Blast From the Past: Nostalgia Becomes a Marketing Strategy '90s flashbacks target an influential buying group.

"Fans thirsty for a taste of '90s nostalgia …" begins Coca-Cola's September announcement of the revival of Surge, a citrus-flavor soda that it discontinued 12 years ago.

The company reintroduced the drink at the behest of The Surge Movement, a Millennial-led online fan base that had spent years lobbying for its return. The group raised nearly $4,000 through Indiegogo to buy a billboard near Coca-Cola's headquarters, created numerous YouTube videos and bombarded the company's consumer hotline, among other efforts. The Surge Movement's Facebook page now boasts more than 150,000 likes.

Calvin Klein has also brought back '90s hits. Earlier this year, the brand collaborated with luxury fashion store MyTheresa.com to reissue items from the collection that launched Kate Moss' modeling career in 1994; the new denim pieces and sweats were crafted from the same fabrics the company used 20 years ago. Five of the 12 reissued styles, priced at about $100 to $375 each, sold out within roughly two months.