Dixons uses the force in Star Wars ad

Dixons has launched a terrific ad campaign starring lovable Star Wars robots C-3PO and R2-D2 and I think this might be the turning point the electricals sector has been working towards.

The ad forms the next phase of its transformation plan and it really will “wow” consumers.

I’m not your typical Star Wars fan (I’m female and under 30 for a start), nor am I the typical electricals store customer, but there is something unavoidably exciting about this ad campaign that might just have changed my mind about shopping for technology.

The ad, which won’t be revealed in full until it breaks during the X-Factor on Saturday (23 October), will feature C-3PO (played by original actor Anthony Daniels no less), and his sidekick R2-D2 exploring the Dixons dual PC World and Currys branded megastore in Thurrock.

They play around with all kinds of electricals, generally being excited about what they stumble across.

Dixons marketing director Niall O’Keefe told me that the aim of the campaign is to “wow” consumers with the sheer size and range that the stores offers and build on the genuine excitement that customers feel when they visit the destination stores.

I’d usually head online to Amazon or somewhere similar to take the stress out of the process, but now I might make a trip to the store and see what all the fuss is about.

The electricals sector has been working hard for the past few years to shake off negative perceptions.

Best Buy has debuted in the UK and where its stores have opened the excitement has been undeniable.

Comet has recently repositioned with a more lifestyle led approach that aims to make the experience of buying technology as exciting as using it.

O’Keeffe is the first to point out that the very fact that Lucas Films has agreed to partner with Dixons shows how much it as improved.

Lucas Films doesn’t let just anybody associate with the Star Wars movies’ legacy, and Dixons is the first UK retailer to be granted the rights.

He admits that four years ago, Dixons wouldn’t have been able to pull it off, but now the two brands stand at the start of what O’Keeffe hopes is a long partnership with plenty of potential opportunities ahead.

Tech stores aren’t oppressive intimidating places anymore, they are places of exciting techie gadgets that enrich our social and personal lives and while the sector has made progress in leaps and bounds to demonstrate, I think the Dixons’ Star Wars ad is the turning point.