If you were around in the ‘90s, chances are the Mentos jingle is somewhere deep in your brain, ready to resurface at the slightest prompt. It was quirky, catchy, and for many, downright unforgettable. But after decades of lying low, Mentos is making a fresh comeback—and not by reinventing the wheel, but by rolling it straight back to the past.
Only this time, they’re not stopping at TV commercials. Instead, they’re breathing new life into the brand’s most iconic moments, blending them with digital creativity and meeting Gen Z right where they are—online, in-game, and on-scroll.
And it’s working.
Mentos isn’t just having fun; it’s executing a masterclass in nostalgia marketing, also called sentiment marketing. They’re not using old ideas to play it safe—they’re using them to make people feel something again.
Relaunching a jingle with a modern twist
Mentos brought back its jingle—yes, that jingle—but not in a copy-paste format. Instead of replaying the old ads, they handed the tune over to modern-day content creators and comedians. These weren’t just influencers doing ads; they were reinterpreting the spirit of the original in a way that fits today’s humor and digital culture.
There was no pinstripe suit and no bench full of paint. Instead, there were relatable modern mishaps—parking problems, chaotic offices, messy homes—and of course, the jingle right at the heart of it. And guess what? It clicked.
This move tapped into sentiment marketing brilliantly. The melody triggered memories for older audiences, while the humor and format captured younger ones. Even people who had no idea what the original was got pulled in by how oddly familiar it all felt.
A new weapon in fortnite: The fizzooka
Now let’s talk about what might be the coolest part of Mentos’ campaign—a soda geyser turned rocket launcher. Yes, you read that right. Mentos teamed up with BBH London and launched a custom item inside Fortnite Creative, one of Gen Z’s favorite digital playgrounds.
Instead of dropping a boring brand ad, Mentos introduced the “Fizzooka”—a fizzy, soda-powered rocket launcher inspired by the classic Mentos and cola reaction. It was dropped into Fortnite maps that draw over a million players per day. The message? Fun, quirky, and explosively on-brand.
The Mentos Fizzooka didn’t just say “remember us?” It said “we’re still fun, and we’re here to play.” This wasn’t just a gimmick—it was an intentional use of nostalgia marketing that repackaged brand lore into an experience Gen Z could literally play with.
What marketers can learn from mentos’ sentiment marketing strategy
Here’s the thing: nostalgia only works when it’s more than just a memory. The reason Mentos nailed this is because they didn’t just revive old content—they made it meaningful in today’s context. They mixed familiarity with novelty.
They tapped into the $54 billion candy market (2024 figures), where even gum and mints saw stronger growth than chocolate. And they used their own cultural DNA—yes, a candy commercial jingle—to anchor something totally new.
For entrepreneurs and marketers, Mentos’ move is a powerful case study. Nostalgia marketing doesn’t require a decades-old campaign or a global budget. It requires emotional memory and creative reinvention. If your brand has ever struck a chord with people, you already have material to work with.
Why this works: Emotion, connection, and timing
In a digital age full of noise, the quiet power of “I remember this” is huge. It’s not about being retro for the sake of it. It’s about unlocking emotion and building trust, especially across generations.
When Mentos combined the emotional pull of its jingle with a Fortnite activation, they weren’t chasing trends—they were aligning them. Gen Z, a generation often skeptical of brands, saw a company that didn’t just shout into the void but created something clever and self-aware.
And for millennials and older consumers? It was a subtle nod to a simpler time. That’s the beauty of sentiment marketing—when done right, it collapses decades into a single smile.
What you can take away as a brand or entrepreneur
You don’t need to be a 93-year-old brand to use nostalgia marketing effectively. You just need to know your roots—and what made people care about you in the first place.
- Dig into your archives. Old taglines, visuals, product moments—even customer stories—can spark powerful creative ideas.
- Don’t copy-paste the past. Remix it. Translate it for the platforms and cultures that matter now.
- Stay playful. Nostalgia hits hardest when it’s not too serious. Let people have fun with your brand again.
- Be where your audience already lives. Whether that’s TikTok or a game server, show up creatively in their world, not yours.
The sweet spot between memory and momentum
Mentos reminded us that the best marketing strategies don’t always come from new ideas—it comes from ideas made new again. In a world of fleeting attention, the brands that win are the ones that make us feel something, even if it’s just a little sugar-fueled blast from the past.
And if that blast happens to come from a soda geyser inside Fortnite, well… that’s just brilliant strategy wrapped in a minty-fresh bow.
FAQ’s
- How do I know if my brand can use nostalgia in marketing?
If your audience has any shared memory of your brand—even a small one—there’s likely a nostalgic spark you can reignite.
- Do I need a big budget to do what Mentos did?
Nope—start by remixing old content in fresh formats for platforms your audience actually uses (like reels, memes, or short-form video).
- Will Gen Z care about something from the past?
They will if it’s reintroduced with creativity, humor, and in a way that makes sense for their world—not yours.