So 2000 and Late

For anyone who wasn’t there and everyone who wants to go back 27

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First released in Japan in March of 2000, the PlayStation 2 would go on to become the best selling home video game console of all time. North American sales were supported by a unique ad campaign featuring the human body.

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Polo Jeans by Ralph Lauren ad from 2002

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First appearing in 2000, Sour Skittles have proven to be one of, if not the, most popular spin off of the original candy. The spin off product has never been cancelled or suspended since its introduction to the market.

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Altoids magazine ad ~2000

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DKNY “The Fragrance” ad campaign ~2000

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Lara Croft: Tomb Raider was first released as an action adventure video game in 1996. The title quickly gained mainstream popularity behind the titular character Lara Croft. The franchise would expand with multiple media format releases over the course of the 2000s.

The recognizability of Lara Croft lead her to be featured in many ad campaign crossovers, which were very popular at the time.

Despite many changes of owners, the brand remains very popular, with a new release planned for 2027.

[y2k-lore]

Dolce & Gabbana Spring/Summer 2003 ad campaign

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In 1997 the brand Juicy Couture would begin a quick rise to the top of y2k pop culture fashion.

Their early marketing tactic included sending their clothes, particularly the velour tracksuits, to celebrities. This strategy would prove to be effective with celebrities such as Madonna, Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez, and Britney Spears wearing the tracksuit publicly, and turning it into a trend.

The brand still exists but is seen by many as dated and is only found in stores such as Kohl’s and JC Penny.

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Founded in 1928, Motorola would achieve mainstream cultural success in 2004 with the release of the RAZR V3, which would go on to sell approximately 110 million units. The RAZR is perhaps the most iconic phone of the flip phone era.

By 2009 the company had largely failed to transition into the smartphone market. The mobile phone division of the company still exists although it is now much less popular.

[y2k-lore]

SKYY Vodka was created by Maurice Kanbar in 1992 and produced in San Jose, California. The ads for the brand quickly became well known for their use of provocative imagery.

In 2008 the brand expanded to include 17 new flavors known as SKYY Infusions, featuring various fruits.

The brand was sold to Campari Group in 2012 and remains popular today.

[y2k-lore]

The first “Got Milk?” advertisement was created by the ad agency Goodby & Silverstein Partners as a commercial that aired nationally in 1993. By 1995, the slogan had been licensed to the National Milk Processor Education Program, which began the massive print advertising campaign that became mainstream in the 2000s due to the inclusion of nearly every high profile celebrity of the era.

In 2014, the National Milk Processor Education Program ended the use of the slogan in favor of the new “Milk Life” slogan. The original slogan was revived by the group in 2020, although to much less recognition than the original campaign.

[y2k-lore]

Formed in 2000 as a joint venture between SBC and BellSouth to compete with Verizon, AT&T and Sprint, Cingular wireless was the largest wireless cell service carrier in the US by 2004. Cingular pioneered many revolutionary concepts at the time, such as the rollover minutes plan, which allowed customers to add unused call minutes from the previous month to the fresh set of minutes allotted in the new month.

By 2006, through a series of acquisitions and mergers, Cingular was acquired by AT&T. All Cingular users were subsequently moved over to AT&T, a company Cingular was originally created to compete against.

[y2k-lore]

From 1986-2005 MTV hosted yearly Spring Break events featuring performances by the year’s hottest artists. MTVs President at the time, Doug Herzog, described spring break as a “youth culture event” attended by the demographic MTV wanted to attract.

By 2005 changing perception of spring break parties led MTV to spin the show off to their side channel MTVU which was aimed at college campuses. This iteration of the event would last until 2014.

[y2k-lore]

Audiovox was a leader in consumer electronics in the 2000s. Their technology was considered cutting edge in the beginning of the 21st century, however they quickly lost relevance as the 00s ended and the consumer electronic market condensed, shifting focus away from featured portables towards smart devices.

The company was renamed VOXX International Corporation in 2012 and has since faded into the background as an OEM products brand.

[y2k-lore]

The iPod was the longest running product manufactured by Apple, lasting from 2001-2022 and selling an estimated 450 million units. The device existed across many different iterations and variations including the shuffle, nano and touch.