Marketers use ads to remind customers of their longevity

NEW YORK -- Old is the new young in advertising, as big-name marketers use their longevity to give their brands an aura of stability amid economic turmoil.

Post Shredded Wheat on Sunday joins the diverse brands wearing their wrinkles on their sleeves. A new ad for Shredded Wheat, which was created in 1892, says the product put the "no" in innovation.

Post is trying to tap into consumers' current back-to-basics mind-set and leverage its longevity into a rock-solid image. It joins Lowe's Home Improvement (established "more than 60 years ago") and Allstate (founded in 1931).

Marketing experts say the trend is about image during an economic sea change. "It's not going to have an effect on consumers making a purchase decision, but in these times, you want to put your best face forward as people look at companies that are going out of business," says Walter Guarino, a marketing professor at Seton Hall University. "It's image building. My guess is you will see more of it."

But branding expert Robert Pasikoff, president of Brand Keys, says touting still being in business smacks of desperation. "(The) consumer has been brought up now in a fast-moving age. People are looking for things that are up to date. There's no good way to say, 'We've been doing this for 150 years.' Heritage is fine, but people are not buying Coach because it is old."

Still, some marketers believe that even if the message doesn't move sales immediately, it's important to show the brand in a way that fits the times. Some who are trying to project their brand's viability:

Allstate: We survived the Depression

In an ad that began airing in January, Allstate spokesman Dennis Haysbert says that "1931 was not a great year" to start a business, but that's when Allstate was founded.

"We're trying to bolster trust and confidence by saying that we started in the Great Depression, and we survived 12 recessions," says Lisa Cochrane, vice president, marketing. "We're saying we know how to approach things."

People are responding. "I have never received so much consumer correspondence," she says. "We've received amazing correspondences from school teachers and nurses and families from all across the U.S. saying the ad has been heartwarming. I think we hit a button."