a blast from the past - The Power of Nostalgia Marketing

If you're a marketer, and you're not including some nostalgic elements in your marketing, I think you should.

Why? Because it connects with your audience. On an emotional level. Igniting feelings. That make them more likely to take action. The holy grail of marketing.

Why is nostalgia so powerful?

You see, as humans we tend to have a habit of looking back to the past with rose tinted glasses and these sugar coated memories are a great psychological leverage to tap into. So when a brand, event or product becomes part of that memory, they have the advantage.

And don’t think that nostalgia only works on individuals well past their fortieth birthday. In a world that is evolving at ever increasing speed, millennial's are also looking to be transported to a simpler, happier place that gives them comfort and stability.

Nostalgia marketing is nothing new, brands big and small have been manufacturing nostalgia in their marketing campaigns for decades. But during times of change and uncertainty - which we’ve all experienced recently - nostalgia is like your favourite comfort food, urging you to focus on the things you already knew were great. The good old days. 

Just look at Burger King’s first rebrand in twenty years. It just happens to resemble the logo they used back in the nineteen-seventies, eighties and nineties. Coincidence?

I don’t think so.

Some of the most powerful uses of nostalgic marketing

One of my favourite examples of nostalgia marketing are the Ferris Bueller Day off, spoofs. One for Honda in 2011 featured an older Matthew Broderick throwing a sickie to avoid a film shoot, and another more recent example for Dominos pizza starring Joe Keery from Stranger Things - a TV series that is the very epitome of nostalgia culture.     

Then there’s the music.

This now legendary “Oh yeah” track from Ferris Bueller and other famous eighties movies has been cleverly used in McDonald’s most recent advert, directed by none other than Edgar Wright. It doesn’t even show the product and in my humble opinion is probably one of the best adverts of the year.

Or DUNDEE, the twenty-eighteen movie trailer that was actually a tourism advert for Australia staring Chris Hemsworth and Danny McBride. This advert was is one of the most successful Super Bowl campaigns ever and totally duped the media and audiences everywhere into thinking it was real, giving them tons of free promotion to boot. 

So maybe you’re thinking some nostalgia in your marketing could be an effective tactic, but you don’t have the budget to hire Chris Hemsworth to star in your productions. How do you do transport your audience back in time and loosen their wallets in the process? 

How to use nostalgia in your marketing

One. Keep it simple and don’t force it.

Nostalgia is an emotional experience and can be a delicate thing, you don’t need to be Don Draper and have your audience sobbing uncontrollably to be successful. Nor should it be a complete carbon copy with no originality. It should be repurposed in a way that fits your message otherwise it might turn people off. 

Two. Know your audience and what resonates with them.

It’s important to use context to link the past with the present. Are they Generation X, millennials or even Gen Z? Are they old enough to know or even care about the references you want to use? Age, interests and historical events impact what is important to us. Listen to what your target market are talking about and see how you can use these in your storytelling with a modern day context. 

Three. Use shared experiences.

If you reference something that is too niche it might not work, if it’s too general it might not trigger any emotional response.

People love a throwback Thursday post as demonstrated by the almost six hundred million times it’s been used on instagram alone. This can be a great way to show how far your brand has come and an excuse to share memories from the past.

Or remember the “how it started versus how it’s going memes” from 2020? These started as ways to celebrate a romantic relationship but quickly morphed into a more versatile meme  and a great way to share growth or change, and you don’t need a long history to create your own. If you’re a young company you could ask employees to share childhood memories or pop culture references that would resonate with your audience.

So next time you’re thinking of a new concept for a video. Ask yourself. Who are you targeting? What past events, products or pop culture references could you use to add some nostalgia to your stories? 

Create an emotion connection with your product or service and see the impact it has. We particularly love this heartwarming and authentic advert for Farmer’s Dog. It appeals to almost every dog lover or adult who grew up with a special four legged friend and immediately evokes memories of special times together.

If you don’t cry after watching this advert you’re either dead inside or you’re not a dog person. Either way you can’t be trusted 🤣.