Newstalgia

You may have seen Hendrick’s Gin on the shelves and wondered about its rich history.  Maybe you tried to envision your great-great grandfather drinking it at the neighborhood saloon in the 1890s, or your great-great-grandmother splashing some Hendrick’s into her gimlet after a lovely afternoon jaunt on her unicycle.

Well, that’s all a charade. Don’t let the old-school bottle fool you. The brand has only been around for 20 years. Despite what the label says, it was not established in 1886.  (The distillery where it is produced opened that year, but the brand debuted in 1999.)

This short article describes the evolution of Hendrick’s and the power of nostalgia (or, in Hendrick’s case, “newstalgia”), which has been shown to imbue a brand with magical qualities and invite consumers to spend money.

Hendrick’s also has organized activations in major airports around the world, with period-era furniture and other accoutrements to draw the attention of weary travelers.

From its packaging and advertising to its pop-up stores and bizarre events, Hendrick’s has created a fictitious world in which the brand can live and generate meaning for consumers.