Artifacts of My Youth

Hotwheels or Barbie?

Excuse the overt gender bias for a moment, and think about those memories. For me, this was a hallmark of childhood; a simple choice I had to make when standing on my tip toes at the McDonalds counter.

As an adult, I delight in the nostalgia of artifacts from my youth. For instance, I don't think there’s much harm in a cringe-inducing reference to Family Matters or a Disney singalong now and then among friends. Hey, it’s a great way to remind ourselves that we all survived the 90s. But more than that, a memory of watching the TGIF lineup reminds me that I’m connected to other people of my generation in this small way and that we shared this Friday night ritual at one point.  

Hollywood has long known how to tap into this. I mean, who isn’t excited about the new TMNT? Producers know that they have a built-in audience if they adapt a cartoon, do a prequel of a blockbuster, or tell the life story of [Insert Historical Figure] add some vampires and feature songs inspired by the lyrics of [Choose Your Own Pop Star]. All this makes me wonder, though. Hollywood is clearly grasping at straws and abandoning originality in favor of recognizable franchises and brands. And with some luck they’ll continue to superimpose a narrative onto inanimate brands creating hero characters for the next generation. But I think pop culture has its work cut out for it. Can they continue to find brands that resonate with a large cross-section of the population? Will the next [Insert 90s Toy] movie still evoke the same nostalgic chuckle from adults as the last one?

Today it is all about the prevalence of choice and customization. Companies know that you like spaghetti SAUCES, not spaghetti sauce. They might even know you better than you know yourself.

Consumers now have reasonable expectations of variety and curation based on their personal preferences and past behavior.

Luxury = Uniqueness

Modern Advancement = Individualization

Niche interests build clout by staying underground, as opposed to the rather uncool alternative of selling out and going mainstream. This is all powered by influence and data, delivered through responsive devices and multiple media channels. So I wonder what will bind us together now that popular culture and generational identity is a patchwork of crowd-sourced and self-selecting experiences. Will the children of tomorrow grow up without sharing nostalgic chuckles because their artifacts are wholly unique to them?  What will feed our deep-rooted need for ritual and connection through common experience?