Nostalgia is key!

One of the most powerful ways for brands to connect with consumers is through using characters and memories from the audiences past. In today’s world of ever-increasing advertising clutter, skip advertising buttons and fast-forward, brands can break through by harnessing nostalgic memories. Brands reviving beloved memories and icons from the past not only captures our attention, but drives results. Halifax’s recent run of classic character-driven ads is a perfect example.

After suffering the biggest advertsing awareness drop on a list of the UK’s 30 biggest banking and building society brands in 2015, Halifax licensed an impressive run of classic characters to front its new impactful brand strategy. These include Top Cat, The Flintstones, Shaggy and Scooby, Thunderbirds, The Wizard of Oz and Ghostbusters. Brand Index figures, which tracked the effectiveness of the initial Top Cat campaign, showed a significant increase in Halifax’s advertising awareness rating. The ads also topped the likeability charts.

Holiday season is the most important time of the year for retailers, with the big players fighting to be the present below the tree on Christmas Day. 2017 was no different, with a host of character-driven Christmas campaigns launched to drive emotional relevancy for present purchasers. While John Lewis’ "Moz the Monster" faced off against Aldi’s "Kevin the Carrot", it was Marks & Spencer’s use of Paddington, with his old hat, duffel coat and love of marmalade that won the hearts of the British public. 2018 will be no different with “Elton John” already appearing in two adverts this year!

With digital video content, video advertising spend and new delivery platforms set to increase, demand for scroll-stopping, iconic content will only rise, as will the complexities to clear and license it. There’s just one problem with nostalgia – someone probably owns it. Iconic film, characters and content are valuable pieces of intellectual property. Creators are becoming increasingly aware of the value of their creations and demanding their due for its use. Image rights, music labels, publishers, studios, estates, artists, even other brands – the potential complexities of licensing require an increasing level of expertise.