Classmates Rebrands As Memory Lane

What with the proliferation of Facebook and the three million other forms of online communication, it's amazing a site like Classmates.com is still in business. Ask yourself; when was the last time you actually visited Classmates.com let alone had a use for it? It seems Classmates.com has asked itself that very question and has decided to travel down the tried and true road to brand salvation: renaming itself.

Yes, Classmates.com will now be known as Memory Lane. Quaint. The brand has launched a new campaign that centers on the premise everyone loves nostalgia. A new :30 will air nationally on network and cable and will be supported by print and online. Hmm, we wonder if they'll have a Facebook page. Oh wait.

As part of the rebranding, Memory Lane, in a move to expand its content beyond its current school-focused content, has signed deals with Time Life, Getty, AP, Universal Newsreels for nostalgic imagery and currently possesses the largest collection of high school yearbooks. With 60 million members, Memory Lane is no Facebook but, then again, how many Facebook users are old enough to actually have memories yet?

So there you have it. The brand has eschewed its singular focus on high school and college and has broadened it to include nostalgic content from all walks of life. Will it work? Will you use it?