What’s old is new again as consumers eat up tasty new takes on nostalgia marketing and flock to pop-up bodegas and delis that transform non-endemic products into corner store fare.
Ahhhh, the corner deli. Whether you grew up with one on your block or just coveted bodega culture on TV, the convenience store is an American staple that generations of consumers can identify with. Perhaps that’s why brands have tapped into this unique piece of nostalgia to get hearts beating for their modern products.
This March, American Eagle activated a “Denim Deli” in Nashville for two days that sought to get Gen Z off their phones and into their retail locations. And the strategy worked, generating a four percent boost in mall traffic over the previous quarter. “…young people want to go out and experience something,” says Ashley Schapiro, American Eagle’s vp-marketing. “It’s also really special when a big brand shows up in your hometown.”
Nashville’s Mitchell’s Deli served as the inspiration and “caterer” for the event. Attendees could enjoy free sandwiches, listen to live music and customize free denim totes. The environment was modeled after a retro-inspired diner but was covered in denim, as was the vintage pickup truck wrapped in actual American Eagle jean scraps.
In perhaps the most spot-on deli alignment, Hulu promoted its new “Deli Boys” series at South by Southwest last month with a traveling deli that recreated the deli featured in the show, complete with a rusty newspaper box outside, and a photo op modeled after the “you’re on camera” security cams featured in most corner delis (what, no authentic rats, tho?).
Also at SXSW this year, JBL, as the Official Audio Partner of SXSW 2025, activated its JBL “Sound Bodega,” a pop-up music venue that resembled a corner store. Consumers could enjoy live performances, grab festival swag and check out the brand’s new lineup of speakers.
The National Basketball Players Association (NBPA), the union for current NBA players, activated its ongoing “NBPA Brotherhood Deli” experience at various locations this year, including All-star Weekend in San Francisco this February. The activation, sponsored by Beyond Meat, invited consumers to enjoy plant-based nachos, meet NBA players, and engage in basketball games and challenges.
And as we recently reported in our Nostalgia Marketing trend of the week, this past January, dairy-free cheese brand Daiya popped up in New York City with the “Crustbuster,” a “rental” store, modeled after the iconic Blockbuster store, where consumers could taste its new and improved pizza line made with Daiya Oat Cream Blend. In true New York fashion, a line formed for the experience that featured shelves loaded with faux VHS boxes, each renamed to play on the brand’s dairy-free offerings: Beauty and the Feast (Meatless Pepperoni), The Slicefather (Supreme Pizza), In the Line of Fire Roasted Vegetables (Fire Roasted Veggie Pizza), or, the chef’s special “Director’s Cut.”
Who’s craving a BEC sandwich and a sh!tty cup of coffee?
