Star Warsand Coca Cola’s new collaboration is a celebration of the Star Wars fandom, community, and some of the best characters in Star Wars movies and TV shows. This collaborative campaign, “Refresh Your Galaxy,” introduces all-new designs on 27 limited-edition Coca-Cola cans and bottles, featuring some of Star Wars’ best characters.
Among those characters are Darth Vader, Din Djarin, and Ahsoka Tano, along with many others. However, what makes these can and bottle designs truly unique is the fact that they aren’t just images of the characters themselves; they also feature key seasons from throughout the Star Wars timeline.
In celebration of Disney and Coca-Cola’s 70-year history, this campaign highlights community and the fandom of Star Wars. Speaking with ScreenRant’s Liz Declan, Islam ElDessouky, Global Vice President of Creative Strategy & Content at Coca-Cola, and Becca Vodnoy, SVP of Corporate Alliances at Disney, explained their views on the new campaign.
ScreenRant:“This collaboration is centered on the fandom and community. How do you see that represented in the campaign, especially as it relates to the Coca-Cola brand?”
ElDessouky: “We wanted all the judgment and the decision-making to really address what the fans’ desire is. When you’re collaborating, you’re really trying to reach an audience that you do not reach on your own. And we were very careful because Star Wars has such a specific fandom, like die-hard, and they know this stuff very well. So, it shouldn’t look like it’s just a patch of logos or something that comes on the surface. It has to really connect with the heart. So, a lot of the things that we’ve developed, whether it’s the cans and packaging and all of that, and if you look at the designs, they’re all not just characters, they have moments inserted in them so that when you see it, it brings a moment in your mind so you connect with it immediately in an emotional manner.”
ScreenRant: “The other half of this collaboration is that between Coca-Cola and Disney. How do you see this campaign as unique to what’s been done before?
ElDessouky: “I think I see them all. I see partnerships in general. It’s a book, so we have chapters. It’s not a hit and run. It’s not a one off.”
Vodnoy: “It’s easy to build stories with somebody who wants to be all in on the creative and make it really about the fan and not their brand. And so, when we came together to talk about what we were going to do, it was really like, we have to make something for the fans.”
What Coca-Cola And Star Wars’ New Collaboration Means For Star Wars
This Is A Perfect Celebration Of Star Wars’ Most Beloved Characters
As was addressed by both ElDessouky and Vodnoy, this really is the perfect combination of characters from across Star Wars’ long history, and the perfect way to celebrate the Star Wars fandom. Star Wars, much like Coca-Cola and Disney themselves, has an extensive history.
It’s clear that, with this collaboration, Coca-Cola, Disney, and Star Wars took great care to pick the right characters to reach various parts of the Star Wars fandom. Particularly the combination of characters and events—such as Darth Vader along with his iconic Rogue One: A Star Wars Story scene—reflects that effort.
Bringing the fandom together is also something needed in Star Wars, especially right now. It’s no secret that the franchise has dealt with some difficult times of late, such as with The Acolyte’s cancelation, and this is a brilliant way to remind audiences of what has always been at the core of Star Wars: community and hope.
Our Take On The Coca-Cola And Star Wars Collaboration
I Was Truly Delighted By These Designs
I had the opportunity to see the launch for these designs first hand, and I was truly blown away by how stunning they were visually but also how thoughtfully the images were clearly chosen. These aren’t just any Star Wars designs; they truly represent some of the best and most beloved characters in the franchise.
The fact that this collaboration is introducing 27 brand-new designs is also staggering as a rollout. Learning that part of the rationale behind having so many new designs was the desire to capture as many iconic and beloved scenes as possible for the fans only made me all the more excited about this campaign.
It’s clear, based on this dedication, that this collaboration was brought about by people who genuinely love Star Wars. Although Star Wars, Coca-Cola, and Disney have, of course, had connections for decades, this brand-new “Refresh Your Galaxy” campaign is truly something new.
