When I the following Milky Way advert came on TV for the first time since I was a young child, it sent me back to where I was when I first watched it at my grandad's house whilst visiting the UK for holidays. British television was a God-send compared to the Greek dubbed American television programmes, so I took every opportunity to watch Biker Mice from Mars, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Thomas The Tank Engine. The following links compare between the original and new version of Milky Way's Red Car v Blue Car retro advertisements.
Milky Way Statement: "Milky Way is bringing back its iconic Red Car v Blue Car ad after almost a 20 year absence from our screens. The ad features an animated race between a Red Car and a Blue Car and the memorable jingle is remembered fondly by the late eighties / early nineties generation."
Milky Way (Original) (1989)
The only difference between this and the original (aside from becoming digitally restored) are the lyrics where the original used to say "Smart Old Blue", compared to the new version saying "Good Old Blue". Furthermore, the slogan in the last frame in the original reads "The sweet you can eat between meals without ruining your appetite", compared to the new version that reads "Lighten up and play". This is probably down to the over-the-top political correctness that has consumed the UK whole, and doesn't look like spitting out any time soon.
Milky Way (New Version) (2009)
However, Milky Way are not the only culprits to this "new" form of recycled advertising. Since 1998 the Milky bar Kid advertisements have been animated due to some controversy over Nestlé's Milky Bar Kid audition requirements included being male, blonde and fair-skinned individuals.
In 2009, the human version returned in the form of a montage (below), and soon after, the new Milky Bar Kid was selected. Some controversy occurred due to the confusion of the gender of this new actor as some thought it was a female (left), thus conflicting with original concepts for the sake of political correctness. However the actor is in fact 14 year old William Ray and was originally employed in 2007.
Which of the Milky Bar Kids was your favourite growing up, and does it correlate with your age group when you were youngest or do the new ones make the cut? For more information on all the Milky Bar Kids, click here.
Milky Bar Kid Montage
Unilever's Persil are also another brand using footage from 1955 and the 1980's, featuring the strapline "What is a Mum", being the first detergent to be advertised on the television. "Persil commissioned its advertisements to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the washing powder in April this year." For the full Daily Mail article click here.
Is "retro" the new "brand new"? It seems to be a running trend recently for long-running companies to bring back advertisements originally aired in the 80's and 90's. Is this a cost-saving issue during uncertain times, or simply a nostalgic tactic to send consumers on a trip down memory lane? I personally think it's a combination of the two, but you can always tell when something is popular, as leading brands follow suit.
Milky Way Statement: "Milky Way is bringing back its iconic Red Car v Blue Car ad after almost a 20 year absence from our screens. The ad features an animated race between a Red Car and a Blue Car and the memorable jingle is remembered fondly by the late eighties / early nineties generation."
Milky Way (Original) (1989)
The only difference between this and the original (aside from becoming digitally restored) are the lyrics where the original used to say "Smart Old Blue", compared to the new version saying "Good Old Blue". Furthermore, the slogan in the last frame in the original reads "The sweet you can eat between meals without ruining your appetite", compared to the new version that reads "Lighten up and play". This is probably down to the over-the-top political correctness that has consumed the UK whole, and doesn't look like spitting out any time soon.
Milky Way (New Version) (2009)
However, Milky Way are not the only culprits to this "new" form of recycled advertising. Since 1998 the Milky bar Kid advertisements have been animated due to some controversy over Nestlé's Milky Bar Kid audition requirements included being male, blonde and fair-skinned individuals.
In 2009, the human version returned in the form of a montage (below), and soon after, the new Milky Bar Kid was selected. Some controversy occurred due to the confusion of the gender of this new actor as some thought it was a female (left), thus conflicting with original concepts for the sake of political correctness. However the actor is in fact 14 year old William Ray and was originally employed in 2007.Which of the Milky Bar Kids was your favourite growing up, and does it correlate with your age group when you were youngest or do the new ones make the cut? For more information on all the Milky Bar Kids, click here.
Milky Bar Kid Montage
Unilever's Persil are also another brand using footage from 1955 and the 1980's, featuring the strapline "What is a Mum", being the first detergent to be advertised on the television. "Persil commissioned its advertisements to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the washing powder in April this year." For the full Daily Mail article click here.
Is "retro" the new "brand new"? It seems to be a running trend recently for long-running companies to bring back advertisements originally aired in the 80's and 90's. Is this a cost-saving issue during uncertain times, or simply a nostalgic tactic to send consumers on a trip down memory lane? I personally think it's a combination of the two, but you can always tell when something is popular, as leading brands follow suit.
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