The Lego Group on Jan. 7 recreated an iconic moment from “Star Wars,” transforming Sphere in Las Vegas into the Death Star and letting fans relive the film’s climax via an interactive experience. The activation, crafted in collaboration with Disney Consumer Products and Lucasfilm, is meant to promote the launch of Lego’s latest Smart Play sets, per details shared with Marketing Dive.
“Showcasing our latest innovation via an incredible experience on Sphere in Las Vegas allowed us to have a good time play on a rare scale by bringing the Star Wars galaxy to life,” Julia Goldin, chief product and marketing officer of the Lego Group, said in a press release. “This experience captures the essence of what the Lego brand has all the time stood for: inspiring builders of all ages to create, explore, and push the boundaries of what’s possible!”
The activation turned Sphere’s Exosphere — the world’s largest LED screen — into the Death Star and gave a fans a likelihood to ride in the cockpit of a life-sized X-Wing vehicle to recreate the iconic trench run from “Star Wars: A New Hope” that culminates with the explosion of the space station. New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart was amongst the special guests who took part in the experience.
Both the Death Star and X-Wing were designed to appear to be made out of Lego bricks, while the cockpit was actually brick-built. The activation was timed to CES in Las Vegas, where Lego announced its latest interactive Smart Play system, which is able to launch on March 1 in select markets with Star Wars-themed sets.
Since opening in 2023, the spherical venue has been utilized by major brands including Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Target and others. The Lego activation is the first to reap the benefits of Sphere’s latest immersive Exosphere capabilities, and demonstrates latest ways in which the venue is usually a boon for creative marketers.
“Sphere, as a platform and as a technology company, is built to push the boundaries of storytelling and inventive, leveraging technology,” said Marcus Ellington, executive vp of ad sales and sponsorships for Sphere.
To expand the reach of the activation, Sphere worked with influencers and captured content during Wednesday’s event. This is in step with what number of brands have taken advantage of the venue, bringing the eye-popping wonder of the in-person experience to a world audience.
“A giant portion of our worth is social. On any given week… about 3 million people in Vegas will see the the advertiser’s media on the Exosphere, but we see three-, four- or sometimes five-times that on social media,” Ellington said. “We are our own influencer and content creator.”
Brands lean in
That social reach — unique for a venue that hosts concert events, film screenings and company events — has helped Sphere construct relationships with major B2C and B2B marketers. Delta Airlines, which hosted its CES keynote at the venue last yr, on Monday became the official airline of Sphere. The multiyear partnership includes Sphere’s first branded hospitality space.
“We proceed to see an incredible interest [from] brands, whether it’s using us for a one-time, transactional moment, or forging long-term, multi-year partnerships,” Ellington said.
Similarly, Lenovo last yr became the official technology partner of Sphere Studios, the venue’s in-house content studio in Burbank, California that employs producers, directors, graphic designers and artists. While the Death Star takeover was made in partnership with creatively proficient brands — Lego, Disney and Lucasfilm — Sphere Studios allows other brands to reap the benefits of the venue’s technology.
“When brands partner with us, that is really one among our secret sauces: in addition they get the access to Sphere Studios and these creative directors, artists and producers who will help concept ideas,” Ellington said.
For example, Stanley Black & Decker brand Dewalt last yr teamed with Sphere for an interactive drone show timed to construction conference World of Concrete — an activation that, while no Death Star, provided surprise and delight for attendees and a bigger audience on social.
“That’s an example of a brand that may not necessarily fall the big, sexy consumer brand [category], but I believe they did it right, and so they really leaned into the medium,” Ellington said.
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