Here’s How Brands Are Exploiting Back to the Future Day

4 minute read

In Back to the Future II, Marty McFly, Doc Brown and Jennifer Parker hopped into a DeLorean and traveled forwards in time to October 21, 2015. In our reality, that day has finally arrived.

Brands are milking all the 1.21 gigawatts of nostalgia they possibly can from everyone’s favorite sci-fi flick (not withstanding other ones). Here’s a rundown of what companies are doing to get #BackToTheFuture:

Nike
Great Scott! It’s:
Self-lacing sneakers

In the film, Marty sports a spiffy pair of self-lacing Nikes, and human beings have wanted some of those soles ever since. In January of this year, Tinker Hatfield – the company designer who actually created the shoes for the movie – leaked the possibility that the company would finally fulfill its destiny and come out with some limited edition self-lacers this year. In September, ad exec Max Erdenberger showed a 2011 pair of Nike MAGs that had Twitter in a frenzy:

Nike has also teased a possible launch Tuesday on its Twitter account. We can only wait like a dutiful Einstein.

Toyota
Great Scott! It’s:
Trash as fuel

Doc Brown’s DeLorean doesn’t only travel back in time—it also uses Marty’s garbage to power up. Toyota now has a hydrogen fuel cell car called the Mirai that runs on a whole host of things, and has recruited BttF actors Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd to help promote it. Fox and Lloyd were seen in a debut commercial talking about the Back to the Future creations that haven’t happened—and in the latest Toyota ad, were shown one that has:

Ford
Great Scott! It’s: A flux capacitor

Don’t head to your nearest showroom just yet, it’s a dummy version. The Y-shaped generator that needed nuclear fuel or a bolt of lightning to work in BttF, Ford released a mock ad that asked all its car owners to upgrade their vehicles with a flux capacitor for a fictional $1.21 million:

Don’t think we’ve forgotten about that futuristic Probe, Ford.

Back to the Future’s DeLorean Isn’t the Only Awesome Retro Car

Self-Driving Dream Car
Vintage illustration of a futuristic 3-wheeled self-driving 'dream car,' 1961. GraphicaArtis—Getty Images
Dynasphere
The Dynasphere, an electrically-driven wheel, capable of speeds of 30mph, being tested on the beach at Weston Super Mare by Mr J. A. Purves of Taunton, who invented the machine with his son. Fox Photos/Getty Images
The George Bennie Railplane?, LNER poster, 1930s.
The George Bennie Railplane System, a suspended monorail for passengers set above the existing railway with a LNER locomotive traveling underneath. The project, funded by George Bennie, was set up at Burnbrae, near Milngavie, Scotland as an experiment. It was dismantled in 1956. WCN/McCorquodale Studio/SSPL/Getty Images
Actor Christopher Lloyd (in passenger se
Actor Christopher Lloyd (in passenger seat) arrives in a DeLorean car at Universal Studios Hollywood's "Back to the Future - The Ride" in University City, California on Aug. 7, 2007. Lloyd, who portrayed Doc Brown in the 1985 film "Back to the Future," made the appearence to mark a month-long countdown to the closure of the 14-year-old ride. Robyn Beck—AFP/Getty Images
Family In Flying Saucer
Vintage illustration of a futuristic American family on vacation, with the father driving his wife and two kids in a flying saucer instead of a car, 1950s.GraphicaArtis/Getty Images
Jet-Boat of Tomorrow
Jet-Boat of Tomorrow circa 1945.Buyenlarge—Getty Images
Skyport 2000
Architect James Dartford designed this model of 'Skyport 2000', a futuristic proposal for an airport in the year 2000. The model shows how aircraft could land and take off from a giant platform supported by three glass-clad pillars. These would contain lifts carrying passengers down to a hotel, offices, and parking for private planes and cars. Keystone/Getty Images
Future Car
An artist's impression of the future circa 1958 of the automobile: a vehicle that easily draws the attention of the police for exceeding the 120mph speed limit. Evans/Three Lions/Getty Images
Lighter Than Air
19th Century Illustration depicting futuristic airships and hot air balloons, entitled 'New York Sky Harbor. Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Voyage to the Moon
French cartoon shows a man riding on a bicycle-like flying machine while looking through a telescope attached to the front circa 1867. Two balloons, "Velocipedes" and "Domanie," are attached at front and rear as are propeller-like wheels. Buyenlarge/Getty Images
Home Built Sport Plane
Aeronautical Engineer Burt Rutan's plane, the Long EZ sport plane on May 1982. John B. Carnett—Popular Science/Bonnier Corp./Getty Images
Ford Atmos
Ford's show 'car of the future', the Atmos. 1954. FPG/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Highway Around The World
Vintage illustration of a globe surrounded by cars and planes driving on a highway around its circumference, 1941. GraphicaArtis/Getty Images

Pepsi
Great Scott! It’s: Pepsi Perfect

Marty’s drink of choice in his version of 2015 was a svelte-looking Pepsi. Today, Pepsi has come out with the BttF soda for a playful (and astronomical in any time period) $20.15:

However, fans are raging that this cola is probably sold out, and the soft-drink company has been trying to mitigate the outrage that their limited edition BttF Pepsi is editionally limited. Even in 2015, companies cannot win.

Universal
Great Scott! It’s: (Another video about a) hoverboard

It’s 2015, and we still have no hoverboard. We have some noble attempts, but nothing that could take us for a ride like it did for Marty. Universal, however, put out a mock ad that replicates the same hoverboard:

Lyft
Great Scott! It’s: A DeLorean

For New Yorkers, the time has come for us to enter a DeLorean. In a partnership with Verizon, on-demand ride-sharing company Lyft is offering free rides of up to 15 minutes in DeLoreans just for Wednesday. Press the ‘McFly Mode’ in the Lyft app, and one could come to your doorstep in no time. The company has yet to confirm if it flies:

This article originally appeared on Fortune.com

 

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