How to bring back an old favourite
God I loved the 80's. To be fair, I wasn't really old
enough to take full advantage of it but I did manage to own a pink
puff-ball skirt, leg-warmers, a commodore 64 and a 45" record
collection that Simon Mayo would have been proud of.
In particular, it's the 80's music (bands like Duran Duran,
Five Star and A-HA) which evoke the strongest childhood memories
for me - not least of my dad wearing a cowboy hat and dancing with
my head teacher at a school disco (eewww - how embarrassing!).
But something else takes me right back to 1985 too...the
Cadbury's Wispa.
Earlier this month it was announced that the Wispa is back,
returning to shelves across the country thanks to an internet
marketing campaign that found the children of the 80s and tapped
into their nostalgic bones.
To be more specific, it's Facebook, Bebo and Myspace that we
have to thank and I salute them.
Some cynics thought this was purely a PR stunt - and to be fair, it
most probably began this way. Announcing that the public was
calling for the product's return became a self-fulfilling
prophecy and social networking made it so. The virulent online hype
and consequent media attention kept the story going, increased
brand value, built a customer base that was positively chomping at
the bit and gave Cadbury's the peace of mind that they were
onto a winner.
Of course, while we were joining 'bring back Wispa' groups
on Facebook, viewing iconic Wispa ads on YouTube and emailing links
to friends - the bods back at Cadbury towers were rubbing their
hands with glee and patting a team of social media experts firmly
on the back.
What this show is how brands can and should harness public support
by tapping into nostalgia and using digital media, in all its
guises, to create talkability.
More than 24m British adults are now surfing social networks like
Bebo, MySpace and Facebook and companies of all types - be they
chocolatiers, property developers or retailers - can't afford
to overlook their power as both an influencer and barometer.
So while I'm ploughing my way through a wholesale size boxed of
Wispas, I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for the next comeback
movement - I might even create a Facebook group called 'Bring
Back Rentaghost'. Can I count on your support?
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