Is the revival of iconic brands driven only by nostalgia?

Campa Cola, the iconic brand familiar to the aspirational India of 80s and 90s has found a new parent in Reliance Industries. In a second innings of sorts, it is eyeing revenge, taking on Coca-Cola and Thumbs-up, the same brands that forced it out of the market. Campa-Cola might not strike a chord with the millennials, but it once dominated the soft drinks market.

In the auto space, Jawa and its successor Yezdi have been revived. Bajaj would be bringing back its Chetak scooter in a new electric model. Luna’s revival in an electric avatar is also on the cards. According to reports, Lohia Machines or LML is also looking for a comeback with a new line of electric vehicles by leveraging the erstwhile India manufacturing unit of Harley-Davidson.

A common thread running through all the revived brands or the ones eyeing a comeback is “nostalgia”. Retro touch is a powerful business strategy and businesses use it as a marketing tool to get a head start. An old brand, that once carried large consumer equity, gives an edge in the market instead of building fresh equity for a new brand and starting from scratch.

The revival of iconic brands is not new. On popular demand, Parle re-launched the Rola-Cola brand in 2019, resembling the vintage red, blue and white packaging. How can one not talk about the revival of Volkswagen’s most famous Beetle. Developed in the 1930s, the car saw its peak sales in the 1960s. Having lost its way in the 1970s, a revived version was launched in the 1990s.

Nostalgia is a good way to make a head start. But does it turn into sales?  

Lloyd Mathias, business strategist and angel investor says, nostalgia is a good starting point and a way to rekindle memories of the past era. However, it is not a guarantee that nostalgia brings sales. But it helps a brand take-off. How a revived brand fares is a function of communication strategies, product attributes, and brand values.

[Byte of Santosh Desai, CEO, Futurebrands]

Revival of old brands is not that easy. If we look at the past experiences, only a few revival attempts have been successful. Volkswagen has pulled the plug again on Beetle as the speed waned even after revival.

Santosh Desai, CEO of Futurebrands, says very often revival of brands evoke initial interest, but sustaining it into long term volumes is always a challenge. Unless a new cultural relevance is created and the product is appealing to the contemporary times, residual equity can only take you that far.

Experts say the most important aspect of a brand revival is positive memories of the old brand. If we take the case of campa cola, Reliance, as part of its entry into the FMCG space, is trying to use vivid and fond memories of the brand to break into the market.

Campa-Cola lost out due to competition and its exit was not controversial, and hence could exude some positive memories. However, Campa-Cola was a symbol for aspirational modern India in the 80s, and in today’s age, it might not be aspirational anymore. Hence, there may be a need for a different communication strategy to reconnect with the millennials.

Further, for any brand revival that is dead, the brand value should have some connection with the current generation and brand re-collection value also helps. All these factors act as a good starting point and then, it all depends on how the brand is nurtured and taken forward.

Speaking to Business Standard, Harish Bijoor, Brand Guru & Founder, Harish Bijoor Consults Inc says, nostalgia is not equal to sales. Due diligence and brand positioning are key here. 

Using old brand equity as business strategy works, but only to a certain extent. This strategy alone might not bring bumper sales as seen in many cases. Due diligence, creative communication, and product attributes relevant to the current times are key. Understanding what the brand meant in older times and whether the brand positioning is appealing to contemporary times also helps.