and to continue the adventures of Indy. Disney was excited, Lucas seemed happy and fans were thrilled, knowing that their favourite characters would be returning to the big screen and beyond. 

There’s a saying however, ‘All that glitters isn’t gold’- even though the record breaking, platinum release of The Force Awakens (2015) broke the box office, Disney’s polish on the myth, legend and lore from A Galaxy Far, Far Away…quickly faded upon the 2017 release of The Last Jedi. All corporations, regardless of their products or services, must ensure that their narrative is consistent with their audience's expectations.

Before we get too far… I to want establish several things about your author:

> I am fortunate to have seen the original cut of, Star Wars, in the theatre, in 1977

> I am a huge Star Wars fan & avid LEGO Star Wars builder

> I am a corporate storyteller for iconic brands

> I am not a screenwriter

> I am not a filmmaker 

> I am not a director

Since the Disney acquisition of Lucasfilm, there is still a lot of glitter in the form of Director Dave Filoni’s, 4 compelling seasons of Star Wars: Rebels, an animated series for Disney XD.

Director JJ Abrams’ Star Wars: The Force Awakens was a blockbuster! A beat for beat, homage to the Original Trilogy, that successfully introduced a quintet of likeable new heroes in Rey, Finn, Poe, Maz & BB-8 and the triple threat of fearsome new villains Snoke, Kylo Ren & General Hux. The icing on the cake was the return of the original cast, to reprise their iconic roles as Han Solo, Princess Leia, Chewbacca, R2-D2 & C-3PO. Perhaps the best ‘McGuffin’ (plot trigger) in film history, was the search for a map to find Luke Skywalker before it is too late. Disney's second Lucasfilm release was Director Gareth Edwards’ Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), set before A New Hope, perhaps the most ‘Star Wars’ in tone, that fans have had since 1983. A real treat!

Adding to this plethora of Star Wars IP, Disney Parks is constructing three (so far), immersive Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge “lands” at the Disneyland, Disneyland Paris and Walt Disney World Resorts.  

With all of this said…where do I come off with my statement that the "shine" has left? Well… that happened, seemingly overnight, on 14 December 2017, with the release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi. A film that upended the brand values of a once established and beloved franchise. Written and directed by self-proclaimed, hyper-Star Wars-fan, Rian Johnson, the known galaxy anxiously awaited answers to the many compelling questions set-up by Abrams in The Force Awakens:

> Who are Rey’s Parents?

> Who is the all-powerful Snoke?

> What will Luke say to Rey?

> What will become of Kylo Ren?

> Where did the First Order come from?

> Where is the The New Republic in all of this?

> Why did Luke Skywalker hide?

> Why did Anakin Skywalker’s lightsaber call out to Rey?

Given the positively-received, cliffhanging, hand-off from JJ Abrams’ The Force Awakens, we will examine what went wrong with Rian Johnson’s The Last Jedi, to better understand why more than 50% of the Star Wars fan base was disappointed with a film that should have performed (box office, merchandise sales & fan reaction) far better.

The Methodology

Before we go into Johnson’s story, I will establish the 4 C’s of Branding: Clarity, Consistency, Conviction and Creativity as a methodology that will be used to measure The Last Jedi against the Star Wars “Brand” itself. This is briefly defined, below:

Clarity: Be clear about your value proposition, what makes your brand different from (and hopefully better than) every other brand in your category. 

Star Wars value proposition, unlike most blockbusters, is a modern myth. The legend of the Jedi and the lore behind The Force is essential to the story.

In Johnson’s own words, he believed that Star Wars must evolve to remain relevant to a new generation. The Last Jedi writer / director sought to rewrite the myth, legend and lore that made Star Wars a success. 

Conviction: Embrace your value proposition. Evangelize and advocate for it in everything you say and do as a company.

Star Wars fans, have grown-up with these iconic characters, role played their adventures in costume and acted out their exploits across LEGO, action figures, games, books, etc…

In actor Mark Hamill’s (Luke Skywalker) own words, he “fundamentally disagreed with virtually everything” Johnson had drawn up for his character.

Consistency: Stay true to your value proposition. Don’t deviate from it or get side-tracked by what your competitors are doing.  If you want to branch out into other products or services, make sure they’re in line with what your company stands for. Or else, you’ll confuse your customers and dilute or muddle your brand.

Star Wars Cannon, dictates certain rules within this Galaxy Far, Far Away. Cannon has a specific brand voice, a tone, vibe, feel unlike other licenses and properties.

In the fan’s eyes, they hoped to see their beloved characters, old and new, develop. The audience sought answers to deliberately unresolved questions from The Force Awakens and understand the events following Return of the Jedi. Unfortunately, the answers, provided by Johnson, neither met fan expectations nor were consistent within the greater Star Wars narrative. In many ways, Johnson appeared to go out of his way to “troll” the fans with unnecessary side adventures, the addition of new characters (cast overcrowding) and ongoing genocide of iconic characters that simply weakened the storytelling.

Creativity: Express your value proposition in the most human, compelling and interesting ways possible. A value proposition, if it’s the right one, never gets stale if you keep looking for new and refreshing ways to articulate it. 

Star Wars vision, prior to Disney was controlled solely by its creator, George Lucas. Under his direction, the rhythm that paced the story and its characters subscribed to ‘Ring Theory’  where echoes of the past, dictate the future.

In George Lucas’ words, "[Disney] looked at the [new] stories and they said, 'We want to make something for the fans,' I said, 'All I want to do is tell a story'… They decided they didn’t want to use [my]stories, they decided they were going to do their own thing. They weren’t that keen to have me involved anyway — if I get in there, I'm just going to cause trouble, because they're not going to do what I want them to do. And I don't have the control to do that anymore. All I would do is muck everything up. And so I said, 'OK, I will go my way, and I'll let them go their way.'"

Let us suppose that Disney acquired the rights to Mel Gibson’s The Passion of The Christ. If Rian Johnson wrote & directed a sequel, that fundamentally changed how Jesus of Nazareth behaved / responded / reacted to the Romans (ie: He was the military warrior the Jews had been praying for), there would be an uproar, as the film strayed too far from the lore - inconsistent with the brand values of The Bible. Yes? That’s basically what happened with Johnson’s take on the character of Luke Skywalker in his version of The Last Jedi.

From an objective, purely brand perspective. In chronological order, are inconsistencies found within The Last Jedi when contrasted to the value proposition of the greater Star Wars Saga:

> Poe’s “phone” crank, making the once serious Hux character, a total joke

> Luke’s almost comedic tossing of Anakin’s lightsaber behind him

> Leia, Chewie & Luke’s loss of Han not properly addressed

> No “Big 3” flashback scene featuring Han – Luke – Leia. Fan backlash from The Force Awakens could have easily been addressed with a simple scene to further the story

> Luke was NOT Luke

> Rey was NOT Rey

> Kylo was NOT Kylo

> Finn was NOT Finn

> Leia’s “use” of The Force just felt wrong

> Canto Bright was a distracting side adventure that took away from the narrative

> The strategy behind the Star Destroyer vs. Resistance fleet chase was… boring

> Secret plan to retreat to Crait was unnecessary

> Snoke was not properly utilised and his demise seemed forced

> Rey’s lineage reveal was a wasted opportunity

> Characters of Rose / DJ / Phasma did not move the story in any way

> Crait was Hoth without the excitement of The Empire Strikes Back

> Finn & Rose on Crait – no comment

> Luke tricks Kylo on Crait – what was up with that? He should have been there, in-person!

> Rey saves the Resistance on Crait – no surprise!

> Luke becoming one with The Force was superfluous 

> The Stable Boy (or Broom Boy) scene felt more like an outtake from Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker, than it did, Star Wars

Rian Johnson sought to shake-up a branded narrative that did not require being turned on its head to appeal to a growing audience. This was proven by both the box office results and critical acclaim of The Force Awakens and Rogue One. When it comes to clarity – consistency – conviction – creativity, The Last Jedi simply does not hold up to the established value proposition of the Star Wars Franchise. 

While the film’s cinematography was beautiful, visual effects were stunning and the score was outstanding…unfortunately, the plot was disjointed, the tone was inconsistent and character evolution was either missing or incongruent with what has become known as The Skywalker Saga. Based on the analysis above, had Johnson sought to turn “Star Wars” on its head… a change in value proposition should have been saved for a spin-off Trilogy - only. To me, it felt like Rian Johnson was taking “Revenge on ‘The Last Jedi’ Fans” for no reason, other than was given permission to do so.

The Future

Where do we go from here? After the departure of writer / director Colin Trevorrow (Jurassic World), who also disagreed with choices made in The Last Jedi, JJ Abrams has been tapped to return to close out the Sequel Trilogy. In February, Abrams passed a copy of his script to Disney's Iger with shooting to begin in Summer. 

From a purely brand perspective, what must Lucasfilm do to regain fan trust? While, as fan, there are many things that I would like to see, I will steer clear of this, painting with a wider brush, points that should be addressed in Episode IX:

> Properly addressing the loss of Leia (due to the death of Carrie Fisher)

> Jedi & Sith Myth, Lore, Legend should return

> Danger should be real, not just a threat

> Villain / obstacle / challenge for Rey to overcome (Kylo is no Vader, Maul or Sidious)

> Real character growth

> Epic battle in space

> Lightsaber duel akin to Revenge of The Sith, The Empire Strikes Back, The Phantom Menace, Return of the Jedi

> Prequel – Original – Sequel Trilogy integration with return of iconic characters

> No unopened “Mystery Boxes” (unless absolutely necessary for a Future Trilogy)

> Conclusion befitting The Skywalker Saga

As a Star Wars fan, I must insert the one thing that I most want to see in Episode IX: Actor Hayden Christensen's return as Anakin Skywalker to aid Luke Skywalker and either Ben Skywalker Solo or Rey Skywalker to defeat a new, BIG bad, Sith Lord.

With the fate of not only our heroes, but perhaps the Skywalker Saga itself, in the hands of writer / director JJ Abrams, I am confident in a positive outcome. Why? Looking at Abrams' past work, the reboot of Star Trek (2009), Star Trek: Into Darkness (2013), Mission : Impossible III (2006) and The Force Awakens itself - show an ability to follow-up and improve upon the narrative, while remaining consistent within its original value proposition. 

Will this be enough? Ironically, I believe that SOLO: A Star Wars Story (2018), written by Lucasfilm veteran, Lawrence Kasdan with son Jonathan and directed by George Lucas protégé, Ron Howard is the absolute right film (though story / character is not asked for by fans, it uses the right brand voice), at the right time (though should be released in December, a good follow-up to a divisive film), to heal a fanbase, divided over The Last Jedi. Based on the trailers alone, SOLO appears to adhere to the brand values of the Star Wars Franchise with the familiar look, feel, tone and voice that we have come to love. We shall see if I am right, in just a few weeks, as the film is slated for a May 24th release.

Your Brand

Regardless of industry, your company’s products or services should not only match your customer’s expectation, they must be consistent with the value proposition of your brand.

When I advise my clients, speak to audiences or train their leadership, I seek to best understand their brand, their values, their vision, their mission, their goals. The channels your brand uses, what content your brand creates and what stories your brand shares should all be reflective of your brand’s voice, tone, look and feel. 

Whenever brand messaging shifts, a product is refreshed or a service is altered, there is the possibility of an Enterprise - Consumer disconnect. Marketers, who are aware of this, work to ensure that regardless of the change, the brand is consistent to its value proposition, that it remains clear, consistent, creative with conviction.

What are your thoughts? I am appreciative of your views and welcome your likes, comments and shares.

May The Force Be With You!

UPDATE: 12-12-18

While my prediction about the brand tone and voice of SOLO: A Star Wars Story was consistent for the fans who caught the film, in the theatre, unfortunately Disney's timing of the release was totally wrong.

Whenever I talk about brand engagement, I focus on Customer, Product, Message, Channel and Timing. Someone should have shared my daily LinkedIn posts on this same topic with the Disney marketing executives who made the poor decision, at the direction of CEO Bob Iger, to release the film in May, instead of the Disney-established, December that saw successful releases of The Force Awakens, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and The Last Jedi, in the three consecutive years, prior.

As I have written across social, the film was mis-marketed, from the very start. The lacklustre campaign did not hit the mark with audiences. Five months prior, I implored Disney marketing execs to include Actor Harrison Ford in the marketing of SOLO...nope! Most audiences, were unaware that a Star Wars film was even coming out in May as Avengers: Infinity War and other blockbusters, dominated media and box office. Can you imagine a time when "other" films would overshadow any Star Wars film?

While 20th Century Fox, successfully released Lucasfilm's first two Star Wars Trilogies, in the month of May. The now, Disney-owned franchise, had established December as the new blockbuster release date for Star Wars films... but for some reason, they abandoned their marketing strategy?

Why May, again? Well... initially, they claimed for nostalgia, but unfortunately it had nothing to do with legacy at all, it was just for Wall Street. That's right, the poor timing was aligned to boost Disney's numbers in advance of their quarterly earnings call. Honestly! These two marketing blunders: message & timing, combined with the prior backlash from The Last Jedi, killed off SOLO's and future A Star Wars Stories anthnology films such as KENOBI: A Star Wars Story (a character / film that fans actually wanted, yet was nixed because Lucasfilm executives somehow, knew better). What a shame for the overall narrative and its fans!

Silver lining in The Cloud?

Iron Man, Chef, Jungle Book & The Lion King Actor / Director Jon Favreau's The Mandalorian will debut on the Disney+ streaming service, launching in 2019, as will a Rogue One, spin-off, based on character Cassian Andor (staring Diego Luna) and the popular return of Director Dave Filoni's The Clone Wars series. Perhaps...this new delivery channel, will provide Disney-Lucasfilm with a new opportunity to re-engage fans with the storytelling brand messages they have been demanding.

UPDATE: 5-4-19

Marvel success demonstrates why Star Wars Sequel Trilogy has failed (so far)...

Disney Guest Experience 101, give Consumers want they want! 

The Walt Disney Company CEO Robert Iger, Disney Studios Co-Chairman Alan Horn & Alan Bergman and Marvel Studios President, Kevin Feige demonstrated the payoff that awaits those who have the discipline to craft & implement a seeded content strategy, across multiple stories, as part of a greater, overarching brand narrative.

Storytelling is behind US $1.2 Billion Opening Weekend for Avengers Endgame success. Follow best-in-class examples by Marvel Executive Producer Kevin Feige, Directors Anthony & Joe Russo and storytellers Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely who exceeded Audience expectations. They neither subverted, nor troll their Fans in the way many felt that Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy and Writer / Director Rian Johnson did to theirs. Due to the history of the franchise, Star Wars The Last Jedi was an initial box office success. However, its narrative brand failure, led to the $500 million dollar loss of SOLO: A Star Wars Story. The loss is no fault of Director Ron Howard, called in, more than half way into production to ‘save’ and reshoot the film. 

The closing chapter of The Star Wars has yet to be told. Can Writer / Director JJ Abrams (with Co-Writer Chris Terrio) reverse the decline, salvage the brand and save the galaxy, with December 2019’s final instalment of the nine-part saga? Here is why I have a new hope, that he will... At Star Wars Celebration: Chicago, the teaser trailer for The Rise of Skywalker was unveiled to mixed, but mostly positive buzz. 

While excited for all-things Star Wars, honestly, beyond the nostalgia factor of seeing familiar characters and locations, as both a marketer and fan, I was underwhelmed by the trailer. Perhaps my optimism has been dampened by the brand’s inability to acknowledge its recent failure. To recognize where fan criticism is coming from. To embrace, rather than push back negatively, against them. I take the brief ‘fan service’ in the trailer with a grain of salt, hoping it will be savoury treat not the bitter trick we were sold two years ago, in the run-up to The Last Jedi.

What got me excited by The Rise of Skywalker trailer? Remnants of a shattered The Death Star, The Emperor’s laugh and The Title, itself - all give, me a new hope for this film. From a narrative standpoint, the return of Emperor Palpatine makes the most sense to conclude both this trilogy and the overall saga. Palpatine was the big bad, across the first 6 films. If you consider what he shared with Anakin in the pivotal scene in Episode III and what he accomplished, across the narrative overall, he was in it, for the long game.

Seeing as audiences have no backstory, to date (am only considering Films & TV Series as Cannon) for the First Order, it would make sense that Emperor Palpatine (not talking George Lucas Ring theory here) would repeat history:

> Secretly build the First Order army & Starkiller Base battle station in the unknown regions, much like the prior The Death Stars

> Tie-up the New Republic in disputes (to oppose Resistance) to distract attention from the First Order's real agenda

> Masquerade behind a proxy (Supreme Leader Snoke) as he once did with Count Dooku

> Twist the mind of a young Jedi (Ben Solo turned against Luke Skywalker) to destroy the order as he did with Anakin Skywalker vs. Jedi Council

> Recreate another “Chosen One” Trojan Horse (Rey) via The Force, aka Anakin revisited

> Find a way to achieve the immortality (or at least mimic it through cloning) that he learned from his wise old master…Darth Plagueis 

Should Abrams / Terrio take a similar story path, the overall narrative of the Star Wars Prequel, Original and Sequel Trilogies would be unified across the Star Wars Saga. Do I assume way too much from the Lucasfilm storytellers, outside of John Knoll, Dave Filoni & Jon Favreau? We will see, this December. Until then, this is just my ideation. Not an expectation on the producers, directors, writers and cast…as it was they, not I, hired to craft this story. Just a fan’s wish to have the Saga conclude in a fashion that is befitting of the brand.

Similar to the positive audience reception across The Russo Brother’s Captain America: Winter Solider, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame… if the narrative strategy that I have outlined, were to be mirrored across upcoming Star Wars films, I believe that many legacy and new fans, alike, would find welcome payoffs. Thoughts? How do you feel? What would you like to see?

Bringing this discussion back to Corporate Storytelling... What’s your company’s Content Endgame? The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is a marketing recipe of heroes & villains. A success story that all businesses can replicate. Want to make Omni-Channel Content Marketing & Transmedia Storytelling work for your products, services, brand or company? My Learnami network, BrandInflux advisory, iPlenaria masterclass & AutomatedInflux tools will scale your team, provide insights, deliver strategy and learning platform to transform your media from boring to blockbuster.

If you get the chance, please watch www.MarketingKitchenTV.com, where I discuss some of the above across several videos, including the conclusion to the Disney Star Wars Trilogy, The Rise of Skywalker:

About the author:

Ron Vining is Founder of Singapore – based, Learnami AI Technologies, along with firms AutomatedInflux, iPlenaria, BrandInflux and streaming review platform AppFlicks. He specializes in B2B & B2C brand experience marketing, corporate storytelling, content marketing, digital engagement strategies and consumer loyalty programs for over 25 of the world’s top 100 brands, primarily in the Internet, Consumer Electronics, Financial, Entertainment, Retail & Government industries. Ron is also a marketing Adjunct Professor at The University of Massachusetts - College of Management, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

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Source & Further Reading:

https://partnersandharrison.com/branding/the-4-cs-of-branding/

https://screenrant.com/star-wars-prequels-ring-theory/

https://www.businessinsider.com/the-4-cs-to-irresistible-online-branding-2011-3/?IR=T

https://brandmentoring.com/blog/2009/04/12/unforgettable-brand-positioning-the-four-c’s/

https://www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/news/11666495/the-4cs-of-brand-management-how-to-take-control-of-your-brand