Title	CRACK THE AUREBESH
Brand	PATHÉ
Product/Service	STAR WARS
Category	C07. Customer Acquisition & Retention
Entrant	FRED & FARID PARIS, FRANCE
Idea Creation	FRED & FARID PARIS, FRANCE

Name	Company	Position
Fred & Farid .	Fred & Farid	Chief Creative Officers
Olivier Lefebvre	Fred & Farid Paris	President
Olivier Lefebvre	Fred & Farid Paris	President
Séverine Autret	Fred & Farid Paris	Managing Director
Yann Rougeron	Fred & Farid Paris	Creative
Yann Rougeron	Fred & Farid Paris	Creative
Matthieu Nourisson	Fred & Farid Paris	Creative

Why is this work relevant for Brand Experience & Activation?

Everyone loves Star Wars, but who are the real fans? For the worldwide release of Episode 9, the ultimate opus of the Saga, the French cinema chain Pathé Gaumont wanted to give those who really deserve it - the true fans of Star Wars - the opportunity to discover the film before anyone else. By unveiling an encrypted message in Aurebesh, the universal alphabet of Star Wars, the brand engaged the most dedicated fans to translate its content to earn an exclusive preview slot. Unveiled at all the brand's points of contact, the campaign attracted the connection of an entire

Background

Cinémas Pathé Gaumont is the largest cinema network in Europe. Since their creation in 1896, the group has always placed great importance on all unconditional cinema lovers. So, for the worldwide release of the ultimate Star Wars opus, The Rise of Skywalker, on December 17, Pathé Gaumont Cinemas wanted to offer all the preview tickets they had to those who deserve it the most: the Saga's most devoted fans. This was a real opportunity to use their leadership position in France to bring the local fanbase together on a broader scale.

Describe the creative idea (20% of vote)

2019 has been a year rich in exclusives, but if there is one film that the world has been waiting for more than others, it is indeed the last episode of Star Wars. To make sure that only the most hardcore and loyal fans earned the preview tickets, Pathé Gaumont Cinemas didn't have room to make a mistake. So, we unveiled an encrypted message in Aurebesh, the custom alphabet created by Georges Lucas. This message, totally incomprehensible to the general public, was deployed in all the group's cinemas, in the streets and on social networks. Once cracked and translated, the message encouraged fans to re-publish the visual, mentioning the brand. Each correctly shared visual allowed a fan to get a preview seat in one of the Pathé Gaumont theaters of his or her choice for an exclusive experience.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

The “Crack the Aurebesh” campaign is aimed at a very small segment of the population; the most dedicated fans of the Star Wars universe, regardless of age. To approach this target and understand their culture, we knew you needed to speak the same language. It is in this notion that lies all the subtlety of this campaign, because we used the Aurebesh alphabet created by Georges Lucas in 1973 to encrypt a message that only true fans can understand in order to pay tribute to them and reward them for their fandom.

Describe the execution (30% of vote)

The operation was launched a fortnight before the release of the film. To ensure maximum visibility, the campaign rolled out with all offline and online points of contact at Pathé Gaumont cinemas. The message was broadcast on over 800 movie screens, spread across the group's 111 theaters in France and Europe, giving viewers the opportunity to discover the mysterious symbols before and after each screening. Meanwhile, the message received significant media exposure through massive billboards in all the major Pathé Gaumont movie theaters, as well as extensive deployment on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

List the results (30% of vote)

In less than 48 hours, 8,000 preview tickets were distributed - a real success for the operation. It only took 19 minutes for the first fan to understand the original of the symbols and crack the message entirely. The campaign was embraced and appreciated by the Star Wars community and relayed on dozens of websites and forums, allowing us to extend media exposure to even more of the general public and international fan community. On the night of the French premiere, more than 12,000 people flocked to the Pathé Gaumont Cinemas' darkened theaters, allowing the group to achieve its best attendance ever for a French premiere in 2019. And one thing's for sure: every seat was occupied by a fan - a real one.