Video marketing on the web is a game which has some pretty idiosyncratic rules, and nostalgia value ranks high on the list of things guaranteed to pack that hit-count punch. Don’t believe me? Check out this super-lame Honda ad for the super-bowl. Despite this video production being nakedly cynical and surprisingly poor in terms of direction, it has still harvested a considerable following on YouTube.

Could their impact have been even higher had they not made some fundamental marketing errors? Firstly, they let this leak months ago. If you’re going to run a nostalgia campaign then the element of surprise is your best friend, use it. Secondly, be careful of what your teasers promise. By releasing a slither of the ad months prior, they created an interwebz maelstrom with which the final product could never hope to compete.

So, for all you web video lounge-lizards out there, heed the above. You may just find that there is more to learn from bad ads than meets the eye.

Shooting your own nostalgia spoof? Talk to our creative team to find out what you can and can’t get away with!