During television airings in 2003 of Star Wars movies on Channel 13 in Chile, viewers were subjected to ads for the beer company Cerveza Cristal embedded into some of the most iconic scenes in the films.
The 30 second spots were cleverly conceived and executed seamlessly by Channel 13, making it appear that the beer was actually a part of the original movies. Examples include Luke Skywalker reaching for a beer instead of his Lightsaber, Obi-Wan Kenobi going into a chest to grab a bottle of beer, and so on.
While the ads were very clever, George Lucas was not happy about them at all and put a stop to it via the Chilean Council for Self-Regulation and Advertising Ethics (CONAR) in 2004, which determined that the ads could not run again as the advertisers were in violation of Articles Four, Thirteen, Fifteen, and Eighteen of the CONAR statutes.
The claimant company states verbatim what follows: LUCASFILM LTD., a legal entity established in accordance with the laws of the State of California, United States of America, whose business is the production of films, to the Honorable Council of Self-Regulation and Advertising Ethics (Conar) I respectfully say: That, in accordance with article 14 of the Regulation of Functions and Procedures of the Council for Self-regulation and Advertising Ethics (Conar), through this presentation, I file a claim for violation of articles 4 letter F, 15 and 18 of the Code Chilean of Advertising Ethics, against Cervecera CCU Chile Ltda.; against OMD Advertising Agency; and against EFEX Advertising Agency, hereinafter.
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Thanks Hunter Beale!
