It feels like nostalgia is everywhere these days. Sales of old technology are on the rise, with Polaroids, Tamagotchis and retro video games cool again. Pop music and fashion draw inspiration from the 80s, 90s and 2000s, while remakes bring old stories back to the big screen in new forms. Millennials share memes glorifying Friday nights spent at Blockbuster Video or Pizza Hut, cultural touchpoints from a time period now viewed through rose-tinted glasses.
The Nostalgia Effect is a cognitive bias that leads people to recall the past more fondly than the present, remembering things as better than they actually were. This is also known as rosy retrospection. Nostalgia marketing draws on those pleasant feelings to create a powerful bond with the audience.
Nostalgia is a strong emotion that everyone feels regardless of age. Despite the diversity in individual memories, there are some common cultural icons based on shared experiences. Using nostalgia in marketing involves tapping into that shared emotional connection to take your target audience back to what they remember as a happier time.
You may wonder if a nostalgia marketing strategy is right for your brand and whether you’re in an industry that benefits from evoking nostalgic feelings. As a full-service creative marketing agency, Anchor can help you explore the benefits of nostalgia and whether or not nostalgia marketing should be part of your strategy.
Why Does Nostalgia Marketing Work?
Nostalgia is a bittersweet emotion: a longing to return to what no longer is and may never have been. In ancient Greek literature, “Nostos” means returning, while “algos” refers to suffering. But while yearning is undeniably part of nostalgia, the emotion has upsides, too. It can bring us enjoyment, community, increased self-esteem, and happiness.
Nostalgia thrives when the future is uncertain and the present less than ideal. When faced with stresses in our lives, humans look back to easier, less stressful times, even if those times were not as blissful as we imagine them to be.
In nostalgia marketing, the marketer uses symbols from the past to create new and positive memories for their target audience. This can include everything from drawing on retro-style designs to remakes and reissues of classic products. When done right, nostalgia marketing presents the most appealing parts of the past in a new way. It offers an escape from a tumultuous present and an uncertain future into a stable and idyllic yesterday.
Some successful examples of using nostalgia in marketing include the Barbie movie, which grossed over 1.4 billion dollars and is helping Mattel create new intellectual property and grow its business. However, companies such as Nintendo, Spotify, McDonald's, and Uber Eats are embracing or have already embraced the power of nostalgia marketing.
Nostalgia isn’t the right approach for every brand. Some industries, like healthcare and tech, benefit from staying strictly future-focused. But if you want to harness the power of the past for the benefit of your brand, there are effective and ineffective approaches to a nostalgia marketing strategy.
How to Incorporate Nostalgia into Your Marketing Strategy
Nostalgia can help you launch a more successful campaign, but it’s rarely the only element required in your strategy. Like every other marketing approach, incorporating nostalgia requires consideration and care. Here are some techniques for making nostalgia part of your marketing strategy.
Know what matters to your target audience
Tapping into nostalgia means understanding the shared cultural references of different generations. While Gen X might feel nostalgic for the 80s, an early 2000s aesthetic may appeal more to Gen Z. Shared memories and cultural touchpoints depend not only on your target audience’s age bracket but on their media habits, pastimes, interests and other attributes. Research is required to find what sparks that feeling of nostalgia in your desired audience.
Launch at the right time
A nostalgia marketing strategy is most effective when launched in conjunction with a major event: a rebranding, cultural event, or major overhaul of your business goals. Incorporating warm, positive feelings of the past into your campaigns is a powerful way to instantly create a memorable impression. If you have any discontinued products that customers still ask for, the perfect time to launch a nostalgia campaign is when you bring those products back by popular demand.
Blend the old with the new
Instead of just romanticising the past, a nostalgia marketing campaign should integrate older icons and aesthetics into fresh new approaches. With the right design, the past can feel new and fresh again.
Be creative
While it’s wise to include solid marketing strategies that have always worked, a nostalgia campaign is also the perfect chance to be bold. Trying new approaches and not being afraid to experiment can help keep your content fresh and engaging.
Be indirect with your references
Using an icon, symbol or product that’s too direct can run the risk of copyright infringement. Instead, you can allude to familiar aspects of time periods and trends, depicting elements like fashion trends or common fonts from back in the day.
Use social media
Social media, through sharable mediums like memes, helps to preserve the cultural mood of a time and place. Including nostalgic elements in your social strategy can spark conversations, inspire shares, and boost brand loyalty.
What to Avoid When Using Nostalgia in Your Strategy
Some tactics to avoid when using nostalgia in your marketing approach include:
Including the worst parts of the past
Nostalgia marketing presents a glorified, idyllic version of the past. Avoid including anything in your campaign that could remind your target audience of the social problems of the day or other less desirable aspects.
Relying on nostalgia alone
Without a focus on the present and your campaign’s relevance to it, all the emphasis on nostalgia may just make your brand seem out of touch. Mix the old with the new to maintain relevance while continuing to evoke positive feelings.
Neglecting brand consistency
Nostalgia has to be authentic. It’s not something you can force, and it isn’t the right approach for every brand. Sometimes, a nostalgic approach can conflict with a more progressive message. It’s important to always maintain a consistent brand identity, something a digital marketing agency like Anchor can help you with.
Find the Right Strategy For Your Brand with Anchor
Is nostalgia marketing the right approach for you? If it is, Anchor can help you put together a strategy that succeeds. Our strategy services are designed to clarify what and how you want to communicate and give you the best techniques for the task, including brand strategy, brand positioning, workshop facilitation, marketing, and customer research.
Graphic design is a powerful part of building the right marketing campaign, and Anchor’s graphic design services can help you build a trustworthy, professional brand. Our graphic design is optimised for both form and function (UX and UI) and focuses on keeping your brand identity consistent—and consistently compelling—across digital assets and printed mediums.
If you’d like to become even greater at what you do and tap into the power of nostalgia for your own brand, contact the Anchor team.
