Stranger Things proves nostalgia can even sell New Coke

I'm fascinated by product comeback stories, and there have been plenty in the marketing world lately.

Take New Coke, for example, resurrected from its timely demise in 1985 thanks to the season 3 premiere of 'Stranger Things,” coming July 4 to Netflix. Apparently, the show's creators thought that as the third season takes place in the summer of 1985, it should include that 'sweeter, smoother” version Coca-Cola's flagship beverage.

Never mind that it was pulled from the market that year because of a flurry of negative reaction - boycotts, letter-writing campaigns and thousands of phone calls to Coke's headquarters.

Despite all that, the 'Stranger Things” campaign puts New Coke back on store shelves. Coca-Cola had to dig up the recipe from its archives - I'm surprised they still had it - and make 500,000 cans of New Coke available on its website and in some vending machines.

I certainly didn't care for the product back then, but what will our younger generations think of it now? Considering the bizarre beverage combinations on shelves today, I think it might be too ordinary for them.

Then there's print. We've all heard the gloomy forecast - print is dead. Then again, maybe not really. There was a story last week that Mental Floss, which ended its print magazine in 2016 and took its product online, has had a change of heart.

It has reversed course and published a print magazine again, now available at Barnes and Noble bookstores. Will there be others?

And who hasn't laughed at the reincarnated Colonel Sanders? Between 2007 and 2013, the company suffered a huge sales slump, losing 40 percent of its business. But then the new colonel invaded pop culture and gave the brand a modern feel and buzzworthy stunts.

Remember the livestream of cats climbing on a Sanders jungle gym for four hours - 700,000 fans tuned in - and the chicken sandwich shot into space? I love the new Colonel Sanders.

The key take-away from this? Sometimes you must succeed, then fail, to succeed again.

Whatever seismic shifts your brand is experiencing today, may change tomorrow. And good marketers have proved time and again, it's never too late to rebuild. And who doesn't love a good comeback story, right?

' Tracy Pratt is a marketing product manager and lead strategist at Fusionfarm, a division of Folience, The Gazette's parent company; (319) 398-8343; tracy@fusionfarm.com.