We’ve reached the final era of our marketing through the ages series! This time the S2F team embarked on a trip back to the 1990s to dish on the rad marketing campaigns that defined the decade! The 90s saw the dawn of internet marketing while showcasing some iconic and humorous TV ads.
Warren kicked off the conversation by noting the prominence of funny, risk-taking TV ads like the Boddingtons campaign that moved away from outdated stereotypes. Shawn brought up the famous 1995 Guinness ad with the dancing man that was so popular that actor Joe McKinney was unable to get other work because he was so associated with the advert.
The Boddingtons “Cream of Manchester” campaign that won print ad of the year in 1992 was also mentioned, which likened the drink to an ice cream. Its humour aligned with the 90s trend of funny, attention-grabbing ads. Boddingtons peaked in the late 90s but has struggled since, showing the importance of staying relevant and not leaning on past successes.
As the internet took off, companies like Amazon, eBay, and Yahoo created websites and experimented with banner ads and email marketing to tap into the global reach of the web. The dot-com boom allowed new brands to rapidly flourish while others like Netscape didn’t survive the bust.
Sam noted how the iconic shopping mall started its slow decline thanks to internet shopping and spoke about how the legendary fax machine peaked in 1997, as email quickly took over.
Kirendeep reminisced on the futuristic Y2K aesthetic in ads with robots and bold graphics, and how the futurism of the time is reflected in modernism today, noting how trends are cyclical, while also showing us a cute road safety crossing advert from the time – highlighting how public service advertising used to be more commonplace.
Sprite’s “Obey Your Thirst” slogan boosted sales despite low expectations, Cam explained, as the ongoing marketing battles between fizzy drink brands continued. Leigh discussed Britpop and brands embracing Britishness in ads to align with the cultural zeitgeist and reject Americanization.
There was also the rise of influencer marketing with celebrity endorsements from athletes and actors seeing huge success. Luke spoke about how children obsessed over collecting Pokémon cards and toys, leading many schools to ban them.
Sam wrapped up by mentioning iconic 90s ads like “Got Milk?” and the Windows 95 launch with Jennifer Aniston and Matthew Perry that really was peak 90s.
Well, that’s a wrap for our marketing through the ages series! If you missed any of our other blogs, we started back in the 50s and covered every decade!
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