Blast from the Past! Marketers Look Back to Attract Consumers

by allison ~ April 7, 2009

In today’s society, people want to experience something that is secure and comfortable due to the difficult economy. In an effort to bring back enjoyable memories, marketers are looking back to a time when people felt their best (1950’s through 1980’s).

According to this story in The New York Times, “Reviving vintage slogans and jingles as well as package designs. Diet Coke is being promoted again with “Just for the taste of it,” the theme used by the Coca-Cola Company to introduce the soda in 1982. Five Big G cereals from General Mills, among them Cheerios and Trix, were sold in throwback boxes in Target stores, accompanied by a T-shirt offer (cerealwear.com).”

Marketers believe that bringing back the old will help consumers buy the new, “Cotton Inc. is reintroducing a song from 1989, “The Fabric of Our Lives,” that served through the 1990s as a jingle in commercials for clothing and home furnishings made from cotton. Research found that women in their 20s and 30s - the intended audience for messages about cotton’s benefits - “remember the song and understand what it means,” Mr. Hendee said.”

It will be interesting to see if there is a correlation between the marketing approach and consumers buying the products.

Allison Berger is on staff at Mediashop Public Relations and holds a BA in Communications Studies from University of Iowa.