Depending on who you talk to, May 4 is either an official or unofficial holiday thanks to Star Wars fandom.
But it’s all but an official marketing holiday—and not just for Lucasfilm’s parent company Walt Disney. Google is getting in on the action with promotional festivities on Google Play.
For those not in touch with the Force, May 4 (or rather, May Fourth) has become Star Wars Day on the Internet as a play on the memorable line, “May the Force be with you.” The Internet translation: “May the Fourth be with you.”
Google Play (GOOGL) has some specials on digital games (including for the very popular Lego Star Wars title), but the event also serves as a mechanism to highlight Google Play’s curated playlists as well as digital storefront for movies and books.
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It might not be surprising that The Force Awakens—the most recent release in what Disney and Lucasfilm now define as the core “Skywalker Saga” films—is the most downloaded film in the collection on Google Play. But the top downloaded book (Aftermath: Star Wars: Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens) and most downloaded game (Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes) might provide extra reassurance to both fans and the Mouse House that Lucasfilm’s new owners are taking the brand in the right direction.
Disney (DIS) has been busy this year striking deals with major retailers on any and all sorts of Star Wars-related promotions. Yet these are all just warm-up exercises in the days and months leading up to the next major release in the series, The Next Jedi, which hits theaters this holiday season.
The real marketing and merchandizing campaign will kick off on another unofficial Star Wars holiday: Force Friday, which will occur on September 1 this year as Disney debuts all of the new toys and collectibles for The Last Jedi. Not only is it a major money maker for Disney, but the new goods often provide hints (and sometimes even spoilers) at what to expect in the upcoming movie.
