--- title: Back to the Future Day: Brands Exploit It for Marketing description: Brands are milking all the 1.21 gigawatts of nostalgia they possibly can canonical: https://time.com/4081674/brands-back-to-the-future/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-10-21T17:16:59.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T05:01:12.035Z article:section: Entertainment og:title: Here's How Brands Are Exploiting 'Back to the Future' Day og:description: Brands are milking all the 1.21 gigawatts of nostalgia they possibly can og:url: https://time.com/4081674/brands-back-to-the-future/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt27a9bcc886fac8d0/69886903cf40a8435bc40478/151020_em_backtothefuture_featured.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: 151020_EM_BacktotheFuture_Featured og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Here's How Brands Are Exploiting 'Back to the Future' Day twitter:description: Brands are milking all the 1.21 gigawatts of nostalgia they possibly can twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt27a9bcc886fac8d0/69886903cf40a8435bc40478/151020_em_backtothefuture_featured.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Here's How Brands Are Exploiting _Back to the Future_ Day by [Jonathan Chew / Fortune](https://time.com/author/fortune/) ## Jonathan Chew / Fortune Oct 21, 2015 5:16 PM UTC  Michael J. Fox in Back To The Future II (1989) Michael J. Fox in Back To The Future II (1989)Amblin/Universal—The Kobal Collection by [Jonathan Chew / Fortune](https://time.com/author/fortune/) ## Jonathan Chew / Fortune Oct 21, 2015 5:16 PM UTC 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](http://fortune.com/2015/10/21/star-wars-the-force-awakens-tickets/)). Here’s a rundown of what companies are doing to get #BackToTheFuture: **Nike** **Great Scott! It’s:** Self-lacing sneakers [In the film](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28Wa5L-fkkM), 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](http://time.com/3662868/nike-back-to-the-future-shoes/) 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: > [](https://twitter.com/bartj3/status/656524450314194944) Nike has also teased a possible launch Tuesday on its [Twitter account](https://twitter.com/Nike/status/656638383628775424). 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_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AM5EYO5wWMA), 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: > [](https://twitter.com/mashable/status/655125844134899712) Don’t think we’ve forgotten about that [futuristic](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smEFMNwjLNw) Probe, Ford. ### _Back to the Future’s_ DeLorean Isn’t the Only Awesome Retro Car  Vintage illustration of a futuristic 3-wheeled self-driving 'dream car,' 1961. GraphicaArtis—Getty Images  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 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 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  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 circa 1945. Buyenlarge—Getty Images  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  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  19th Century Illustration depicting futuristic airships and hot air balloons, entitled 'New York Sky Harbor. Hulton Archive/Getty Images  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  Aeronautical Engineer Burt Rutan's plane, the Long EZ sport plane on May 1982. John B. Carnett—Popular Science/Bonnier Corp./Getty Images  Ford's show 'car of the future', the Atmos. 1954. FPG/Hulton Archive/Getty Images  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](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11BwLs3pHF4) in his version of 2015 was a svelte-looking Pepsi. Today, Pepsi has [come out](http://www.pepsico.com/live/pressrelease/great-scott-they-did-it---pepsi-perfect-is-here10052015) with the _BttF_ soda for a playful (and astronomical in any time period) $20.15: > [](https://twitter.com/pepsi/status/656533720652980226) However, [fans are raging](http://kfor.com/2015/10/21/social-media-anger-erupts-over-back-to-the-future-pepsi-perfect/) 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](http://fortune.com/2015/08/05/lexus-hoverboard/), but nothing that could take us for a ride like [it did for Marty](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkyLnWm1iCs). 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](http://blog.lyft.com/posts/2015/10/14/back-to-the-future) 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_](http://fortune.com/2015/10/21/back-future-day-brands-twitter/) _originally appeared on_ [_Fortune.com_](http://fortune.com) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4081674/brands-back-to-the-future/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4081674/brands-back-to-the-future/"},"headline":"Here's How Brands Are Exploiting Back to the Future Day","datePublished":"2015-10-21T17:16:59.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:01:12.035Z","description":"Brands are milking all the 1.21 gigawatts of nostalgia they possibly can","url":"https://time.com/4081674/brands-back-to-the-future/","keywords":["movies"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt27a9bcc886fac8d0/69886903cf40a8435bc40478/151020_em_backtothefuture_featured.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Jonathan Chew / Fortune"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt27a9bcc886fac8d0/69886903cf40a8435bc40478/151020_em_backtothefuture_featured.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"151020_EM_BacktotheFuture_Featured","caption":"Michael J. 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