The power of nostalgia
How we can leverage nostalgia in marketing.
Nostalgia isn’t just about the past—it also shapes the future of marketing. It’s about tapping into emotional connections that still resonate today. Tom Huijgen, Creative Strategist at Serviceplan Amsterdam, explains how we can let nostalgia work for us, especially going forward.
“Future Nostalgia” was the title of pop star Dua Lipa’s 2020 album, which successfully combined ‘80s sounds with electronic dance beats. With this, Dua Lipa also proves that nostalgia has a future. It’s only human to long for “carefree times,” for the warmth of childhood when the world seemed less complicated—albeit with a hefty dose of romanticization.
The impact of nostalgia in contemporary marketing
That feeling of homesickness for the ideal place from our childhood or youth is a powerful tool in the world of advertising and marketing. Since the pandemic and the challenges of recent years, this need has only grown stronger. It’s not just about recurring fashion trends like flared pants or hipster jeans, but about targeted “nostalgia marketing” that taps into—and re-establishes—an emotional connection with a generation of consumers and a specific period from their past, along with the products and brands associated with it.
Generations and their longing for the past
The revival of once-popular products, the reissuing of classic packaging, or the launch of new editions of iconic toys don’t occur by chance. They surface when a certain generation—from Gen X to Millennials and Gen Z—reaches or has just entered adulthood, and the need for nostalgic feelings becomes important once more in their lives.
These trends also emerge as the audience transitions from admiring children into adults with purchasing power. The intervals between these “nostalgia waves” appear to have shortened in recent years—likely tied to our rapid media consumption and an increasingly diverse cultural and subcultural landscape. Gen Z, for example, is currently experiencing “Y2K nostalgia,” with many aspects of early 2000s pop culture becoming popular again—a period many in this generation didn’t even consciously live through.
More than just retro packaging
As a result, nostalgia is no longer confined to past decades but emerges in increasingly shorter cycles. This leads to a desire for cultural elements from times that weren’t necessarily part of our own childhood. But nostalgia marketing is more than visual tricks or retro packaging. It requires a deep cultural understanding of a generation’s formative years and the needs that drew them to certain brands at the time. It’s about forging a deeper connection between nostalgic feelings and the role a brand plays in their lives.
Iconic brands from our childhood—like Nintendo or Lego—have successfully capitalized on our nostalgia for the moments when we first discovered them. This shows that the power of a brand’s heritage, combined with nostalgia, will always have a place in the future.
Author: Tom Huijgen, Creative Strategist at Serviceplan Amsterdam.
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