Goodyear and the art of the nostalgic montage

BBH USA has released an epic, Dr Dre soundtracked montage for Goodyear, directed by Shane Reid of ‘Deadpool’ fame. But why now?

We were today years old when we found out The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company features as the tyre of choice for the Delorean in ‘Back to the Future’. This was probably reason enough for the company to make creative use of various archival footage in its new ad. And the results are impressive.

The campaign is something of a trip through the ages, blending new and old footage from the brand. Chief creative officer of BBH USA, Erica Roberts, describes the motivations behind the ad: "This isn't a nostalgia reel; it's proof the engine is still running full throttle."

Despite the ad apparently being an attempt for Goodyear to direct viewers' minds back to the future, we still reckon nostalgia plays a vital role in the appeal of the ad. The glowing reception it received proves that, if a brand can navigate its gestation period successfully, it will endure long into the future.

It’s unsurprising then, that the montage features the iconic ‘Goodyear blimp’, which came to prominence in the early 1900s, as well as more recent flight action, underscoring Goodyear’s pioneering spirit.

The use of ‘Still DRE’, meanwhile, brings the ad into the 21st Century (just), and we assume the choice was an attempt to signal that the brand ‘still’ has it.

A short history of montages in Adland

Nostalgic montages can be a powerful reassertion of brand dominance and heritage. It's notable then, that only titans of advertising have successfully pulled the medium off.

Whilst not strictly a montage, Coca-Cola’s latest WPP Open X campaign, ‘Classic’ (released this month) is certainly a major flex. The ads nod to the company’s various cameos in literature, with the brand’s signature red logo shown on a typewriter display amongst text from authors such as Stephen King, JG Ballard and VS Naipaul.

Apple, of course, famously used the medium of montage in its ‘Think Different’ campaign by TBWA\Chiat\Day.

Reeling off footage from historical figures who have changed the world, such as Albert Einstein, Martin Luther King Jr., and Mahatma Gandhi, the ad can’t be accused of lacking vision.

In this case, rather than exploring its own archives, Apple depicts unforgettable moments from the past. Few brands could pull off such a – potentially pretentious - exercise. Apple, however, used the memorable montage moment to seal its place in history.

Finally, Disney last year used the nostalgic appeal of Christmas to create an advert with numerous subtle, affectionate nods to its past. The film is, in a way, one long montage to its storied past, and it ranked among our favourite ads of the year for good reason.

Cultural critics regularly point to the relatively indistinct aesthetic of the Post Millennial era in comparison to the groovy 1960s, the garish 1970s, or the deadpan 1980s, for example. This makes our era particularly ripe for nostalgia trips.

Whether it admits it or not, Goodyear’s brand still rests heavily on its past, and it’s always going to be tempting to indulge in it every once in a while.