This emerging trend strives to look to the past to innovate brands and experiences for consumers today.

Maybe it’s the millions of people playing Scrabble on smart phones or the finalists on this year’s The Apprentice, designing ad campaigns for new 7UP. It’s an emerging trend we’re calling InnoVintage. InnoVintage is the desire to innovate new products, services and marketing approaches by reinterpreting vintage or iconic brands, and re-contextualizing them in fresh, contemporary ways for new audiences. As a brand experience agency, 20nine tries to keep our eyes open for emerging trends that could help our clients innovate more effectively or connect more deeply with consumers. InnoVintage is a recent trend we spotted, and see tremendous upside in for marketers who recognize the value in looking to the past, in order to grab a bigger piece of the future:

Scrabble games on smart phones. The word game, Scrabble, has been around longer than sock hops and disco balls. In fact, it was invented in the 1930’s, yet it’s an amazingly popular among smart phone users.

Return of the Polaroid camera. Urban Outfitters is trying to recapture the authentic look of Polaroid pictures.

Vintage t-shirt lines at Target. Been to a Target lately? They have a section of clothing devoted exclusively to vintage brand t-shirts. Bazooka Gum, Rock ’Em, Sock ’Em Robots, Spaghetti O’s, Mr. Bubble, Super Mario and Mr. Pibb are just a few of the brands printed on shirts to the delight of tweens and boomers alike.

Monopoly game promotion from McDonald’s. The hamburger chain regularly scores big with its promotion geared around the venerable board game.

Throwback Major League Baseball uniforms. Remember those pukey San Diego Padres uniforms from back in the day? Well, retro versions of uniforms of major league teams are back with a vengeance at stadiums around the country.

Retro packaging from Pepsi, 7Up and Doritos. All three consumer products companies are rolling out vintage packaging, including 7UP who did so on The Celebrity Apprentice.

Etch-a-Sketch iPad cases. For real. This number is all the rage among people who don’t want to grow up and have always enjoyed the coolest toys.

Betty White. This Golden Girl has still got it. She’s embraced everywhere, including in Snickers commercials, on talk shows, and even has her own sitcom.

So, what is it about the InnoVintage trend that gives it such momentum, and why is it likely to stay around? There are several factors at play here:

1. It’s pre-paid emotional equity waiting to be tapped.

Striking an emotional chord costs money. Lots of it. InnoVintage allows marketers to leverage the goodwill and existing brand equity of brand expressions from the past. Vintage brands make people feel good which goes along way in today’s hotly contested branding arena. Besides, why start from scratch when you can build on a proven winner from days gone by?

2. Consumers are yearning for authenticity.

Today, consumers seek out people, brands and experiences that are authentic. They’re real. Rock solid. Vintage brands provide the perfect credibility that innovators could use to spin a new story or develop new products built around throwback values.

3. In complex times, simplicity sells.

In today’s hyper-connected, complex world, people love the way brands keep it simple. What works better than a brand and its set of associations that existed in simpler times? Back in the day, branders didn’t try to do too much. Definitely, the “KISS” approach.

4. Nostalgia continues to push all the right hot buttons.

There’s something magical about the power of nostalgia and the way it can be incorporated into new ideas for products, services or multi-channel marketing campaigns. This is due in part to a natural resistance to uncertainty, especially from marketers. Marketers who are about to invest large sums of money in an initiative want some guarantee that it will work. Taking an InnoVintage approach won’t guarantee your success but it will reduce some of the uncertainty that may exist in the mind of the consumer. Further, consumers often use nostalgia, or in particular, logos and brand icons, as expressions of their personality.

5. Retro ties in with the current “less is more” movement at store level.

Packaging of store-brand labels has always been bare boned. Simple. Direct. Telegraphic. Retro brings this same sensibility to current packaging, as demonstrated by Doritos’ move to vintage packaging from the 1960’s. Some believe that the growth of computer graphics and a marketer’s ability to cram more into every conceivable corner of a package digitally, has contributed to overly busy packaging.

InnoVintage. You heard it here. Now look for it everywhere. Then ask yourself, is there a way to leverage the power of InnoVintage in your business?

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