Fanta Preys On The Nostalgic

When I think of Fanta, I think of the 80’s. Fanta is one of those drinks, like Tab, Orange Crush, Tahitian Treat, and Slice, that captures a simpler time for me – when sodas had real sugar and companies weren’t afraid to start throwing money at shows like Silver Spoons for a little product placement. I remember seeing Fanta in a ton of TV shows and movies.

Well, unlike a lot of its contemporaries, Fanta is still around – thanks in large part to parent Coca-Cola, with its deep pockets.

Like in the 80’s, Fanta loves to advertise. The company is currently running a print ad (see above) billed as the “World’s First Tasteable Ad” (see video below). As you can see, the ad encourages readers (yes, the illiterate lose again) to rip off a piece of the page in order to sample the flavor of Fanta’s orange soda.

While this is not the first tasteable/edible ad (thanks Buzzfeed), it is certainly out of the ordinary – and I like it. Perhaps I share the same nostalgia for scratch and sniffs as I do for this modernized version. I’m not sure how the page tastes – but it can’t be hard to duplicate that chemically-engineered faux-orange taste from can to magazine.

Yes, the copy in the ad is out of control, but it does catch your attention, which is the only purpose. That people can then try the soda without drinking it seems to be pretty innovative and memorable – the latter of which seems to have made another impression on a relic like me.