In recent years, nostalgia has been used over and over again in marketing. As an element of design, nostalgia holds an interesting and unique power over consumers, the ability to take us back to a different time. Whether nostalgia invokes a sense of childlike wonder, or a sense of wonder for a time before your own, there is an undeniable power to nostalgia when implanted into marketing. In today’s post, I’ll be going through some brands and their use of nostalgia. Who wielded it the best to sell you the past, and who fell short. Let’s get into it.
Gatorade: Throwback Collaboration with Stranger Things
Prior to the releases of the finale season of global sensation, Stranger Things. Gatorade partnered with Netflix to launch a limited time packaging throwback. The ad campaign featured the PepsiCo dusting off the slogan “No Ordinary Thirst Quencer,” which first debuted in 1987. This jingle revamp paired perfectly with the partnership with Stranger Things, aligning with the 80s aesthetic the show turned into a cultural obsession for over a decade. By resurrecting the bold typography and classic colorways, the brand’s classic bolt symbol and vintage color palette, Gatorade taped directly into the ’80s athletic aesthetic. This created an immersive feeling for younger viewers of the show, as well as a highly nostalgic one for older audiences who grew up in the 80s. Additionally, the collaboration tapped into the memories of many quintessential 80s locations tied to athletics. Places like school gymnasiums and baseball fields featured in two ads with actors from the show either playing or coaching a sport. This was in my opinion masterful advertising strategy on Gatorade’s part. The brand has a longstanding legacy within the sports world, being showcased on the sidelines of NFL games and beyond. The collaboration with Stranger Things served to highlight that legacy while seizing an opportunity within a fleeting pop culture. By running the ad campaign, Gatorade reminded the world of who they are and how long they have been around. Most importantly however, they showcased that retro is hip, not outdated.
Cracker Barrel (Logo Redesign)
There is a shining example of when an attempt to remove nostalgia from a brand identity failed miserably, and that is Cracker Barrel. After releasing the logo redesign on August 21, 2025, audiences immediately noticed the absence of the chain restaurants character “Uncle Herschel”. The color pallet changed as well, with a darker brown being incorporated into the typography of the logo. While the brand’s aim was to produce a redesign with tweaks to typography and illustration help modernize, the backlash from fans of the chain was intense. Many comments online touched on how the brand has always leaned heavily on nostalgia, evoking roadside stops, country kitchens, and a slower pace of life, and the new logo stripes away that charm. Cracker Barrel’s logo redesign takes a more understated approach, focusing on refinement rather than reinvention. The brand has always leaned heavily on nostalgia, evoking roadside stops, country kitchens, and a slower pace of life, so the update carefully preserves that familiar charm. Subtle tweaks to typography and illustration help modernize the logo without alienating longtime fans, signaling that Cracker Barrel is trying to stay relevant while still feeling like the same place you’ve always stopped for comfort food and a rocking chair. The brand’s identity has always been rooted in comfort, tradition, and roadside Americana, and Cracker Barrel thought that the nostalgia held by their consumers for the brand was a weakness. By August 27 of the same year, Cracker Barrel reinstated the old logo design. Just goes to show that sometimes, staying true to what people already love is the strongest move.
Pepsi (Logo Redesign)
PepsiCo was no different in their branding tactic for the company’s namesake;recent logo redesigns showcase the throwback trend in branding by fully embracing the drinks own visual history. Pulling inspiration from its late-20th-century designs, the updated logo brings back bolder shapes and stronger contrast while streamlining them for a digital-first world. It’s a reminder that Pepsi’s most memorable eras are still a powerful asset, and that revisiting those roots can feel fresh when paired with modern branding sensibilities.
Culturally, the redesign reflects a larger shift toward embracing brand heritage as a form of authenticity. Pepsi’s willingness to revisit its past suggests that familiarity still resonates, especially with younger audiences discovering these classic looks for the first time. Pepsi clearly demonstrated an understanding of their audiences in this choice. In a sea of minimalist amorphous branding, Pepsi’s return to form stands out as a confident nod to its past. It’s nostalgia repackaged for a digital-first world—and it works for what Pepsi is selling.
Levi’s
A cornerstone of today’s nostalgia-driven style revival, Levi’s has proven that denim never really goes out of fashion. Repeatedly, Levi’s has positioned itself at the center of ongoing trends in fashion and culture. The best example is the 501 jeans campaign back in 2023. Upon hitting their 150th anniversary of their original blue jean design, the brand set out to develop a campaign centered around the array of people and experiences associated with 501 jeans. Within this campaign, the brand collected and showcased sections of fashion and culture associated with the brand as well. Interviewees that remarked on trends in current culture fueled by 90s minimalism, and Y2K aesthetics. These throwback trends in fashion are then highlighted in the product options presented by Levi’s. Options like vintage washes, relaxed fits, and worn-in denim speak to the consumer’s desire for authenticity in an age of fast fashion. Levi’s intentional choice to feel both timeless and trendy seems to an outside eye as counterintuitive endeavor, but it works.
Levi’s has crafted its brand to be a symbol of trend across styles on social media without losing connection with its history. Whether styled with crop tops and sneakers, oversized and layered grunge, or a 90s throwback look, Levi’s continues to bridge past and present, reminding us that some styles don’t need reinventing, they just need to be worn again.
Nike
Shoe brands are not exempt from the use of nostalgia. Nike’s place in today’s style landscape is deeply tied to nostalgia, with the brand constantly pulling from its own archives to shape what’s current according to nostalgia driven trends. A fantastic example of this is the use of retro silhouettes like the Air Force 1 and Air Max. These shoes have become staples not just in sneaker culture but in everyday fashion, driven by ’90s streetwear, early-2000s sports style, and the ongoing blend of athletics with lifestyle wear. It can be seen across product types this wave of vintage color palettes, throwback logos, and old-school ad aesthetics used in marketing. In an era where authenticity and heritage matter more to a brand identity than hype alone, Nike shares a similar approach to nostalgia as Levi’s. A great example of this is Nike’s collaboration with Tiffany and Co. Last year. In 2025, the company released a specialty tribute shoe using the Air Force 1 1837 silhouette. The collaboration, which was also worn at the Lakers-Knicks game in Madison Square Garden by LeBron James on January 31st of that year. Showcased Nike’s ability to utilize nostalgia even in modern collaborations. By reintroducing classic designs through modern collaborations Nike continues to utilize nostalgia for their brand to influence what people view as trendy and want to wear right now.
