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Global Commodity, Global Meme Culture, Global Mélange and “Baby Yoda”

Received: 9 June 2021    Accepted: 3 December 2021    Published: 7 December 2021
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Abstract

Star Wars is a multigenerational saga. To look at it from a certain perspective brings with it the nostalgia as everyone who was born in the 70s or 80s has a personal history with Star Wars. However, it is no coincidence that the franchise made it this far, both globally and temporally. Precise strategies have been used throughout its marketing. I took on this project to examine these strategies. This study has three objectives: First, it examines Star Wars as a form of transmedia storytelling and its effect to create global culture, and; second, it focuses on internet memes and their global production and circulation. Lastly, it dissects the marketing strategy for merchandise behind the highly new and popular character “Baby Yoda”. While researching, I used marketing and transmedia literature and market research. This research finds that marketing techniques for The Mandalorian (2019-) are linked with nostalgia, that global memes are used for marketing as well, but also that global mélange is on the horizon. I will then conclude by discussing my findings which include how nostalgia marketing is used in Star Wars universe and why this universe keeps expanding. It is very timely that media recently relies heavily on nostalgia marketing.

Published in International Journal of Economy, Energy and Environment (Volume 6, Issue 6)
DOI 10.11648/j.ijeee.20210606.11
Page(s) 134-141
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Internet Memes, Baby Yoda, Merchandise, Marketing, Global, Transmedia

References
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[4] Brown, J. A. 2018. #wheresRey: feminism, protest, and merchandising sexism in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Feminist Media Studies, 18: 3, pp. 335-348.
[5] Castaño, D., C. M. 2013. Defining and characterizing the concept of Internet Meme. Revista CES Psicología, 6 (2), pp. 82-104.
[6] Davison, P. 2012. The Language of Internet Memes. In M. Mandiberg, ed. The Social Media Reader. New York: NYU Press, pp. 120-134.
[7] Dawkins, R. 1976. The selfish gene. New York: Oxford University Press.
[8] Helleiner, G. K. 1973. Manufactured Exports from Less-Developed Countries and Multinational Firms. Economic Journal, vol. 83, issue 329, pp. 21-47.
[9] Jenkins, H. 2006. Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide. New York: New York University Press.
[10] Jenkins, H. 2010. Transmedia Storytelling and Entertainment: An annotated syllabus, Continuum, 24: 6, pp. 943-958.
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[12] Knobel, M. and Lankshear, C. 2007. Chapter 9: Online Memes, Affinities, and Cultural Production. In: M. Knobel and C. Lankshear, eds. A New Literacies Sampler. New York: Peter Lang, pp. 199-229.
[13] Lash, S. and Lury, C. 2007. Global Culture Industry: The Mediation of Things. Polity Press.
[14] Lawrence, J. S. 2006. Introduction: Spectacle, Merchandise, and Influence. In: M. W. Kapell and J. S. Lawrence, eds. Finding the Force of the Star Wars Franchise: Fans, Merchandise, & Critics. New York: Peter Lang, Volume 14 in the Popular Culture & Everyday Life Series, pp. 1-21.
[15] Miller, T. 2015. Introduction: Global Popular Culture. In: T. Miller, ed. The Routledge Companion to Global Culture. New York and Oxon: Routledge, pp. 1-13.
[16] Milner, R. 2012. The World Made Meme: Discourse and Identity in Participatory Media. University of Kansas.
[17] Murphy, P. D. and Kraidy M. M. 2003. Towards an ethnographic approach to global media studies. In: P. D. Murphy and M. M. Kraidy, eds. Global Media Studies: Ethnographic perspectives. New York and London: Routledge, pp. 3-21.
[18] Murray, S. 2005. Brand loyalties: rethinking content within global corporate media. Media, Culture & Society, 27 (3), pp. 415–435.
[19] Pieterse, J. N. 2009. Global Mélange. In: J. N. Pieterse, ed. Globalization and Culture. Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, pp. 141-147.
[20] Proctor, W and Freeman, M. 2017. The First step into a smaller world: The transmedia economy of Star Wars. In: M. J. P. Wolf, ed. Revisiting Imaginary Worlds. London and New York: Routledge, pp. 221-243.
[21] Reisenwitz, T. H., Iyer, R. & Cutler, B. 2004. Marketing Management Journal. Vol. 14 Issue 2, pp. 55-66.
[22] Robertson, R. 1995. Glocalization: Time-Space and Homogeneity-Heterogeneity. In: M. Featherstone, S. Lash and R. Robertson, eds. Global Modernities. London: Sage Publications, pp. 25-44.
[23] Wagner, K. B. and Kapur, J. 2011. Introduction: Neoliberalism and Global Cinema: Subjectivities, Publics, and New Forms of Resistance. In: K. B. Wagner and J. Kapur, eds. Neoliberalism and Global Cinema. New York and Oxon: Routledge, pp. 1-16.
[24] Wagner, K. B. 2015. Globalizing Discourses: Literature and Film in the Age of Google, Globalizations, 12: 2, pp. 229-243.
[25] White, C. R. 2012. Balancing the Force: How Media Created by Star Wars Now Defines the Franchise. In: D. Brode and L. Deyneka, eds. Myth, Media, and Culture in Star Wars: An Anthology. Plymouth: Scarecrow Press, pp. 101-113.
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Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Tugce Kutlu. (2021). Global Commodity, Global Meme Culture, Global Mélange and “Baby Yoda”. International Journal of Economy, Energy and Environment, 6(6), 134-141. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijeee.20210606.11

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    ACS Style

    Tugce Kutlu. Global Commodity, Global Meme Culture, Global Mélange and “Baby Yoda”. Int. J. Econ. Energy Environ. 2021, 6(6), 134-141. doi: 10.11648/j.ijeee.20210606.11

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    AMA Style

    Tugce Kutlu. Global Commodity, Global Meme Culture, Global Mélange and “Baby Yoda”. Int J Econ Energy Environ. 2021;6(6):134-141. doi: 10.11648/j.ijeee.20210606.11

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ijeee.20210606.11,
      author = {Tugce Kutlu},
      title = {Global Commodity, Global Meme Culture, Global Mélange and “Baby Yoda”},
      journal = {International Journal of Economy, Energy and Environment},
      volume = {6},
      number = {6},
      pages = {134-141},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ijeee.20210606.11},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijeee.20210606.11},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijeee.20210606.11},
      abstract = {Star Wars is a multigenerational saga. To look at it from a certain perspective brings with it the nostalgia as everyone who was born in the 70s or 80s has a personal history with Star Wars. However, it is no coincidence that the franchise made it this far, both globally and temporally. Precise strategies have been used throughout its marketing. I took on this project to examine these strategies. This study has three objectives: First, it examines Star Wars as a form of transmedia storytelling and its effect to create global culture, and; second, it focuses on internet memes and their global production and circulation. Lastly, it dissects the marketing strategy for merchandise behind the highly new and popular character “Baby Yoda”. While researching, I used marketing and transmedia literature and market research. This research finds that marketing techniques for The Mandalorian (2019-) are linked with nostalgia, that global memes are used for marketing as well, but also that global mélange is on the horizon. I will then conclude by discussing my findings which include how nostalgia marketing is used in Star Wars universe and why this universe keeps expanding. It is very timely that media recently relies heavily on nostalgia marketing.},
     year = {2021}
    }
    

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    T2  - International Journal of Economy, Energy and Environment
    JF  - International Journal of Economy, Energy and Environment
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Author Information
  • School of European Languages, Culture and Society, University College London (UCL), London, United Kingdom

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