When household budgets shrink as they have recently, big business turns to the one thing it can count on to woo consumer dollars: nostalgia.
There’s hardly an aisle in grocery or hardware stores these days where shoppers can’t find a product that looks like it was packaged 60 years ago. From Cheerios in a 1950s box to WD40’s “Now and Then” pack; Jansport’s new Heritage Series ’60s-looking backpacks to the original Coors beer now sporting the same look it did in 1873, the latest wave of retro marketing is squarely aimed at a budget- and family-minded, style-conscious consumer.
“Retro packaging ties into the consumer’s subconscious,” says Ben Thompson, the founder of Studio Fluid Inc., a Los Angeles branding company whose big-fish clients include Sony Electronics and Universal Studios Hollywood. “A lot of (retro products) connect with consumers on an emotional level.”
Chuck Buckingham has seen the strategy work. As the brand manager for Coors Banquet, which recently released a series of “Heritage Cans,” Buckingham relies on the idea that suds sippers loyal to Coors’ original “yellow-bellied” look want to share that same beer with friends and family (of legal drinking age, of course). “There’s a more elevated passion . . . for brands that have a rich heritage,” he says.
And not only does General Mills annually rerelease certain cereals in throwback boxes — limited-edition, retro Cheerios, Honey Nut Cheerios, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Lucky Charms and Trix boxes hit stores in February — the company also hosts , a site where folks misty for the breakfast routines of yesteryear can watch old cartoons like “Underdog” and the King Leonardo shows.
“This is about fun and Mom sharing that with her kids,” says Lindsay Backer, an associate marketing manager with General Mills. “Retro resonates with consumers.”
Elana Ashanti Jefferson: 303-954-1957 or ejefferson@denverpost.com
