“Future Nostalgia” was the name of pop star Dua Lipa's 2020 album, which successfully mixed 80s sounds with electronic dance beats. And the title proved it: Nostalgia has a future. It is a human trait to desire for “carefree times”, a sheltered childhood when the world seemed less complex – with a good dose of romanticism, of course.

This all-too-human feeling of dreaming back to that imaginary place of childhood or youth is also a powerful tool in the world of advertising and marketing. Since the pandemic and the increasing number of crises in recent years, this need seems to have grown even more. It's not just about the ever-cyclical return of fashion trends such as bell-bottoms or hipster jeans, but about targeted “nostalgia marketing” that taps into and revives an emotional connection a generation of consumers has with a particular phase of their past – and with the products and brands associated with it.

Revivals of once-popular products, re-issues of classic packaging or new editions of iconic toy lines do not happen by chance. They happen at times when a particular social generation – from Gen X to Millennials to Gen Z – is on the cusp of adulthood or “growing up”, and the longing for nostalgic emotions becomes more relevant in their lives.

These trends also come to the fore as the relevant audiences grow from adoring children to adults with spending power. In fact, the intervals between these “nostalgia waves” seem to have become shorter in recent years – a fact that is probably inextricably linked to our fast-paced media consumption and an increasingly diverse cultural and subcultural landscape. Gen Z, for example, is currently experiencing “Y2K nostalgia”, the revival of many aspects of pop culture from the early 2000s – a time that many in the generation did not actively experience.

As a result, nostalgia is no longer tied to decades in the past, but comes at shorter intervals, creating a longing for the cultural codes of a time that was not necessarily one's own youth. But properly understood, nostalgia marketing is not just about visual gimmicks or decorative retro packaging. It requires a deep cultural understanding of a generation's formative period and the needs that drove them to engage with brands at that time. It's about a deeper connection between the nostalgic and the purpose of a brand in their lives. Iconic brands from our childhood – such as Nintendo or Lego – have successfully tapped into our nostalgia for the time when we first met them. Proof that the power of brand heritage combined with nostalgia will always have a future.

Note: This article was first published in W&V.