Retro tech gadgets are taste signifiers for brand campaigns.
Blank Street Coffee teased its seasonal flavours with iPods in 2025, which were sent to creators to decipher. Now, musicians like Beabadoobee have sent out iPod Shuffles to fans to share new music, and brands like LAAGAM are including the music player in campaign imagery.
Tied to this is the rise of cyberdecks, which are personalised, custom-built portable computers. Marisa (meshtimes)’ video about her DIY cyberdeck, which looks like an eyeshadow palette, gained 1.3 million views in three days.
CORQ’s trends editor Caroline Edwards explains the rise of retro tech in campaigns and what this means for marketing.
@corq.studio Retro tech is taking over and iPods are used in marketing rollouts for @Beabadoobee, LAAGAM and Blank Street, a CD player featured in Baggu’s content, and cyderbecks are becoming increasingly popular 💽 #marketingstrategy #marketinginsights #tech #retrotech
