Five Companies that Released Products for Back to the Future Day
By Brittany Cheng and Natalie Griffin
CAPITAL NEWS SERVICE
Oct. 21, 2015
CAPITAL NEWS SERVICE
Oct. 21, 2015
It's finally here: Oct. 21, 2015, the day Marty McFly and Doc Brown visited in "Back to the Future Part II." The 2015 in the movie might not accurately reflect the current year -- we don't drive flying cars or wear our jeans inside out. But 26 years after the movie's debut, some companies are making "Back to the Future"-inspired products a reality.
CNS checked out these "Back to the Future Day" products and services to see how they compare to the ones in the film:
Hendo Hoverboard
We might not be flying around on hoverboards quite yet, but Arx Pax, a tech company, released Hendo 2.0 -- a functioning hoverboard -- Wednesday. Lexus released a similar product called Slide earlier this year.
The boards stay aloft using magnetics, so they can only work with specially designed surfaces, not on city sidewalks, according to Dezeen Magazine.
Here's the Hendo 2.0:
The boards stay aloft using magnetics, so they can only work with specially designed surfaces, not on city sidewalks, according to Dezeen Magazine.
Here's the Hendo 2.0:
Pepsi Perfect
This is one of those instances when something really does pay off in the long run. Pepsi provided free soda so its logo and name could get into the movie, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Now, years later, the company is capitalizing on that appearance by releasing 6,500 limited-edition Pepsi Perfect bottles -- something Pepsi has been planning for years, the company's senior marketing director told the WSJ. It's selling each bottle for $20.15 -- more than 10 times the price of a regular 20-ounce Pepsi.
Lyft's McFly Mode
Lyft and Verizon teamed up to give New York City residents free rides in DeLorean DMC-12s -- the car Doc Brown turned into a time machine in the film. The riders didn't get to travel through time, but they were able to use "McFly Mode" on the company's app to order a 15-minute ride in the nostalgic car, according to The Washington Post.
Toyota Mirai
The automobile company decided it's time to enter the future, using Back to the Future Day as its launching pad to release the Toyota Mirai. Using hydrogen fuel, the Mirai is definitely a futuristic upgrade.
But the Mirai is a far cry from the futuristic cars featured in the film. It doesn't really have anything to do with the movie and it can't even fly.
Full video here:
USA TODAY
The movie predicted we would still be reading newspapers in 2015 -- or at least copies of USA TODAY. But it didn't predict the rise of digital content on mobile devices. USA TODAY used the logo from the film on its digital platforms Wednesday and will put a fake cover on its print edition Thursday, according to Poynter.
Like Pepsi, USA TODAY took advantage of a decades-old product-placement opportunity.
"This was a moment that was 30 years in the making, and there was no way we were going to let it pass by," Matt Urbanos, vice president of brand and creative strategy at Gannett told Adweek.
Like Pepsi, USA TODAY took advantage of a decades-old product-placement opportunity.
"This was a moment that was 30 years in the making, and there was no way we were going to let it pass by," Matt Urbanos, vice president of brand and creative strategy at Gannett told Adweek.