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 by Sphere Studios in collaboration with Disney Consumer Products and Lucasfilm, is intended to promote the launch of Lego’s new 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 celebrate play on an extraordinary scale by bringing the Star Wars galaxy to life,” Julia Goldin, chief product and marketing officer of the Lego Group, said in a statement. “This experience captures the essence of what the Lego brand has always 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 chance 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 among 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 new interactive Smart Play system, which will 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 take advantage of Sphere’s new immersive Exosphere capabilities, and demonstrates new ways that the venue can be a boon for creative marketers.
“Sphere, as a platform and as a technology company, is built to push the boundaries of storytelling and creative, leveraging technology,” said Marcus Ellington, executive vice president 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 line with how many brands have taken advantage of the venue, bringing the eye-popping wonder of the in-person experience to a global audience.
“A big portion of our value 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 concerts, film screenings and corporate events — has helped Sphere build relationships with major B2C and B2B marketers. Delta Airlines, which hosted its CES keynote at the venue last year, on Monday became the official airline of Sphere. The multiyear partnership includes Sphere’s first branded hospitality space.
“We continue to see a tremendous 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 year 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 Lego, Disney and Lucasfilm, Sphere Studios helps brands take advantage of the venue’s technology regardless of their creative proficiency.
“When brands partner with us, that's really one of our secret sauces: they also 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 year 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 larger audience on social.
“That's an example of a brand that might not necessarily fall the big, sexy consumer brand [category], but I think they did it right, and they really leaned into the medium,” Ellington said.
