Comments on: The Past Can Power Online Brands http://www.brandingstrategyinsider.com/2009/02/the-past-can-power-online-brands.html Helping marketing oriented leaders and professionals build strong brands. Tue, 21 May 2013 19:56:17 +0000 hourly 1 By: Jason Dressel http://www.brandingstrategyinsider.com/2009/02/the-past-can-power-online-brands.html#comment-1215 Jason Dressel Wed, 25 Feb 2009 11:36:07 +0000 http://localhost/brandingstrategyinsider/2009/02/the-past-can-power-online-brands.html#comment-1215 It’s no surprise that corporate communicators are turning back the clock and embracing decades long past. Regardless of the era, historical advertising and messaging has been “in” lately. Brand identity and perception are highly based on reputation and heritage and, for most brands, focusing on any era other than the present right now can only be a good thing. Times of crisis question a company’s credibility and reputation, and turning to your company’s past can convey permanence and pacify shaken audiences by focusing on your company’s historical performance. It is not surprising that, recently, over one third of the advertisers in the New York Times have been referencing some element of their heritage. We are living through one of those times when folks want insight, perspective, or just plain consolation. History is a message that pacifies by putting things in perspective. For example, companies are turning to the Great Depression to either show how they persevered and succeeded despite economic adversity or to give today’s consumers some common ground that puts their current condition in perspective. In fact, the Great Depression is one of the few things that is selling. As Brandweek pointed out a few weeks ago, sales of anything related to the Great Depression have taken off since the holiday season. Cost is another unforeseen factor in the recent trendiness of historic advertisements since companies own their heritage and do not need to license it. It is cheaper to reuse old content that does not have to be licensed than to create new content. A number of companies have been turning to their archives to find old content to reuse in advertising. In fact, as highlighted by Steve Rubel’s blog, Micro Persuasion, IBM has even gone so far as to actually run old editorials from the New York Times that feature innovative company initiatives as advertisements. It ‘s understandable to see why history has become such a hot topic in advertising today, and it will be interesting to see how long this trend lasts in the context of the economic climate. As Bruce Weindruch, Founder and CEO of The History Factory stated in Brandweek a few weeks ago, "Nothing will undermine a history-based campaign quicker than the present." It’s no surprise that corporate communicators are turning back the clock and embracing decades long past.

Regardless of the era, historical advertising and messaging has been “in” lately. Brand identity and perception are highly based on reputation and heritage and, for most brands, focusing on any era other than the present right now can only be a good thing. Times of crisis question a company’s credibility and reputation, and turning to your company’s past can convey permanence and pacify shaken audiences by focusing on your company’s historical performance. It is not surprising that, recently, over one third of the advertisers in the New York Times have been referencing some element of their heritage.

We are living through one of those times when folks want insight, perspective, or just plain consolation. History is a message that pacifies by putting things in perspective. For example, companies are turning to the Great Depression to either show how they persevered and succeeded despite economic adversity or to give today’s consumers some common ground that puts their current condition in perspective. In fact, the Great Depression is one of the few things that is selling. As Brandweek pointed out a few weeks ago, sales of anything related to the Great Depression have taken off since the holiday season.

Cost is another unforeseen factor in the recent trendiness of historic advertisements since companies own their heritage and do not need to license it. It is cheaper to reuse old content that does not have to be licensed than to create new content. A number of companies have been turning to their archives to find old content to reuse in advertising. In fact, as highlighted by Steve Rubel’s blog, Micro Persuasion, IBM has even gone so far as to actually run old editorials from the New York Times that feature innovative company initiatives as advertisements.

It ‘s understandable to see why history has become such a hot topic in advertising today, and it will be interesting to see how long this trend lasts in the context of the economic climate. As Bruce Weindruch, Founder and CEO of The History Factory stated in Brandweek a few weeks ago, “Nothing will undermine a history-based campaign quicker than the present.”

]]> By: Jason Finch http://www.brandingstrategyinsider.com/2009/02/the-past-can-power-online-brands.html#comment-1214 Jason Finch Tue, 24 Feb 2009 07:30:33 +0000 http://localhost/brandingstrategyinsider/2009/02/the-past-can-power-online-brands.html#comment-1214 I think we'll definitely see a return to the 'feeling' of the 50s, 60s and 70s. Social media, to some extent, will be partly responsible for that as people start to realise that the principles of social media are the same as those that existed in society and business back in those decades; it's small-town local warm personal communications and a sense of community. We've lost that sense of community over recent decades but social media, along with these ideas on stability and familiarity in branding, will I am sure lead us full circle back to how we all used to do business many years ago. I think the world is ready to go back to the future! I think we’ll definitely see a return to the ‘feeling’ of the 50s, 60s and 70s. Social media, to some extent, will be partly responsible for that as people start to realise that the principles of social media are the same as those that existed in society and business back in those decades; it’s small-town local warm personal communications and a sense of community.

We’ve lost that sense of community over recent decades but social media, along with these ideas on stability and familiarity in branding, will I am sure lead us full circle back to how we all used to do business many years ago. I think the world is ready to go back to the future!

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