Burbach added that, in his view, the decline of Tab had more to do with Coke’s ignoring it as a product than a lack of interest on the part of the public. “We think there’s an awful lot of people out there that would buy it again,” he said. Based on Save Tab’s own research conducted via social media, Tab devotees reported they would not only pay a higher price for the cola if it returned, 98% would recommend it to their friends.
The lure of nostalgia
The idea that America could be brimming with would-be Tab drinkers feels a little fantastical, but it may not be as far-fetched as it sounds. When it comes to legacy products, there’s a standing presumption that their devotees are solely people of a certain age who were around when those products debuted.
But consumption patterns paint a broader picture.
For example, Urban Outfitters has made a small industry out of selling long-forgotten stuff that its core twentysomething customers are too young to remember the first time around, including vinyl albums, Chia pets and lava lamps. Earlier this month, it even began selling refurbished circa 2004 iPods for $350.
And let us not forget Barbie. Statistia figures from July showed that nearly half—48%—of Americans who had seen or planned to see the Warner Bros. summer blockbuster Barbie were between 18 and 29 years old—which means the youngest fan was born nearly a half century after Barbie’s 1959 debut.
Tucked in among the bushel of letters collected by Save Tab are ones by young drinkers. Read one: “Hi. I am 25… I know lots of people 20 something into 30s that love Tab.”
Jack Mackinnon is the senior director of cultural insights for consumer research firm Collage Group. To his mind, while it’s easy to deprecate millennials (and now, Gen-Z) as hipsters, the fact is that they’ve demonstrated that authenticity sells. Younger consumers, he said, have shown a “love of heritage brands going back to a time when things were made for a purpose, built to last, and there was a story behind the craft of it. Tab falls right in the heart of that.”
Some limited-time hype
But the most compelling reason Save Tab can probably make for saving Tab is probably a marketing one.
“There is little to no chance they would bring back Tab simply for the sake of goodwill—that’s a slippery and unprofitable slope,” said Duane Stanford, editor and publisher of Beverage Digest. At the same time, however, the sales stream generated by new or returning fans plus the PR boost that comes from a well-managed relaunch have driven many companies to give it a try.