fbpx
  • HOME
    HOME
  • OUR WORK
    OUR WORK
  • OUR BLOG
    OUR BLOG
  • SHOPPER MAGAZINE
    SHOPPER MAGAZINE
    • VOLUME 6
      VOLUME 6
    • VOLUME 7
      VOLUME 7
    • VOLUME 8
      VOLUME 8
    • VOLUME 9
      VOLUME 9
    • VOLUME 10
      VOLUME 10
  • NEWSLETTERS
    NEWSLETTERS
  • SHOP WITH ME™
    SHOP WITH ME™
  • CONTACT US
    CONTACT US
CONTACT INFORMATION
Level 1, Tasman Building
16-22 Anzac Ave
09 300 4666
LATEST TWEETS
avatar-twitter
goodenergi
Follow On Twitter
Experience, experience, experience, all signs point in the same direction. Are you making it easier or tougher to… https://t.co/2WAbCq4slt
2 days ago - goodenergi
Your @googlemaps is soon going to be a shopping assistant. From navigating indoors to managing curbside pickup and… https://t.co/aHbMoG4nWJ
10 days ago - goodenergi
#HappyEaster from the Energi team!✨ Wishing everyone a restful and safe long weekend with your loved ones. Don’t fo… https://t.co/0B40CDgYoQ
21 days ago - goodenergi
NZ is getting great at staycations, with hobbies jumping higher up the shopping list 🌟 https://t.co/QGZY8SlZJp… https://t.co/sUtioK2Y4p
22 days ago - goodenergi
INSTAGRAM FEED
  • Put your feet up this weekend with a copy of @unomagnz’s latest issue, featuring these two incredible @sheeo_world Activators who are doing their part to drive global change and uplift other women in the industry - and we’re loving it!

Link to the full article in our bio. 👆🏻
  • Once again, here at Energi it’s business as usual but remotely. Stay safe everyone.
  • Calling our fellow bookworms, today is for you! 📚

From your favourite sun-lounger spot, or perhaps tucked away in bed, there is no better way to celebrate #BookLoversDay than by kicking back with your favourite read. 

Check out our latest blog post to discover a few of our most-loved classics. Link in our bio!
  • Happy #InternationalBeerDay! 🍺

In honour of this fun global event, we’re very excited to share our most recent brew, Energi Rapsody!

What technically is a ‘Rhapsody’ you ask? It's a piece of music written without a formal structure, expressing powerful feelings and emotional excitement. In that note, our limited edition beersie is rich with highly contrasted tasting notes and colour!

This fresh brew is a Bohemian Pilsner with black pepper hops and spicy herbal undertones, that will take you on a journey.

Rhapsody comes along with a curated playlist of Rhapsodies to give you the full experience. 

Check out the playlist link in our bio!
logo-mobile-energi
  • HOME
    HOME
  • OUR WORK
    OUR WORK
  • OUR BLOG
    OUR BLOG
  • SHOPPER MAGAZINE
    SHOPPER MAGAZINE
    • VOLUME 6
      VOLUME 6
    • VOLUME 7
      VOLUME 7
    • VOLUME 8
      VOLUME 8
    • VOLUME 9
      VOLUME 9
    • VOLUME 10
      VOLUME 10
  • NEWSLETTERS
    NEWSLETTERS
  • SHOP WITH ME™
    SHOP WITH ME™
  • CONTACT US
    CONTACT US
logo-energi
logo-mobile-energi
To Blog
Retrofuturism

Retrofuturism

April 18, 2019
-
Shopper Behaviour, Shopper Experiences, Shopper Vol 9, Shopping Trends

Retrofuturism is a great word. It combines the blend of old-fashioned ‘retro’ style, with the future anticipation of technology.

The term was first coined in a review of Terry Gilliam’s film Brazil by Pauline Kael (somewhat appropriately in 1984).

At its heart, retrofuturism examines the tension between the past and the future, and the idea that technology has the power to either empower or alienate.

Technological advancements bring the disruption of change. This can be a very good thing; bringing medical breakthroughs, new capabilities that make life better, or improvements in business productivity. But change can also make things worse. It can bring redundancy, obsolescence, and anxiety. 

Curiously, technology is a marker for ageing. It is the intersection between new life (moving forward) and death (leaving behind). As we get older we eventually find it harder and harder to ‘keep up’. There is a lot of truth in the idea that older people need teenagers to keep them up to date with things like computers and technology in the home. In this respect, the advance of technology is a pace-keeper for our own sense of ageing. 

Retrofuturism is commonly referenced in design, architecture and the Arts. Movements such as Googie architecture, Steampunk, Cyberpunk, Dieselpunk and Raygun Gothic are all derivatives of retrofuturism. 

Steampunk HQ in Oamaru

The North Otago town of Oamaru has adopted Steampunk as a local aesthetic, and Weta Workshop produced a line of steampunk weaponry branded Dr Grordbort’s. If you download the Energi app from the App store and place the viewer on your phone over this marker you can experience our Steampunk inspired augmented reality experience.

Dr Grordbort’s Wave Disruptor Gun

One of the most significant themes in retrofuturism is the battle between a utopian vision in which the future is ideal and perfect versus a dystopian one in which the future is dehumanized and hellish. 

Some of the more famous examples of utopian/dystopian works include Back to the Future, the Jetsons, Lost in Space, Star Trek, Brave New World, 1984, the Handmaid’s Tale, Lord of the Flies, and of course Westworld

In everyday life, technological change can promise comfort and ease in the form of a digital assistant like Siri or Alexa. But it can also bring the nasty threat of privacy breaches in the wrong hands.

The retrofuturistic conflict between utopian good and dystopian evil is also being played out right now in the epic debate raging about Facebook. On one hand, it has entered our everyday lives and connected the world in a way never imagined only a few years ago; and it has helped reinvent the world of advertising and communication. But on the dark side, it has been manipulated to undermine democratic elections and it has been implicated in the spread of terrorism and hate material.

What we can learn from retrofuturism?

Firstly, technology can promise wonderful new things to improve our lives, but it can be a double-edged sword that can bring anxiety, unexpected negative consequences, and a sense of loss. So when you introduce something new, what do you also ask people to give up? 

“Secondly, the best of the future can coexist with the best of the past”

1970 DB6 Mark II Volante future-proofed

I can’t think of a better example of this
(albeit a very pricey one) then Aston Martin, who is re-producing their 1970 DB6 Mark II Volante as a brand new electric vehicle.

Maybe now we can look forward to the past?

Tags
Lew BentleyShopper Vol 9
PREVIOUS POST
A pitch from the past
NEXT POST
Back to the start with influence
Newsletters
  • Energi November 2019 Newsletter
  • Energi October 2019 Newsletter
  • Energi September 2019 Newsletter

Related News

Other posts that you should not miss
SameSameDiff

I’d like same, same, different please

May 1, 2019

For most of us, the supermarket is a natural part of everyday life. Sure, there is a minority who buy through …

Read More →
FMCG Articles, Shopper Experiences, Shopper Technology
4 MIN READ
BlackFriday

Black Friday 2018

December 14, 2018

Kiwis shelled out $442 million over the Black Friday weekend, that’s an 85% increase from 2017! Watch the Energi Shopper Vlog …

Read More →
Shopper Behaviour, Shopper Experiences, Shopper Technology, Shopper Vol 8, Shopping Trends
1 MIN READ
YearOfTheVoice

The year of Voice

December 14, 2018

According to a Wall Street Journal article, tech companies now have their eyes on the next billion internet users mostly from …

Read More →
Shopper Behaviour, Shopper Experiences, Shopper Magazine, Shopper Technology, Shopper Vol 8
5 MIN READ
LATEST POSTS
  • March 9, 2021
    How Service Design Can Delight Customer Experience
  • February 19, 2021
    Which brands are creating winning customer experiences in 2021?
  • November 2, 2020
    Digital Day Out 2020 Takeaways
  • August 8, 2020
    Our Top 8 Must Reads for #BookLoversDay!
GET CONNECTED

Stay up to date with the latest news by Energi, about Energi as well as insights from the world of shopper marketing.

PROUD PARTNER OF

Copyright 2021 Energi Advertising Holdings Ltd

Retrofuturism | Energi Advertising