Fighting 21st-century indigestion

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: not the first time Bayer has reached into the Alka-Seltzer archives for a nostalgic pitch. In 2005, BBDO New York remade a popular 1972 commercial for the brand that was known by its catch phrase, “I can’t believe I ate the whole thing.” A year later, the agency remade another popular Alka-Seltzer spot, from 1971, known as “Try it, you’ll like it.” The difference this time is that Bayer is using Speedy as he was, not updating him, and hoping the younger consumers will respond to his old-school charm.

“There are so many brands, so much content, that everyone is looking for what will stand out and be iconic,” said Rob Reilly, partner and executive creative director at Crispin Porter & Bugusky in Boulder, Colo, and Miami, the MDC Partners agency that works for the Burger King Corp. The pitfall in serving up bygone brand mascots to skeptical consumers of Generation X and Y, Reilly said,

is that “you have to be so inventive, and not come off as reviving old things.”