Live long enough and you’ll be amazed at which ridiculous trends, long forgotten, will come back in style. Some are not so bad—I remember when I used to fight with my daughter about which radio station to listen to in the car, and then one day, she magically turned on Rock 105 and left it there. Led Zeppelin had finally trumped Britney Spears—thank God!
But once again, the past is making a comeback, this time in the form of recession marketing. Advertisers are choosing to use images and slogans of the 1950s through the 1980s to remind consumers of “better times.” Quoting Frank Cooper, marketing chief for a unit of PepsiCo, “It’s about yearning for the past, a simpler time, even though the ‘60s and ‘70s were not simple. They just seem simple, looking back.”
He has a point. I distinctly remember the Carter era of rampant inflation, the Vietnam War, campus riots, civil rights injustices, racism, sexism, bubblegum pop music, hideous shoulder padding in women’s fashions, big hair, leisure suits, disco, etc. I could go on, but I grow tired thinking about this.
Somehow, the glossy illusion of a better past (“Leave it to Beaver,” “Happy Days”) is what advertisers now believe will make consumers forget the present, and the fact that they have no surplus funds to spend. Target is now selling sock monkeys and gumball machines as part of a sale on “selected retro toys.” I’ll have to whip out my old Eight Ball to predict the success of this latest venture (“Signs are unclear at present”).
And Madison Avenue is launching a 1950s family in the "I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter" commercials and resurrecting the “Yum, yum, Bumble Bee, Bumble Bee Tuna” song to help sell these products. Ouch! I’m waiting for the Shake and Bake commercial (“And I Helped!”) and Mr. Whipple’s “Please Don’t Squeeze the Charmin” to come back to life in some form. And then there’s always obnoxious Marge plunging the fingers of innocent women into Palmolive Dishwashing Liquid to “soften them.” I didn’t like this stuff when it was current!
Advertisers admit that these new ads could lead consumers to believe a brand is outdated—like maybe anyone under the age of 30—and therefore not for them. But who knows? Perhaps the new campaign will succeed after all. Especially since income levels have fallen to about what they were in the 1970s, maybe we finally have a match.
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I think it's great that they're bringing back the past. Fashion trends recycle, it's about time they did it with commercials. I loved "Happy Days" and "Full House" with Bob Saget (?) (those two shows don't have much to do with the advertising perspective, but they bring back good memories).
ReplyDeleteAnd who knows, maybe they'll use old ads with a fresh twist.
Great blog!
Thats so neat. I think the world as a whole will constanly have dilema of is vintage cool? Or is modern cool? I think a combination of both works best. Maybe advertisers should think about that. I think it's a neat concept that they want people to remember the old times/ goodtimes. Its a very intresting angle as well as interesting article.
ReplyDeleteThis is a good idea because I really wish that I could have been part of the past. I think that the 70's and the 80's was the era to live in from what I have read and saw on television. But these articles should remind people of the good days when things were less complicated.
ReplyDeleteLol... I find it funny that you remember all that and although I may be young, I remember having my own bubble gum machine all to myself!! I think this would help out alot because remembering when I was young makes me happy, because back then I had no worries. Remember this: "Back in the days when I was young I'm not a kid anymore, but somedays I sit and wish I was a kid again!" Oh yeah, I love it! ;)
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