Pens are a thing of the past, right? Then again, who doesn’t have one close by?
What do you do when you want a campaign that speaks to both Boomers and Gen Z at the same time? Take for example the campaign BIC launched for its Cristal pen, a product whose design has remained unchanged since it launched in 1950.
The recent outdoor campaign features ads starring the pen, which is considered a classic in the field of design and accordingly is displayed in the design departments of museums like MoMA and the Pompidou, with a large photo of the product and minimal copy. So, if nothing about the pen has changed, why now?
The answer relates to the year 2016, the very same year that is currently flooding social media with a wave of nostalgic tributes.
Although at the time 2016 was perceived as the future, and accordingly dystopian and futuristic content such as Black Mirror, Stranger Things, and Westworld was produced, along with shows that dealt with high tech like Silicon Valley and series with heavy effects like Game of Thrones. Today in relation to 2026, 2016 looks like the end of the age of innocence, the final moment before COVID and AI.
Compared to 2016, the current year is not just conservative but truly reactionary, with the rise of chauvinism, fascism, and nationalism, alongside traditional family values regaining prominence.
Therefore, anyone who wants to speak to both the Boomers of 2026 who are fed up with woke culture, and to Gen Z members who are experiencing a bittersweet nostalgia for the supposed innocence of 2016 as a reaction to 2026, needs to find a symbol that can represent both conservatism and nostalgia at the same time. And what could be more fitting for this than the BIC Cristal, the classic product that has not changed since 1950.
