The Good Ole Days

So I'm walking through the store this weekend, and I spied something new. Or ... old. Actually, I'm not sure.

See, I noticed a 12 pack of Mountain Dew, and it was in a different box. Instead of the usual green swirls, this box was white with red lettering on it. And under the Mountain Dew, it said "throwback".

Okay, I get it. Retro. Vintage. Nostalgic. Marketing campaign. Let's face it. The good ole days are a great angle. Memories tend to sweeten through the years, and no matter how bad things might have been, there can be a certain nostalgia when faced with items from your past. Somehow people can be convinced to buy something when the packaging reminds them of way back when.

But Pepsi is going even further. Under the throwback line, the advertising blurb said, "made with REAL sugar". Now you know it's retro because sugar is not a selling point in this day and age. But I guess you can get away with enjoying something that's bad for you if you're doing it because it brings back memories.

It's funny though that the nostalgia angle doesn't work for everything. For instance, you'll never see a computer with the packaging:  "relive the slow speeds of the good ole days with this single processor dinosaur!" Toilet paper never seems to get retro advertising either. Restaurants go in for nostalgia in their decorations, but never in the menus. When's the last time an eatery advertised: "eat the artery-clogging foods your father enjoyed".

What I'd really like to see is gas station advertising that capitalized on the good ole days. How about, "let us fill 'er up! And can we check your tires?" How about a store that says, "May we help you? We really mean it!"

I know of one marketing campaign that could really capitalize on the throwback to better days. Instead of just packaging it in old packaging, sell it at the old price. Now that would really bring back some memories!