Apparently, being nearly dead in the water as a brand isn’t entirely without benefits – just ask Blockbuster.
In a new partnership to promote the reintroduction of its Cakesters, Oreo is teaming up with the rental store for the “It’s 2007 all over again” campaign.
A trip back in time
Why 2007, you might ask? Well, 2007 was the year that Cakesters officially launched. These soft-baked iterations of the beloved Oreo were around for less than half a decade before being discontinued – much to the dismay of a handful of diehard fans.
Now, in a bid to tap into nostalgia for the aughts, the cookie company has outfitted the last remaining Blockbuster store in Bend, Oregon to “take people back” to 2007. The exterior has Oreo Cakester text added to the sign, as well as movie-style Oreo spoof posters plastered on the windows. According to Marketing Dive:
Visitors will have the chance to try Cakesters samples in packaging inspired by VHS cases that carry the same faux film designs as the posters. Resurrecting Cakesters, which were discontinued in 2012, is a bid by the Nabisco marketer to capture consumer nostalgia while dusting off some experiential tactics previously waylaid by the pandemic.
The campaign is an example of more recent trends to capitalize on nostalgia in marketing, as well as the return to more experiential campaigns as the pandemic subsides.