What do whiskey bottles, shampoo, floppy disks, video games and Mr. T all have in common?
The only punch line, despite the presence of Mr. T, is that Jack Daniels, Herbal Essences, Microsoft, Sony PlayStation and Old Navy are among the top movers on the “Brand Power Index” (BPI), a consumer study by NBCUniversal that measures the most talked about brands each quarter.
The thematic thread uniting these buzz-building brands is the way they are effectively integrating nostalgia into their modern-day marketing mix.
Connecting With Consumers
“The brands connecting to consumers in a big way,” according to John Shea, EVP and CMO of NBCUniversal Integrated Media, “are those that are creatively capturing people’s embrace of a modern-day version of throwback values. We clearly see this consumer shift in the research from Integrated Media’s The Curve Report: Modern Family Edition, which found that 62% of moms still describe themselves as ‘very traditional.’ Brands like Old Navy and Arby’s have had terrific executions around the concept of merging ‘what was’ with ‘what’s now.’”
Jack Daniels created “Sinatra Select,” a special edition whiskey, in honor of Frank Sinatra’s 100th birthday as well as the Chairman of the Board’s 50-year friendship with the iconic brand. The campaign launched at the Las Vegas airport, where travelers could enjoy whiskey while listening to Sinatra classics like “Come Fly With Me.”
Result: BPI increase of 27%.
Herbal Essences went back to the future by re-releasing their 1990s-era “Shine and Smooth” hair products. Their updated throwback commercial of the overly excited woman shampooing in an airplane lavatory lifted the brand to new heights.
Result: BPI increase of 27%.
Sony PlayStation revisits its 1990s roots in a video called “The Beginning” that shows how the brand has evolved with the times. Integrating the campaign with social media networks, fans share their own PlayStation memories by tagging their stories with #playstationmemory.
Result: BPI increase of 19%.
Microsoft aims squarely at its target audience with the opening words of a nostalgic video relaunch of the Internet Explorer browser: “We met in the ‘90s. We are generation Y.” The parting line of the video: “You grew up. So did we.”
Result: BPI increase of 18%.
Old Navy plugged into a good-time 1980s vibe by hiring flight attendant Julie Hagerty, from the movie “Airplane,” and Mr. T, from “The A Team” TV series, as their comedic commercial spokes-celebs.
Result: BPI increase of 13%.
