"Why?" Learning Old Marketing

I have seen the meme in this cover image floating around recently. At first, I had a chuckle and related to these moments. Then I started seeing comments complaining about those teaching "old ads" and became a bit concerned that learners are missing the point.

I recently completed my Master’s in Strategic Communication and this poster absolutely happens. But why? In my learning journey, “Why” has become one of my favorite words and I can’t help but see where it is missing here. Professors use old examples in Marketing because you’re not there to learn a new tag line, you’re there to learn a thought process and how to create your own tag line. Learning why a concept existed and why it succeeded or failed offers the opportunity to learn how to create not just copy.

The “why” of teaching seemingly outdated campaigns and concepts is in the value of information available. We can find the circumstances for the product and industry prior to the ad, the ads itself, and how it worked if it worked. It teaches concept development and campaign design. Old concepts and campaigns are vital to the future of marketing as they provide a road map of human thought and cultural evolution. New concepts don’t come from pure ingenuity, but from an evolution of trials, returns, and data collection. Nostalgia has long been a useful marketing tool, but to use it you have to know history. Podcasts are the evolution of radio with the instant gratification of internet. Even memes, are in many ways the evolution of cartoons through the lens of digital imaging.

Simply put, laugh at the relatability, but embrace old concepts, learn the thought process, and keep building from the history.