I Love Nostalgia!

I was so excited yesterday when I saw the Coke Zero commercial featuring Troy Polamalu during last year's Super Bowl. It is a remake of one of my favorite commercials of all time featuring "Mean" Joe Greene coming off the field and receiving a Coke from a little boy played by Tommy Okon. However, in this commercial, the little boy is about to hand Troy a Coke Zero when the Coke guys swing in claiming not only taste infringement, but now also commercial infringement. I believe that this is an amazing marketing tool. First, the original commercial was one of the most popular commercials of its era. However, it has a new and ridiculous twist. It almost reminds me of the ending of Monty Python And the Holy Grail when they are about to storm the castle. This is going to be the defining moment of the entire movie in the similar sense to which Polamalu receiving the Coke Zero from the boy will be the defining moment of the commercial. However, these "epic" moments are interrupted by people who seemingly have no place in this scene with newspaper reporters interrupting the movie and Coke brand managers invading the commercial. This commercial made me also think about the time when this commercial was first developed. In 1979, although I wasn't there, I've heard that the world was a much different place. In today's world, people seem to want to return to their childhood and to escape the admittedly trying times the world is in right now. Nostalgia is a powerful advertising tool as many people who had been famous in old TV shows are back to advertise new products. Their fans will follow their previous favorites and buy products. It is amazing how powerful these images from the past can be.

I hope I don't sound like an advertisement for Coca-Cola, but I believe that this is ingenious advertising. Prior fame can be drawn upon again in the right circumstances. When something has become synonymous with a brand, it must be executed until it is no longer useful. Assuming this commercial is as popular with many others, I think that this image will not prove by any means to be too old.

This is a link to the newer commercial!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjII6F-nJBQ
Here is a link to the classic!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xffOCZYX6F8