Facebook pays homage to ‘Star Trek’s’ 50th

As remembrance of the cult classic’s first episode circulates online, Facebook marketers target Trekkie audiences. Here’s what brand managers drummed up—and why.

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Are PR and marketing pros also dedicated “Star Trek” fans?

Scroll through your Facebook news feed today to find out.

On Tuesday, users were prompted to add a custom “Star Trek” frame to their profile pictures. For fans of Facebook’s official “Star Trek” page, users’ Reactions offered a galactic opportunity to interact.

Here’s what those users woke up to:

From Facebook Messenger marketing lead, Lindsey Shepard:

In order to make [our customer reactions] understood by all Star Trek fans, we chose the most iconic and recognizable characters and symbols from the original Star Trek series, as well as the Next Generation. We also wanted to honor the original design and spirit of Reactions, so we needed visual cues that were easy to identify at a glance, like Geordi’s visor. This led us to our final cast: Kirk, Spock, Geordi and a Klingon.

The social media platform’s marketing department used the franchise’s 50th anniversary to tap into its Trekkie niche.

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