Why Retro Is the Future — and How to Make It Work for You
“Retro” is on the rise. Not traditionalism, which can be defined as a literal reinvention of past trends. Retro is a sophisticated, cool, sometimes ironic take on the pop culture and design of the 1930s to the 1980s. It represents a generational response by the under-40 crowd against the uniformity and slickness of much of today’s mass marketing. To some extent it also suggests a backlash to a culture of disposability and fakery.
While some element of retro has always been popular, the creation of digital flea markets such as eBay (with $40 billion in annual sales) and Craigslist.org has bought a cool, high-tech aspect to buying second-hand merchandise while providing consumers access to retro finds from all over the world.
Hipsters, who are often high on style but short on cash, are big on the retro scene. You’ll find them in cities large and small throughout the country–from the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn to Silver Lake, CA, to Tucson, AZ. Hipster neighborhoods are meccas of retro-cool restaurants, bars, and stores – the antithesis of “chain” and “franchise” marketing.
Which is not to say that some retail chains haven’t been able to successfully capitalize on the retro trend. Case in point: cataloger/retailers Urban Outfitters and Anthropologie, which mix flea market finds with their own signature apparel and home goods.
For some, the unpredictable nature of the scavenger hunt and the thrill of discovery are part of the appeal of retro. This has made “The Antiques Roadshow” the most popular show on PBS. Other people are buying authentic reissues of retro products, e.g. Eva Zeisel’s dinnerware at Crate & Barrel or arcade games from the ’80s at mybiggames.com. Rona Jaffe’s “The Best of Everything” has also been reissued (both the novel and the film) and has become a hit with chick book clubs.
Involvement with retro kitsch is also growing because of the escapist silliness it provides. For example:
- Photo booths at bars. At Chicago’s Rainbo Club, the most popular table is right in the photo booth.
- Drive-in movies. Skylight Six in Atlanta is famous for its Drive Invasion weekends, which include flea markets, live bands, and grade-B monster movies.
- Chick roller derby. Sponsored by Pabst Blue Ribbon, roller-derby nights are bringing out as many as 1,000 people an evening. The audience will grow even more once A&E’s new roller-girl reality show hits the air in January.
- Spelling bees. Yes, they’re now popular in hipster bars from Seattle to Chicago to New York
Marketers are successfully tapping into the retro trend by referencing the recent past with a postmodern twist to contemporize the appeal. To wit:
- The redesigned Mustang and the Chrysler 300C.
- Jonathan Adler’s home furnishings line (available at his own stores and at Barneys New York) and Thomas O’Brienss Vintage Modern line at Target.
- The comeback of classic sportswear brands such as Lacoste, Fred Perry, and Puma.
- New steakhouses with a rat-pack vibe, such as Boa Steakhouse in Santa Monica and Hollywood.
- The escalating popularity of old-school cocktails such as Manhattans. Speakeasy-style bars such as Employees Only and Pegu Club in New York have resuscitated the classic cocktail and introduced it to a new generation.
Irma Zandl is president of The Zandl Group, a research firm that provides clients with trend forecasts, consumer insights, and marketing perspectives.