In Back to the Future II, Marty McFly, Doc Brown and Jennifer Parker hopped into a DeLorean and traveled forwards in time to October 21, 2015. In our reality, that day has finally arrived.
Brands are milking all the 1.21 gigawatts of nostalgia they possibly can from everyone’s favorite sci-fi flick (not withstanding other ones). Here’s a rundown of what companies are doing to get #BackToTheFuture:
Nike
Great Scott! It’s: Self-lacing sneakers
In the film, Marty sports a spiffy pair of self-lacing Nikes, and human beings have wanted some of those soles ever since. In January of this year, Tinker Hatfield – the company designer who actually created the shoes for the movie – leaked the possibility that the company would finally fulfill its destiny and come out with some limited edition self-lacers this year. In September, ad exec Max Erdenberger showed a 2011 pair of Nike MAGs that had Twitter in a frenzy:
https://twitter.com/bartj3/status/656524450314194944
Nike has also teased a possible launch Tuesday on its Twitter account. We can only wait like a dutiful Einstein.
Toyota
Great Scott! It’s: Trash as fuel
Doc Brown’s DeLorean doesn’t only travel back in time—it also uses Marty’s garbage to power up. Toyota now has a hydrogen fuel cell car called the Mirai that runs on a whole host of things, and has recruited BttF actors Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd to help promote it. Fox and Lloyd were seen in a debut commercial talking about the Back to the Future creations that haven’t happened—and in the latest Toyota ad, were shown one that has:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFyY7_hc-14
Ford
Great Scott! It’s: A flux capacitor
Don’t head to your nearest showroom just yet, it’s a dummy version. The Y-shaped generator that needed nuclear fuel or a bolt of lightning to work in BttF, Ford released a mock ad that asked all its car owners to upgrade their vehicles with a flux capacitor for a fictional $1.21 million:
https://twitter.com/mrlevine/status/655134148588273664
Don’t think we’ve forgotten about that futuristic Probe, Ford.
Pepsi
Great Scott! It’s: Pepsi Perfect
Marty’s drink of choice in his version of 2015 was a svelte-looking Pepsi. Today, Pepsi has come out with the BttF soda for a playful (and astronomical in any time period) $20.15:
All you wanted was a #PepsiPerfect? Available on 10/21/15 at https://t.co/tJxg2Et8ZH while limited supplies last. pic.twitter.com/WkSSwVNGS6
— Pepsi (@pepsi) October 20, 2015
However, fans are raging that this cola is probably sold out, and the soft-drink company has been trying to mitigate the outrage that their limited edition BttF Pepsi is editionally limited. Even in 2015, companies cannot win.
Universal
Great Scott! It’s: (Another video about a) hoverboard
It’s 2015, and we still have no hoverboard. We have some noble attempts, but nothing that could take us for a ride like it did for Marty. Universal, however, put out a mock ad that replicates the same hoverboard:
Lyft
Great Scott! It’s: A DeLorean
For New Yorkers, the time has come for us to enter a DeLorean. In a partnership with Verizon, on-demand ride-sharing company Lyft is offering free rides of up to 15 minutes in DeLoreans just for Wednesday. Press the ‘McFly Mode’ in the Lyft app, and one could come to your doorstep in no time. The company has yet to confirm if it flies:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOsM-P-WSAo