The minds behind these now viral Cerveza Cristal advertisements were way ahead of their time.
There’s a chance you’ve seen the South American beer on your social media timeline as of late, so allow me to help clear some things up if you are confused. First and foremost, yes, these commercials are real and actually aired, and no, you aren’t being fooled by AI.
Back in the early 2000s, the beer advertisers were incredibly forward thinking, and knew good and well that people hated commercials. So what did they do? They literally worked their commercials into the movies they bought ad space in.
Cerveza Cristal most famously made appearances in Star Wars, specifically the first one, when it aired on Chilean TV. One of the most iconic examples of their seamless beer plug within Star Wars is the one below, where Obi Wan Kenobi was supposed to pull out a lightsaber to give Luke Skywalker, but instead…well just take a look:
I love that so much. CERVEZA CRISTAL! That jingle is going to be stuck in my head for the rest of the day.
The advertisements were incredibly successful, since they were able to push a product without interrupting the movie that was airing. Hell, viewers even likely looked forward to the Cerveza Cristal ads popping up, not knowing when or where the advertisers would try to work them into the story.
And in case you were wondering, they did it a lot during the film. Here’s another example from the original Star Wars movie that aired on Chilean TV. Pay close attention, because you might miss the Cerveza Cristal ad:
I was being facetious there. The Cerveza Cristal commercials are never hard to identify, considering that they worked that jingle into the movie every time they plugged the drink.
Lucasfilm, the famous studio behind Star Wars, was apparently not a huge fan of the blatant product placement placed into their movies. But Cerveza Cristal didn’t stop, and even started doing the in-movie plugs in other films like American Beauty and Gladiator.
And I’ll proudly be one of the voices shouting for the return of these types of commercials. We’ve all had enough with the skippable ads that aren’t actually skippable.
Advertisers, if you are reading this, just follow the lead of the good people over at Cerveza Cristal (who are still in business). Study the masterclass that is the beer company’s collection of commercials and replicate it if you wish to actually reach consumers.
And before you all go, go ahead and watch this one (which might be my personal favorite) of the Emperor cracking open a cold one:
