Coca-Cola x Star Wars campaign increased new-to-brand shoppers by 26% with Amazon Ads

Goals

In a galaxy not so far away, Australian consumers were about to discover a powerful new alliance. The “Refresh Your Galaxy” campaign brought together two of the world's most beloved franchises: Coca-Cola and Star Wars.

The collaboration celebrated the Star Wars fandom through exclusive packaging and immersive digital experiences that brought the iconic franchise to life.

Fans had the chance to collect 21 limited-edition Coca-Cola cans and bottles featuring iconic Star Wars characters including Darth Vader, Yoda, Princess Leia, Luke Skywalker, The Mandalorian, and Ahsoka Tano.

Coca-Cola Australia recognized an opportunity: engage Gen Z audiences and ignite excitement among loyal Star Wars fans through this limited-edition collection. The insight? Star Wars fans are entertainment lovers at heart. Working with Amazon Ads, Coca-Cola built a comprehensive full-funnel strategy to raise awareness for the collection and drive sales conversions on the Amazon store.

Anna Mcloughlin, Head of Digital, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, Australia, explained: “We know collectibles inspire a sense of nostalgia and brand connection, and this was the perfect way to deliver that experience.”

Approach

The limited-edition Coca-Cola designs became hero creative assets, featuring striking imagery of iconic characters and moments from the Star Wars universe. This collectible packaging transformed each purchase into a tangible connection to the beloved franchise, driving both trial and repeat purchases among collectors.

Michael Drew, Senior Director, Digital Commerce, Commercial Strategy and Integrated Insights, The Coca-Cola Company, shared: “We worked closely with Amazon to help us define the strategy and create a connected shopping experience. Amazon’s ability to connect audience segments to execution is market-leading. We were able to learn that Coca-Cola drinkers are 2.2x more interested in Sci-Fi. These insights helped us to build an informed campaign.”

Recognizing that Star Wars fans were already highly engaged with entertainment, Coca-Cola strategically placed ads during popular Prime Video series—including The Summer I Turned Pretty, Reacher, The Boys, Supernatural, and The Vampire Diaries—that over-indexed with action, drama, and sci-fi audiences likely to appreciate the Star Wars collaboration, helping drive awareness.

The Amazon Ads Brand Innovation Lab team created an immersive Coca-Cola Brand Store on Amazon where shoppers could explore and purchase the collection, transforming a transactional shopping experience into an engaging journey through the Star Wars universe. This gamified approach helped build emotional resonance with the Coca-Cola brand.

The full-funnel approach combined upper-funnel awareness through Prime Video and display ads with sophisticated mid-funnel remarketing using Amazon DSP to reach high-intent shoppers, while lower-funnel sponsored ads drove immediate conversions. Crucially, all campaigns directed shoppers to the interactive Brand Store, creating a seamless path from inspiration to exploration to purchase.

Results

The “Refresh Your Galaxy” campaign reached 9.2 million viewers across the Amazon canvas and open internet.¹ And by leveraging Amazon Marketing Cloud, Coca-Cola was able to uncover deeper insights into how audiences moved through their purchase journey. Audiences who saw the Prime Video ads and homepage takeovers were 2.3 times more likely to search for Coca-Cola products than those who hadn’t seen the ads.²

What’s more, 80% of the campaign's impressions reached audiences outside of sponsored ads campaigns. That broader reach translated into real customer growth. By increasing touchpoints with new audiences, Coca-Cola saw a 26% jump in new-to-brand shoppers, and Subscribe & Save shoppers grew by 12% too, creating long-term value.³

But most notably, Coca-Cola achieved 45% year-over-year sales growth on Amazon.⁴ And the success didn't stop with the Star Wars collection. Their wider beverage portfolio—across Fanta, Sprite, and Kirks—saw a sales lift that proved the power of a well-executed campaign to elevate an entire brand family.

Reflecting on the campaign’s impact, Mcloughlin shared: “The measured success in delivering—and exceeding—our KPIs across portfolio sales impact alongside new-to-brand growth has created a world-class blueprint for full-funnel execution success.”

Sources

^1–4 Amazon Internal, AU, 08/01/2025–09/11/2025.