Star Wars Has Lasted The Test Of Time

Unless you’ve been living under a rock since 1977, then chances are you know just how popular the massive movie franchise Star Wars has become. Created by George Lucas originally as a kind of cowboys and Indians style carry on, but in space, no one could have expected the movies to become so big and so ingrained into modern popular culture. What makes Star Wars’ success stand apart from other movies’ success though is the huge amount of time, planning and money that gone into merchandising. Rumour has it that Lucas was happy to wave his director’s fee for a larger cut of the merchandising rights instead, and that paid off in spades, as everything from Star Wars action figures and bed sheets to bicycles and board games have subsequently flooded the market.

These toys and games are just as popular with kids today as they were when they first appeared on toy shop shelves though, over 30 years ago. Though many toy manufacturers would no doubt love to emulate Star Wars’ successful toys sales, the secret to their popularity is really quite simple. The three original films, plus the three subsequent films, all dealt with archetypal characters which were all going through trauma, with the help of their friends and family. This base-level storytelling device meant that they could dress the plot up in as many special effects as they wanted but underneath it all was still a very simple Romeo & Juliet style love story that anyone could relate to. Like modern soap operas, Star Wars told different tales that all of its watchers could probably relate to, so when it came to producing and marketing toys and games, it was far easier to sell them as the brand already had a very wholesome and ‘safe’ feel to it internationally.

Another reason that Star Wars games and toys have become so popular and so collectible is largely down to the massive number of fans that the movies have generated. Not only can a new Star Wars game come out with the knowledge that it would be received by a large and very much ready-made target audience, but it also has the advantage of virtually free advertising in a sense. Star Wars is so ingrained into popular culture that whenever a new product comes out, the makers know that it will probably sell well as there are so many other Star Wars products and references out there to help it.

Of course, not only does the franchise have a lot of fans, but it also has many serious fans that would go to the ends of the earth to get their hands on the latest Star Wars games or toy. Like Star Trek, the makers of Star Wars know that a proportion of their fan base is made up of people who will be happy to spend a lot of money on relatively obscure pieces of merchandise, meaning that they can then balance this out by releasing mainstream Star Wars-branded High Street favourites too.

Girls' Generation

During their early career, the group were endorsers for several brands such as Elite Uniform, Nexon Bubble Fighter, Samsung and LG. Since 2008 they have been exclusive models for the Goobne Chicken and have filmed several commercials for the brand, recorded jingles for advertising purposes, and modeled for promotional Goobne calendars as well. Goobne Chicken has since become a strong contender in the chicken industry and attribute their success to the group. By mid-2009 the group members were models for over 10 brands and were chosen as one of South Korea's most sought after advertisers in a survey conducted by brand consulting research institute. Several members are solo advertising models such as Seohyun who is a model for Clean and Clear and The Face Shop, Taeyeon who models for A-Solution, a cosmetics brand, Sooyoung, Tiffany and Yuri as models for Biotherm or Yoona who models for S-Oil and Innisfree. Alongside Super Junior, they are also exclusive models to the partly SM Entertainment-owned retail brand SPAO. Endorsing clothing brands, online games, food industries, events, electronics, cosmetics and even products reserved for the top celebrities to endorse such as petroleum and credit cards, the group was considered one of the most sought after models in 2009.

The group continued to be active in advertising in 2010, endorsing brands and products including the Nintendo DSi and Domino's Pizza. In late 2010, a gift certificate company began releasing gift certificates each worth 10,000 won which featured Girls' Generation images on the cards, making them the first celebrities to be featured as such. The Korean web portal Daum also began using the group as models while remodeling certain services and search engines in early October 2010, and released Girls' Generation desktop wallpapers and screensavers for promotion. A survey conducted in December 2010, saw 409 out of 741 marketing employees choosing Girls' Generation as the model with the most influence over consumers, attributing their positive attention from the public to their vocals, looks and fashion sense. In 2011, Intel Asia announced that the group would become official advertising models for the company.

Meanwhile, members Yuri, Jessica, Tiffany, Sooyoung, Sunny and Hyoyeon were models for Christian Dior. Other members which include Yoona, Seohyun and Taeyeon were not models for Christian Dior, due to their other cosmetic contracts. Woongjin Coway stated that they selected Girls' Generation as their exclusive models and recently contracted with the group to endorse their water purifiers. Their contract will begin on March 1 and last through the year, while TV advertisements will begin running mid-March. In March 2011, the group started endorsing the Vita500 brand of energy drinks as part of Vita500's 10th anniversary and exclusive Vita500 posters of Tiffany, Yuri and Yoona were released.

In Japan, the group is currently endorsing the throat lozenge brand E-ma Nodoame. They endorsed Lipton tea as well, with their songs "Let It Rain" and "MR. TAXI" used as background music. In July 2011, along with labelmates TVXQ, they started endorsing 7-Eleven Japan products featuring the Japanese version of the song "Hoot" in commercials.

On August 19, 2011, Girls' Generation were chosen as the ambassadors for the 2010-2012 Visit Korea Year. Seohyun will be appointed as UNICEF envoys on October 11, 2011 at Changseong-Dong, Seoul. This is a notable feat, as only those who have a respectable reputation are appointed as goodwill representatives.

On October 2011 Girls' Generation were appointed models for J.ESTINA.

Brittani Kline

In 2011, Kline appeared in Cycle 16 of the CW Network reality television show, America's Next Top Model, in which she competed against thirteen other aspiring models. She beat out Molly O'Connell in the end, taking the position as Cycle 16 winner.

On the first three episodes, her photos had impressed the judges, finishing her as runner-up for best photo and 3rd on Episode 3. On Episode 4, the judges were disappointed by her performance which was a commercial for Fierce Roast Coffee. Also on episodes 5 and 6, her photos again impressed the judges allowing her to receive runner-up photo on Episode 5 and best photo on Episode 6, as she stood out amongst the brunette group. On Episode 7, one of the most dramatic panels in Top Model history, she was placed on the bottom two together with fellow contestant, Mikaela Schipani caused by her angry confrontation with fellow contestant, Alexandria Everett in which she called her fake in front of the client and in front of panel said that Nigel made the wrong choice in the challenge winner, where the judges' decision were divided with Tyra Banks being the only one who wanted her to leave. As the episode that follows , she apologized to Banks and Banks accepted it. On episodes 10 and 11, her photos again praised the judges and received runner-up on a total of five runner-ups on the whole competition. On Episode 12, she was placed on the bottom two along with fellow contestant, Hannah Jones but was still saved due to the deliberation by the judges.

On the season finale, together with fellow contestant, Molly O'Connell, they shot their CoverGirl commercial and print ad and their Beauty in Vogue spreads. They also met Ivan Bart, the president of IMG Models. On the final runway show, she walked with O'Connell and slipped on the rose petals and crashed into a wall, but the judges praised her when she was still smiling on the finale without showing any pain. As the panel goes on, she and O'Connell received another makeover in which their hair was cut significantly shorter. Her runway was praised but Banks did not like it when she burst into laughter while posing with O'Connell. Her CoverGirl commercial and print ad were also praised. As the judges deliberated, the critique was in Kline's favor. Banks announced her as the winner of the 16th Cycle, placing fellow contestant O'Connell as runner-up. She won a $100,000 contract with CoverGirl Cosmetics, a contract with IMG Models, the cover of Beauty In Vogue and fashion spreads in Vogue Italia and Beauty In Vogue.