I am in the States at the moment (in Memphis of all places!) and I am really noticing how bad the recession is over here. I can't tell how much it is actually affecting people but it is definitely affecting the atmosphere and mood over here. I even saw an ad for a car share scheme in Boston, saying owning a car is so pre-recession.
I have a theory which I need to work on a bit more. But I think that all countries have a golden age. This is an age where they were strong, where the world was good and the sun shone every day. This is also the age that gives them their archetypal look and their semiotic DNA so to speak. In the UK this would probably be the Victorian era, in Germany the Weimar Republic (I think) and in the US it definitely is the 50s. What this means, is that if you want to speak to consumers in a way that reassures them and makes them feel good about themselves semiotically speaking, then it is a good idea to use those cues.
It seems like companies are catching up on this too. PepsiCo are launching a throwback version of Pepsi Cola and Mountain Dew with labels which hark back to the glory days of the US. It uses a version of the 1940s logos. Obviously there is also a POD for these products. They are sweetened with natural sugar. But I am sure there is something more to it than that. In a time when people are worried and unsure about the future, give them something from a past when everything was not just good, but also coated with sunlight.
