Fast food adverts in the morning? 🍔
Did you know that KFC sponsored kids Saturday morning show SM:TV live hosted by Ant & Dec and Cat Deeley? Its sister, CD:UK, was sponsored by Tizer. At the time, there was little talk about banning fast food, fizzy drinks and junk food products on TV, and EU legislation restriction on advertising was yet to get off the ground.
Fast forward to 2021, and it would feel weird if we saw brands peddling their high-sugar, high-fat foods and drinks to kids on TV. And that’s not the only thing that would raise eyebrows these days. Let’s take a trip down memory lane to look at some branding ideas and marketing campaigns that are rightfully dead and buried.
Tobacco branded shops 🚬
In the first half of 2003, the Tobacco Advertising and Promotion Act 2002 banned the direct and indirect advertising or promotion of tobacco products. Aside from classic TV ads for Hamlet cigars and the instantly recognisable Marlboro man, tobacco advertising was largely forgettable.
However, one thing that sticks with us is tobacco branded corner shops. From the outside facade to the clocks behind the counter, some shops became known by the brand. “Just going to the Regal shop - do you want anything?”
Send away for the CD/VHS 📼
Speaking of tobacco, anyone remember saving the cards out of packs of Silk Cut and posting them off to get a free CD? Just us?
Teletext Holidays 📺
Without a doubt, the most exciting multimedia experience of the 90s. Desperately scrolling for the best bargain with your TV remote was so much more appealing than flipping through the humble brochure.
CD-ROMs 💿
Who wasn’t excited when an album doubled up as a CD-Rom with elusive hidden content? Any musical artist knew they had the backing of a record company if their disc included a useless gallery of images or lyric videos.
The video games industry was at it too. Long before demos could be downloaded from digital storefronts, popular gaming magazines often came with cheat codes, demos and trailers, all packed in a CD-Rom.
Signing a guestbook on a website ✍️
Those lucky and patient enough to have an internet connection in the 90s were in for a treat. Eye-bending backgrounds and garish fonts were all the rage, and so was signing an online guest book. For some reason, we treated a website as a wedding. I guess asking for Google/Trustpilot reviews is the evolution of this humble, odd and largely pointless trend.
Fan clubs 🙌
As proud members of the Burger King Kids Club in the 90s, it’s clear that fan clubs have largely been replaced with social media today. Back then, the fan club was a way for artists and brands to connect with fans and gather customer data.
Some corners of the internet still have fan clubs. There’s a Robert De Niro fan club website that seems to have remained unchanged and is definitely worth a look...
Christmas brochures 📚
Long before we carried smartphones, retailers were all too eager to stuff your plastic bag with brochures laden with their Christmas products. Brands paid good coin for featuring on popular pages or double-page spreads to get one over their competitors.
It seems weird to think about it in our near-paperless world but carrying these bible-thick brochures was part and parcel of the old-school retail experience. Even catalogue kings Argos gave up on their rapidly thinning book of dreams in 2018.
For a thoroughly modern campaign…📱
Speak to WXY. Check out some of our previous work. If you like what you see, email talk@wxy.social