Star Wars has developed the Skywalker saga since ‘Star Wars Episode 1: Phantom Menace’ through the release of ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ which was released in December of 2015. The newest addition to the list of cinematic creations will be released at the end of this year (2109) — ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’. 

In the past, Disney and Lucasfilm collaborations have reached the pinnacle of success by co-marketing with major corporate names such as CoverGirl, Subway, Dodge, and Ram Truck — and with the future release of a new Star Wars film, the luxury auto manufacturer, Porsche.

Star Wars promotional spots typically appear on all the Big Four networks, in addition to over 40 other cable and broadcast television stations. Since both Star Wars and Porsche have an extremely dedicated fan base, and both ventures enjoy an iconic status among fans, this may be one of the best marketing strategies in movie franchise history. 

Porsche hints at Babu Frik character

This first round of advertising spots between Star Wars and Porsche looks to be geared toward the introduction of Star Wars fans with a new franchise character — Babu Frik.

Co-marketing between Porsche and Star Wars is an excellent way to stretch advertising dollars by sharing the stage (and costs) with another brand. It can also be used to get a product or service in front of a different audience by leveraging the relationship of each brand’s consumer base. In the end, co-marketing the new Star Wars character, with the new Porsche Taycan release delivers more viewers and more buzz — with less work.

Porsche hinted at this new marketing partnership with the Star Wars franchise by releasing a photo and post on its Instagram page, tagged with “Something exciting is coming from a galaxy far, far, away,” along with the hashtags #RiseOfSkywalker, #Porsche, #Taycan.

The Porsche Taycan is the auto manufacturers, sleek 4-door car that was first unveiled as a concept car in 2015. The Taycan is not only Porsche’s first series production of an electric car, but it is also the company’s first and only true sedan (when you consider the Porsche Panamera is really a liftback).

What would really tip the scales in Star Wars fandom is a special edition Taycan with sound and light effects that hail from another galaxy. Until then, we’ll have to wait until the December premiere of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker to determine if this co-marketing partnership was a hit or a miss!

What we know about Babu Frik

To get fans excited about this and other new Star Wars characters, Disney promoted a live-stream of official merchandise for The Rise of Skywalker that was released on the franchise’s official Star Wars website.

This included 6-inch, action figures of Sith Troopers, Kylo Ren, the scavenger, Rey — along with the first in-film look at Babu Frik. This character is to be one of the Spice Runner workers led by Kljimi and is described as a “tiny droidsmith” Anzellan.

While we don’t yet know the name of the actor playing this role, Disney introduced the toy-form of Babu Frik at the Triple Force Friday live-stream event.

The character embodies many of the pleasures found in other Star Wars alien characters, freakishly cute, yet possessing an ageless sense of wisdom and honor.

Already the Babu Frik image and the 6-inch, plastic toy replica of this wee, little fella are sparking the imaginations of Star Wars fans across the globe. Could Babu Frik reach the level of infamy as R2-D2 and Chewbacca? Only time will tell.

Porsche is giving away a chance to see the movie first

Meanwhile, the massive, promo push between Star Wars, Porsche Taycan, and other brands has given rise to an exciting sweepstakes, where the winner will be among the first to see the film at the World Premiere of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. A published, Porsche press release reads:

” Porsche is excited to collaborate with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. The timeless design of these iconic brands will be celebrated in a way that is sure to ignite enthusiasm among two of the most passionate fan-bases in the galaxy. The collaboration coincides with both the release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, and the U.S. launch of the all-new, fully electric Porsche Taycan, marking a seminal moment in the history of Porsche.”

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker opens in theaters on December 20, 2019 in the United States