70s naff set to make a comeback

• Brands making a comeback

Iconic names from Brut, Blue Nun and Babycham to Smash, Nimble and Ringos have been given a make-over and are being relaunched.

Marketing men are tapping into a nostalgia for the 1970s, seen with the recent film revivals of Starsky & Hutch, the Dukes of Hazard and Shaft.

While there have also been a rash of TV clip shows which wrap celebrity anecdotes around the music, TV and news events of the 1970s and other recent decades.

Brut, the pungent aftershave in the green bottle promoted by the likes of Kevin Keegan - in his bubble perm days - and Henry Cooper is back.

In the 1970s 'Our 'Enery' became a TV legend with his advice to 'Splash it All Over', while Kevin boasted 'Nothing beats the great smell of Brut'.

Today Brut is being promoted to the 30-year-old 'kids' of the young men who wanted to emulate their sporting icons or the likes of John Travolta.

No 1970s cocktail party was complete without several bottles of Blue Nun and the pinkish Mateus Rose, which came in the handy bottles that could be turned into a candle holder.

Now Blue Nun, the sweet German Liebfraumilch has been given a 21st century facelift including a new label with a more modern image of a nun.

While Mateus, the classic rose brand, was at the centre of a £1.2 million advertising campaign earlier this year.

Babycham was - at one time - considered the champagne for the masses.

Commercials for the drink, which is made from pears, featured a prancing deer and a champagne glass fizzing with Babycham.

Today, the sparkling drink, which is produced by Constellation Wines, is hugely popular on student campuses across the nation.

Its naffness is its key selling point.

The firm's Clare Griffiths said: "The popularity of a recent on-pack promotion, which gave our consumers the chance to collect original Babycham glasses, proved how key the history and nostalgia surrounding this iconic brand are to current consumers."

Cinzano, the sweet Italian vermouth, has a history dating back 144 years, however it achieved iconic status in the 1970s and 1980s.

Comic TV commercials featuring Leonard Rossiter and Joan Collins proved a huge success.

Just recently, a new version of the drink called Cinzano Sprizz Up has been launched in a bid to appeal to a generation of young drinkers raised on alcopops.

The 1970s signalled a major shift in family lives. Millions of mothers went to work full-time, creating a demand for convenience foods.

Smash came to the rescue. The powdery dry potato mix that was brought to life with a kettle of boiling water was considered a Godsend by hard-working mums.

While the message that no-one need ever bother to slave over a real potato wielding a peeler and masher was reinforced by a gaggle of giggling Martians.

The series of Martian advertisements and the 'For Mash Get Smash' were voted the best commercials of the century.

Premier Foods, which now owns Smash, is poised to totally relaunch the brand in the next few months.

The Martians will once more be beamed into homes as the 'brand ambassadors.'

Spam has been a part of the national diet, particularly school dinners, for 65 years.

Following a relaunch, the mix of chopped pork and ham has seen a double-digit percentage increase in sales growth in each of the past two years. The trend for nostalgic foods has been picked up by food industry bible The Grocer.

Its drinks expert, Sonya Hook, said: "Some of the great grocery brands of the era seem to be staging a comeback."

"Manufacturers are trying to appeal to that key demographic of 30-45-year-olds. There's an element of kitsch to it all, of course, but that's only half the story."

"Many of the brands enjoying a revival are doing so because manufacturers have recognised that trends are cyclical and there's a gap in the market for old favourites."

"Moreover, there's an opportunity to improve those old favourites, whether by enhancing the product itself or its image."

She added: "It's clear that the brands using marketing to drive nostalgia, and the ones able to laugh at their own retro image, are the ones seeing success."

Sweets and snacks are also being swept up in the nostalgia trend.

Poppets have been relaunched with pack decoration of 1970s images such as the Rubik Cube and a space hopper. Crisp brand Ringos is another which has been revived.

The move follows a campaign started by a Preston postmas and an online petition signed by thousands. Just recently, Nimble joined the famous brands receiving a new look.

Initially promoted as a slimming aid for dieting women, the new high-fibre loaves are aimed at both sexes.