We recently told you abo0ut the phenomenon marketing types are calling ‘Newstalgia’. It’s been identified by multiple ‘authorities’ as a likely food trend leader for 2025. And the Soda/Soft Drinks niche is where ‘newstalgia’ is breaking out first…
A wide variety of consumer brands experimented with ‘newstalgia’ promo campaigns last year. And were reportedly blown away by their success. Seems folks of all ages just can’t resist an updated classic…
Notable names play new games
Welcome back some retro brands we haven’t seen on shelves for decades! And see what their custo-dians have done to update them for the 2020s…
Because that’s the name of the game with ‘newstalgia’: bring back notable brand names which were either famous or infamous (as the case may be) in their original ‘day’. And update them for the blos-soming Millennials and following generationals.
But don’t make them totally unrecognisable to their older, original fans. Thus appealing to a wider overall market segment you wouldn’t otherwise be able to address with a single product.
Case in point
We recently introduced the newstalgia concept with the announcement a couple of weeks ago, that Oscar Mayer is giving it’s classic Bologna a big come-back push. It’s launched a contest that will, if successful, address a whole slew of issues in one fell swoop.
The coldcut maker wants you to send it a video of you singing the ancient and memorable Oscar Mayer Bologna jingle it used on radio and TV commercials for years. OM was one of the last holdouts, using simple, catchy tunes – sung by cute little kids – right up to the end of the Golden Age of ‘jingle’ advertising.
The company hopes to re-engage Boomers who were the kids that sang along with them during the original Jingle Age, as well as appealing to the retro-c0nscious new generations who just love this kind of thing… AND they’ll get tons of kitchy fan videos they can use in all-new online and main-stream advertising to revive interest in one of their core products.
What’s coming back, now?
It appears more than one soda/soft drink maker is looking to resurrect a brand that enjoyed certain notariety back in its day. But was discontinued for some reason or other; consigned to the lower back shelves of marketing history…
Jolt Cola
Some of us remember Jolt as what you might call ‘the original energy drink’ – by today’s definition. It was the original caffeine-spiked soda back in the 1980s. Inventor C.J. Rapp noticed university stud-ents were concocting their own home-brewed energy drinks to stay awake while cramming for exams. The original Jolt contained 2-3 times the caffeine in a normal cup of coffee: up to 75 mg. per 12 oz. / 355 ml can.
But the concept was way before its time. And Rapp declared bankruptcy in 2009. By then, the notion of ‘energy drinks’ was hopelessly confabulated with the notion of electrolyte-replenishing’sports drinks’. And new caffeinated brews such as Red Bull were carving out fresh territory as recreational beverages.
The new Jolt will fit beautifully into the booming market segment still characterized by Red Bull and its ilk. It’s going to have twice the caffeine of the original – 200 mg per 16 oz. / 475 ml ‘large’ can. And you’ll still get more than the original – 100 mg – in the ‘small’, 8 oz. / 236 ml can.
Slice Soda
It was originally a PepsiCo brand, back in the 1980s, intended to front a line of fruity flavours with fizz. But the concept fizzled. And hibernated for many years. Then, Pepsi sold Slice to Suja Life, a new proprietor that’s giving it ‘a new life and a new purpose’.
Slice is now billed as more than just a soft drink. The new Slice contains ‘Gusty Blend’, “a digestive-supporting combination of ingredients with prebiotics to feed good gut bacteria, probiotics to boost healthy microbes, and postbiotics to enhance overall gut health.”
That’s a perfect blend of nostalgia plus new stuff that appeals to the health-conscious younger generations. In three classic flavours: Orange, Leon-Line and Classic Cola. Get all the details at the official website…
My take
I predict we’ll see other superannuated soft drink brands returning in updated forms as the year marches on. Not to mention a host of other stuff that’s being ticketed onto the ‘newstalgia’ train as we speak…
~ Maggie J.