You’re in the car and song comes on the radio, a throwback, nostalgia kicks in and takes you right back to where you were when that tune first became a hit. Just like the revival of choker necklaces, bell-bottom jeans and boybands
(aka: the Backstreet Boys recently announced Las Vegas residency), major companies around the world are following suit with their advertising campaigns. But why? Aren’t we supposed to leave the past in the past?
This could be the most brilliant way to connect to your target audience. No one is immune to nostalgia. It transcends time. Like the mother who played with an Easy Bake Oven when she was a child, now with a little girl of her own, she sees the same toy advertised and wants to share that experience with her own child.
This is why so many companies have turned to the trend of nostalgic marketing. Coca-Cola, Adidas and Lego are just a few major brands that have jumped on the bandwagon and have seen success. Whether it’s KFC bringing back Colonel Sanders or the re-release of Crystal Pepsi, major brands are basing campaigns on the success of the past… now, all of nostalgia.
But this time around, this crafty marketing tactic has hit a whole new level. Add in social media, smartphones and modern technology and nostalgia marketing is its own entity. I can almost guarantee that if you have been on social media recently you have seen someone share the “You know you’re a child of the 80’s (or 90’s) if you owned any of these…” posts. And I can also guarantee that you yourself have clicked through the photos thinking: “I had that”, “Oh my god I forgot about these” or “I loved playing with those”. Nostalgia at its finest. Most likely you have that friend that got their hands on a Crystal Pepsi, posting proudly on Instagram, with some type of “remember when” caption. And quite possibly you have even jumped on board the Pokémon Go craze yourself.
One thing to ask if you are trying to place a bid on nostalgia, is whether your brand is able to re-tell its story for the newer generation with success the second time around? Successful brands can lean on the legacy of the past but will younger generations understand the message? For instance, will today’s youth recognise that Adidas brought back Kate Moss, or will they simply see another pretty face with sneakers on? Time will tell.
With the holiday season upon us, the use of nostalgia in marketing campaigns is guaranteed to be at the forefront once again. But the question is, will this nostalgic trend last? Is there a shelf-life? There will always be new trends in marketing, the newest “must have” way of branding, and a modern way of doing things. But just like those choker necklaces and bell-bottom jeans, there is no doubt that this trend, if it does happen to leave us, will most definitely be back around.
