How and Why You Should Embrace Nostalgia Marketing
image taken from Tech Xplore
The role of nostalgia marketing is to transport you back into the “simpler” times, where the stresses of our current lives simply melts away and we are left with memories of our childhood.
Why does it work?
Nostalgia marketing works so well because it focuses on things that we already know are great. Our brains have already seen these things before and have already made up our minds about them. Even if the advertisement itself is not executed to perfection, our brains associate the feeling of nostalgia with a positive feeling towards the product, leading to more sales and people who are more willing to spend money. Emotional marketing is a very powerful tool. It allows marketers to form a closer connection with their audience and tap into their emotions to target what they need/want. Nostalgia marketing specifically drives brand trust and in turn more conversions because it helps them connect to their audience on a deeper level and show some authenticity.
A good example of effective nostalgia marketing is Nike’s Cookie Monster Siri Commercial. By introducing a relatively new product with a familiar face that many grew up with, it introduces positive emotions towards the product. Also, the cookie monster allowed apple to showcase the extent of siri’s abilities.
Who is the target audience?
Currently, the target audience for nostalgia marketing is millennials. Millennials are perfect target audiences because although they are still a young generation who are in touch with social media and all forms of tech, they have been around long enough to have had iconic moments, products, films etc. As well, these things have had time to seep into their culture and really establish themselves as core childhood memories whereas large numbers of Gen-Z are still in their teen/young adult years. Another benefit to having millennials as the target audience is that it reaches the widest audience. Older Gen-Z and younger Gen-X can feel the nostalgia that is brought up in these advertisements as well. As millennials continue to age, they are facing more and more challenges in their lives, and nostalgia marketing hits all the right spots where they begin to romanticize the “simpler” life.
BUT too much of a good thing can be a bad thing
According to a study done by the Journal of Consumer Research, nostalgia, when overdone, can diminish experiences for consumers. Nostalgia is an emotion that many people tend to savor, as they are unsure of when it will be felt again. So when nostalgia feels forced or repeated, consumers no longer savor the feelings and their consumer patience drops. Nostalgia is meant to be an authentic thing, creating a brand community where audiences share experiences and memories with each other. However, when it starts to feel inauthentic, not only can it drive consumers away (according to CNBC, 67% of Gen-Z value authenticity), it also can ruin your brand image.
What does this mean for your brand?
Nostalgia marketing is most effective when targeted at younger generations because of their large spending power.
Like any other campaign, it is important to understand what memories your target audience cherishes.
Consider the media that was popular as they grew up, finding a common theme that runs through the elements, music, and/or “vibe”
Use social media to spread your nostalgia campaign
Most millennials live on instagram and most Gen-Zs are on TikTok which is why it is important to know your audience.
Look for opportunities around you
Not only should you pay attention to milestones that could connect back to an earlier time, you should also pay attention to trends in popular culture. For example, the 2000’s have been making a comeback with the Y2K aesthetic so a marketing campaign with elements and callbacks to that time would be extremely effective and on trend.
YOU MIGHT LIKE THESE…
