Close-Up: Live issue - Does nostalgic advertising work?(Mars UK Ltd.)

What factors must agencies consider before reviving classic campaigns, Noel Bussey asks.

For years and years, everybody knew at least two pieces of solid dietary information. An apple a day kept the doctor away, and a Mars a day helped you work, rest and play. Two very different concepts that, in a less regulated time, were taken for truth.

In 1995, Mars brought to an end an advertising campaign, based on a simple and effective jingle, which had been running since 1959 and had become part of everyday life.

Last week, the company tried its hand at some brand voodoo by resurrecting the campaign, albeit with a shorter 'Work, rest, play' line for today's audience, with an ad by Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO.

However, the use of nostalgic advertising is a minefield that, if not negotiated carefully, can undermine years of brand heritage. In recent times, a number of agencies have had a go, with varying degrees of success. Many point to CHI & Partners' reworking of HHCL's 'You've been Tango'd' line as a successful attempt, while Warl's revival of the Smash Martians in 1999 is seen as a travesty.

Ben Priest, one of the founders of Adam & Eve, says: 'It's always worth bringing a truly well-loved campaign back, as long as you create something equally as good.'

Ian Pearman, the managing director of AMV, agrees, but says the agency's biggest fear was making sure the Mars line still appealed to the contemporary consumer. 'The elements had to be updated in a way that makes them relevant to today's audiences. Just bunging old ads on TV is a potentially damaging cop-out,' he says.