They say everything eventually comes back into style if you wait a few decades. Pop sensation Taylor Swift even alluded to the phenomenon in her recent, chart-topping album when she said: “I come back stronger than a ’90s trend.” And TSwift may just be on to something. words_scarlett diaz. photo_julia dimarco. design_giselle spicer.
I
n the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, of course nostalgia feels great. At least that’s how Mindy Gale, CEO of creative PR & digital marketing agency Gale Branding, put it. “Trends come back because it feels like ‘well, they worked once before, so they’ll work again.’ We say it’s cyclical. Everything comes back, but in a little bit of a different way.” The hit Netflix show “Bridgerton” was one example After it premiered internet searches for corsets rose by nearly 100%. Roller blading, puzzles and board games have all seen an uptick in popularity since the pandemic began. According to the NYPost, Google search interest for roller skates reached a five-year high in early May 2020. Viral videos of people doing TikTok dances on roller skates have frequented the app since last spring—the tag #rollerskating currently has 4.3 billion views. Gale explained that this resurgence in trends is part of a desire for not only physical and inperson intimacy, but for technology-free spaces.
38 DISTRACTION Special Section: Nostalgia
“Board games are a thing again, and a lot of that is because of the pandemic,” said Gale. “People were so overloaded on Zooming and backlit screens that board games started to sell through again, and also puzzles. They’re games that we used to play physically together in a room.” So how do brands go about marketing these old trends to a new generation? Community involvement is key. “The younger generation is very aware of giving back,” she said. “Years ago it wasn’t like that. Today, it is an integral part of rebranding.” Amy Agramonte, a University of Miami marketing professor and CEO of digital marketing company Blonde Concepts, said that she always asks her clients to describe themselves. “Once people in brands understand exactly what that is, it is much easier for them to organize their message,” she said. “A lot of times companies will rebrand because they’ve been unclear or too basic about who they are. They don’t stand for anything in particular and so, they stand for nothing.”
