Repeating History: Should Brands Resurrect Successful Activations?

Fall officially returned this past weekend, finally legitimizing the actions of the seasonal fanatics who began donning sweaters and drinking pumpkin-spice lattes weeks ago.

But judging by the volume of social media memes, September 21 is nowadays known as much for the autumnal equinox as for the chart-topping 1978 Earth, Wind & Fire song “September” and its opening line, “Do you remember, the 21^st night…?”

Those of a certain generation know that “remember” and “September” were earlier rhymed in the opening number of the hit 1960s musical The Fantastiks, but this post is not about musical history.

Rather, all the online attention on recalling the past actually coincided with news and discussion among sports marketers about brands bringing back successful activations that had been shelved years earlier, and whether or not that was a sound idea.

One school of thought is that marketers are like fish and must keep moving forward to stay alive. Those who don’t advise tapping old promotional wells prioritize innovation and creativity above all else. Anything that is not fresh and new could be detrimental to a brand’s strength or image by leading people to believe it is old-fashioned or has lost its edge.

Although there is merit in that perspective, I’m in the camp that says successful activations delivered results for a reason. They attracted, appealed to and resonated with fans and consumers once, making it likely they could do so again provided they are modified to make sure they are still relevant in the wake of technological and other changes that have transpired since their last appearance.

In this sense, it is possible for marketers to have their cake and eat it too. Activations can be freshened up so that they are not mere copies of something done a decade ago while retaining the core of what made them relevant and engaging. The litmus test for whether an older idea should be pulled off the shelf is just how popular it was. Repeating a mildly successful promotion will run the risk of making a program seem stale. But updating and putting back in service an activation that scored major returns and won awards and other accolades makes solid marketing sense.

That is especially true when you consider a younger generation who weren’t aware of the program on the first go-round. That “old” activation will be new to them.

So while reenlisting successful campaigns isn’t always appropriate, those that were extraordinary should never be permanently retired.

The famous quote from philosopher George Santayana is, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” When it comes to the best activation programs, those who don’t repeat them might need to be condemned.