But, what happens when those 50 years are fulfilled by a brand?
In these times that we are living with so much speed, and where people’s loyalty to brands is increasingly difficult, are they already considered old brands or already in decline?
Some cases of brands have learned to reach those 50 years in a very successful way and over time, beyond seeming “crazy” or discontinued, they have learned to grow stronger, resistant to competition and, above all, innovative. without losing its essence of birth.
A great example of this is Nike.
Hand in hand with the great filmmaker Spike Lee (who else could have been better?) Nike celebrates its 50th anniversary by paying tribute to the history of the brand in the voice and image of Mars Blackmon, a character in the film “She’s Gotta Have It”, directed and written by Lee himself, and a recognized fan of the New York Knicks, but above all, he co-starred in commercials from the mid-1980s along with Michael Jordan advertising his Nike “Air Jordan” sneakers.
On this occasion, Spike Lee returns to the character for the new spot with the concept “Seen it all”, in which he mentions more than 40 sports figures who have traveled this half century (all users and image of Nike at the time ), and shows clips of some of his most significant achievements, reminding us, especially fans of Nike advertising, of those memorable spots with the brand.
But now, in front of him, as if playing a game to see who wins in demonstrating his sports “heroes” related to the brand, is Zimmie, who is the actress Indigo Hubbard-Salk, who appears in the new version of the film transformed into series, also created and directed by Lee.
Zimmie also mentions a number of great athletes, such as Bo Jackson, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kobe Bryant and Colin Kaepernick, also noting that she has “seen it all”, not only as their role as sports heroes, but also in their anti-establishment role. and rebellious (as is the case with Kaepernick), in addition to talking about the already evident future of great young characters such as Mbappé, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Chloe Kim, Naomi Osaka, Luka Doncic and Athing Mu.
Please take a few minutes to watch this “director’s cut” of the Nike spot directed by Spike Lee:
This case shows that in order to survive in the market, and continue to be recognized and preferred by users/consumers, you have to do “homework” on a daily and constant basis so as not to fall into disuse in a market where competition is so difficult. fierce and above all pay close attention to social and market trends.
Other fifty-year-olds of 2022 are also demonstrating it like Nike, as is the case with BMW. Its M model, which is its sports division born in 1972, also celebrates 50 years and takes advantage of the German company in registering the ’50 Jähre BMW M’ brand, releasing several car models with the name “M” and that Although they have an adaptation to their logo, a natural action of many brands over time, they do not lose the essence of their image and strengthen it.
The trick is knowing how to age without looking old, but on the contrary, fighting new brands that appear on the market and that probably won’t have as much time on the market as these old sea lions.
If not, ask the Rolling Stones who, apart from being THE great Rock group, are an excellent marketing case. Their album “Exile on main street” is also 50 years old (they are much older), and they are still there, jumping so freely at their concerts that they are always completely sold out and releasing new material with their respective merchandising.
Good rock never dies. Good brands, either.