Retro Branding Takes Customers Back in Time

A couple weeks ago I had to pick some things up at Wal-Mart. While me and my friend were standing in line, I mentioned how I liked the retro packaging of Hershey’s candy bars. “They remind me of simpler times”, he said.

At that moment my eyes were opened to the fact that retro marketing is everywhere! Hershey’s bars, vintage cereal boxes, Pepsi-Cola Throwback; all that is old is new again. Why is this? Why in the era of iphones and HDTV are marketers trying to play on nostalgia and remind consumers of the past?

In tough times, retro marketing (or flashback branding as some like to call it) appeals to the consumer’s yearning for the comfort of the past. When they were happy. When life was simple. When their finances were secure. And when their family was safe.

For companies who have been around for a while, retro marketing can communicate the message of “Hey, we’ve been there for you through both good and bad times. We will ride this out together.” With the aging Baby Boomer population, expect retro marketing to become a mainstay tactic by marketers to invoke fond memories of the brand.