Last chance:

9 spots left to attend the Digiday Programmatic Marketing Summit

REGISTER

How brands are celebrating #BackToTheFuture day

Today has been 26 years in the making.

It’s finally Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2015, the day depicted as the “future” in 1985 film “Back to the Future Part II.” Starring a young Michael J. Fox along with Christopher Lloyd and Lea Thompson, the movie envisions a world filled with flying cars, hoverboards, and power-lacing Nike sneakers.

That might’ve not fully materialized, but the brands shown in the movie — and several that weren’t — are celebrating the day appropriately. Topsy tracked 65,000 tweets using the hashtag, #BackToTheFutureDay, from fans and brands.

Here’s what brands are doing for #BackToTheFutureDay:

USA Today
Featured prominently in the film, the newspaper changed its website’s logo and tomorrow (the actual date on the newspaper in the movie), it’s sending out a collector’s edition wrapped around the real version to subscribers.

Lyft Although “Back to the Future” didn’t predict ride-hailing service, the app is offering free DeLorean rides in New York City today. Good luck getting one!  

Pepsi
Pepsi is selling 6,500 bottles of “Pepsi Perfect” for $20.15 to rip people off to commemorate the year.

AT&T Perhaps because Skype or Google Hangouts has replaced AT&T’s video conferencing abilities, the brand sent out a tweet about a car instead.

Nike
The shoe company hasn’t officially revealed what they’re doing today, but hinted at something big. Rumor has it that it’s a pair of power-lacing shoes from the movie.

Universal Pictures If the incessant promotions on its cable networks weren’t a hint, the film’s distributor released a video clip from actor Christopher Lloyd “just for you!”

7-Eleven
The convenience store changed its logo to the one seen in the movie.

Then there are these brands that weren’t in the film that just couldn’t let a popular hashtag go:

https://digiday.com/?p=141975

More in Marketing

PwC’s Formula One-aided brand refresh hints at ‘safe harbor’ of live sports amid a potential economic crisis

It’s a tough time to launch a rebrand, but live sports offer a way through for worried CMOs. At least, that’s likely how PwC sees it.

With 600 million monthly active users, X’s Linda Yaccarino doubles down on dismissing journalism

Yaccarino brought user stats and Gen Z spin to Possible but left advertisers waiting for answers on brand safety and courtroom threats.

Creators pivot as brands’ spending goes into ‘freeze mode’

Some creators are thinking about how to change up their business strategies as they face a slowdown in the volume of brand deals or see deals fall through completely in the financial negotiation phase.