How can brands defy gravity through nostalgia to promote their products?

By Aathmika Mahasenan

Nostalgia, the bittersweet longing for the past, is a potent emotion that can be harnessed to create effective branding and marketing strategies. By evoking fond memories and associations, nostalgia can help brands connect with consumers on a deeper level, fostering loyalty and driving sales. ?

“When you play on nostalgia, you’re bringing people back to a simpler time, and the familiar comfort that comes with a shared experience with your peers," says Jones Krahl, Deloitte Digital’s co-head of creative brand and advertising.

The success of the live-action "Barbie" film is a prime example of nostalgia's impact on branding. The film's vibrant pink aesthetic and playful tone tapped into the nostalgia of many consumers who grew up playing with Barbie dolls.

This nostalgic connection generated excitement and buzz, propelling the film to box office success. Further, it boosted the sales of many buying dolls and toys from Mattel.

The upcoming 'Wicked' film can learn valuable lessons from 'Barbie's' success by strategically emphasizing nostalgia and female empowerment. Faithfully recreating iconic songs and scenes will undoubtedly delight longtime fans while effectively introducing newcomers to the magic of the original musical. While remaining true to the core of the story, the film can subtly modernize themes of female friendship, ambition, and self-discovery to resonate deeply with contemporary audiences.

'Wicked' masterfully explores the complex and evolving relationship between Elphaba and Glinda, offering a potent model of female friendship that acknowledges the nuances of both collaboration and rivalry.

By skillfully evoking fond memories of the beloved musical, which triumphantly debuted on Broadway on October 30, 2003, while simultaneously introducing it to a new generation, 'Wicked' has the potential to tap into the same emotional core that propelled 'Barbie' to its status as a cultural phenomenon.

Nostalgia can also be used to create a sense of community and belonging. By referencing shared cultural experiences, brands can foster a sense of nostalgia that unites consumers and strengthens their connection to the brand.

This is particularly effective for brands with a rich history, like "Wicked."

However, it's crucial to use nostalgia methodically and systematically.

Consumers can easily spot inauthentic attempts, which can damage a brand's reputation.

Striking a balance between nostalgia and innovation is key to remaining relevant and appealing to modern audiences.

By understanding the psychology of nostalgia and using it thoughtfully, "Wicked" can create a powerful brand identity and leave a lasting impact on popular culture.

This taps into consumers' feelings of nostalgia—sentimental longing for the past—to create emotional connections with a brand, product, or service. This approach can evoke fond memories and feelings, making consumers more receptive to marketing messages.

If the brand has been in the business for a decade, this can remind consumers of positive past experiences, brands can create a strong emotional bond. This often leads to increased brand loyalty and preference.

Nostalgia marketing can be particularly effective with certain demographics, such as older generations who have lived through specific cultural moments or younger generations who may be interested in retro trends.

Brands often use familiar imagery, music, slogans, or themes from the past to resonate with their audience. This could include references to popular movies, television shows, music, or events.

Many brands capitalize on nostalgia by re-releasing classic products or variations of them, appealing to consumers' desire for familiarity and comfort.

For example, many children of the ‘80s and ’90s fondly remember playing Nintendo video games with their siblings, while also experiencing the bittersweet feelings of growing apart as they got older. A commercial released by Nintendo captures both emotions by sharing the story of two brothers who bond over Nintendo, drift apart during their teenage years, and eventually reconnect as adults, rediscovering their joy by playing the new Nintendo Switch together.

According to a research paper by Rubo Cui from the Jinan University Management School in China, he states nostalgia is a complex emotional experience tied to recalling the past, and it plays a significant role in today’s society.

Companies increasingly use nostalgia as a marketing strategy to appeal to consumers' emotional connections. By leveraging nostalgic psychology, businesses can successfully express and promote nostalgia culture through marketing. Nostalgia marketing spans spiritual culture and consumer goods, creating value across diverse fields. The influence of nostalgia emotions on consumer behavior is increasingly recognized, with deeper research shedding light on its effects.

Scholars generally believe that consumers nostalgia is a kind of love toward things that are common when they were young.

They think that nostalgia is not only a sad, bittersweet reaction, but also includes the love of the past things, and people can produce nostalgia even they have not experienced the era.

There are different types of nostaligia marketing according to the research paper:

Types of Nostalgia

• Personal Nostalgia: Direct personal experiences and memories.
• Interpersonal Nostalgia: Memories from shared experiences or secondhand memories (e.g., from parents or others).
• Cultural Nostalgia: Group or collective memories.
• Virtual Nostalgia: Memories formed through books, videos, or other non-direct group experiences.

Nostalgia marketing focuses on trigger consumers’ nostalgia awareness and produce nostalgia to inspire subsequent nostalgia behavior. To achieve this path, businesses must first select the appropriate stimuli to evoke feelings of nostalgia, namely take appropriate marketing strategy to achieve marketing effectiveness and purpose. It is generally believed that nostalgic marketing strategies consist of character nostalgia, event nostalgia and collective nostalgia.

Another example, Atari rebooted several of its well-known retro video games including?Missile Command?and?Centipede, producing an interactive documentary and video game compilation called?Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration, and releasing a retro console called the Atari 2600+, which was originally released in the 1970s.

Atari also plans to release new content and games for the retro console. The console has been launched in the fall of 2023.

McDonald’s decision to reintroduce the Snack Wrap under the new name McCrispy Snack Wrap in 2025 is a perfect example of nostalgia marketing. By reviving a fan-favorite product from the 2000s, McDonald’s taps into the emotional connection customers have with the past, sparking excitement and positive memories. The rebranding under the McCrispy line modernizes the classic while maintaining its familiar appeal, attracting both loyal fans and a new generation. This strategy not only satisfies long-standing demand but also leverages the power of nostalgia to create buzz, strengthen brand loyalty, and reignite customer enthusiasm.

Nostlagia marketing may be the best marketing strategy and it may not be the best. Major companies and businesses have adopted a nostalgic marketing approach in order to achieve the purpose of increasing sales.