Brandwashed by Martin Lindstrom

Author:Martin Lindstrom
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9780385531740
Publisher: Crown Publishing Group
Published: 2011-09-19T16:00:00+00:00

Haven’t I Seen You Somewhere Before?

One of the classic (literally)—and most effective—ways companies create the nostalgia factor is by dusting off and rereleasing commercials, slogans, or ad campaigns from the past. Few have pulled this off better than Heinz did in 2009, when it revived its famous 1970s tagline, “Beanz meanz Heinz.”14 Heinz’s new (or rather, old) advertisement features loving mothers feeding their kids plates heaped with Heinz Beans to the backdrop of catchy slogans, like “Sometimes when I’m feeling sad my mum will read the signs. She knows the thing to cheer me up and she knows that beanz meanz Heinz.” This ad was so memorable, it was voted the most popular slogan by the Advertising Hall of Fame nearly three decades after its original launch.

The British company Hovis has adapted an identical approach. In one advertisement, consumers see a retake of Ridley Scott’s original 1973 ad showing a “boy on a bike” riding through dodgy eras in British history, from the Blitz to the miners’ strikes. The implicit message: no matter what we’ve been through, Hovis has always been there for us.15 It worked in 1973 and worked again in 2009—so well that it boosted sales 11 percent.16

Even banks and tire makers have gotten into the slogan-repurposing act. Citigroup has recently brought back its original 1978 tagline, “The Citi never sleeps,” in an attempt to seem safer and more trustworthy by harkening back to a time before just about everybody hated and distrusted banks. And Michelin is bringing back its celebrated icon, the Michelin Man, created way back in 1898 (though in its latest incarnation, bowing to contemporary health concerns, he’s slimmed down).17 Allstate insurance’s new TV ads feature a spokesperson strolling through a montage of Great Depression–era photographs while intoning, “Nineteen thirty-one was not exactly a great year to start a business, but that’s when Allstate opened its doors. And through the twelve recessions since, they’ve noticed that after the fears subside, a funny thing happens. People start enjoying the small things in life. It’s back to basics, and the basics are good. Protect them. Put them in good hands.”18

I began working for Pepsi around the time the company launched its retro-inspired “real sugar” versions of two of its most beloved drinks, which it decided to nostalgically dub “Mountain Dew Throwback” and “Pepsi Throwback.” Using all-natural sweeteners popular during the 1960s and ’70s, the “throwback” campaign even included a Facebook app designed to make a Facebook user’s photo “retro” or pose him or her behind a retro-looking template. Well, the viral buzz was absolutely staggering, garnering “over 2 million website mentions, 24,000 blog posts, hundreds of YouTube videos combined with a whirlwind of Facebook and Twitter activity.”19

On the luxury side, Louis Vuitton recently rolled out nostalgic ads featuring Sean Connery and Catherine Deneuve, symbols of the lacquered glamour of Old Hollywood. Another Vuitton ad recalls a bygone era by featuring astronauts Buzz Aldrin, Sally Ride, and Jim Lovell, each representing a past generation of space explorers. They’re

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