Is Nostalgia Old Hat
No.120
Monday 7 November
Hi, it's David here.
A long time ago I met the author of this week’s newsletter, Community Member Nick Presley, who had built a legacy in the customer experience and activation world long before it became the very big part of every brand’s world that it is today.
His starting point automatically gives him a very different and interesting point of view.
As always, curious to hear what you think.
Co-Founder at?BeenThereDoneThat
Subscribe to the School of Athens on LinkedIn?here
Hi, it's Nick here.
The recent passing of HRH Queen Elizabeth ll, aka?The Queen?(probably one of the biggest brands we’ve ever known) elicited a huge global outpouring of grief – and nostalgia. The grief almost certainly stemmed from what HRH stood for, and the values she had cultivated and so stoically stood by, for her 70 years’ reign as Queen of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth. Many would even say the world, such was her standing and appeal to all who understood that she stood for service, duty, dedication and hope.
Other brands can only look on in awe and wonder at the kind of respect, loyalty and brand love she commanded globally.
Ryan Holiday, former Director of Marketing at American Apparel, and now host of podcast The Daily Stoic, explores this theme in his recently published book,?Discipline is Destiny. Indeed, one reviewer - Admiral James Stavridis, former NATO 16th Supreme Allied Commander – goes as far as pronouncing that it is “a powerful case for the virtues and values that leaders must live by in the modern world”.?Blimey, I can feel world domination coming on!
I particularly like Holiday’s exploration of the word ‘No’ being a complete sentence, not just one word - and how moderation is not about abstinence, but about self-respect, focus and balance. Have a read…I guarantee it will make you look at things differently.
The idea of using nostalgia in marketing is clearly not new – who can forget?Ridley Scott’s 1973 Hovis masterpiece? This article from a few years back about the power of nostalgia marketing working so well with millennials, could equally have been written today about GenZ’s. But nostalgia plays an increasingly important part in all our lives when things get stressful – like the last three years with lockdowns, global warming making its presence ever more felt, countries at war with each other and all of us at war with our wallets.
The Queen’s passing has certainly made everyone stop a little and take stock, with nearly every memory she elicits being warm and positive – the possible exception being the period in the late 90’s following Princess Diana’s tragic death. Netflix’s controversial The Crown series has certainly done a great job in making the Queen come across as more human – and dare I say it, even more likable. Not that the same can be said for the rest of the Royal Family.
The idea of fake nostalgia is an interesting one – and something brands have explored for their advantage. The recent Lebron James film for Crypto.com took LeBron back to 2003 to meet his younger self for a pep talk. Look out for the amazing attention to detail within it regarding James’ own brand, like the photos of him and his wife at high school, the Space Jamz wording on the CD or the volume of the CD player being his jersey number 23.
But for a great example of total fake nostalgia, Lay’s used actors Paul Rudd and Seth Rogen re-living moments where Lays helped them through their fictional past. I love the idea of a brand that’s been around for over 80 years making up things that happened in the past to sell themselves as a long-loved brand for the future…(yep, I’m confused too and I wrote it).
Hmm. In retrospect, perhaps trying just a bit too hard on the nostalgia front? Here’s something that isn’t trying at all and my favourite link of the week...AMP started off as a passion project for its founder Simon Hawes, who was a fervent lover of the art of Star Wars. His interest (some would say obsession) led to him launching a website in his spare time, away from his day job as a Design Director. Now over a decade later, Alternative Movie Posters is a thriving market place for illustrators around the world to showcase their skills, with the specific remit of designing alternative poster versions of films we all know and love – and a good many we may not have heard of, but discover through this channel. Not only is it a very skillful use of nostalgic feelings, it is a great inspiration repository for designers and art directors.
I’ll leave you with Harvard Business Review’s summary on the power of the use of nostalgia… “Nostalgia is an important psychological resource that helps individuals cope with life’s stressors, build strong relationships, find and maintain meaning in life, and become more creative and inspired. By understanding how nostalgia works, managers can utilize its power to help their organizations thrive”.?Just look how Paddington Bear’s popularity has soared because of his relationship with our dearly departed Queen. Gawd bless you ma’am.
As always, we are curious to hear what you think.
Community Member at?BeenThereDoneThat
Creative Consultant/ECD at?CREATIVENICKP Ltd.
领英推荐
1. Have The Discipline To Find Time For A Good Read
Read Time: As long as it takes
In this much-anticipated second book of his Stoic Virtue series, Ryan Holiday celebrates the awesome power of self-discipline and those who have seized it.
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2. Old Is Still New
Read Time: 2m
Forbes’ Lauren Friedman article from 2016 stands up just as well six years later.
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3. The Way We Were
Watch Time: 1m
Made up memories to cement a lifelong friendship.
4. Movie Memories Made Good
Visit Time: The longer the better.
Seeing things from a different angle brings a new perspective.
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