Have you ever felt the allure of nostalgia in the media? Like that time when the movie ‘Pixels’ came out? There’s just something about the old-school that always inspires a sense of calmness and relatability; an overall highly enjoyable feeling. Nostalgia can be a very powerful psychological draw, and the best marketing teams know that it can play a big role in winning over a target market, so long as you can get your cues right.

The Good Old Days

If you’ve ever felt the joy (or sometimes embarrassment) of reminiscing as you look back on old photos, then you know how much of a mover nostalgia can be. Such a feeling is worth considering in your campaigns, and if you’re looking for a nostalgic angle, then this new infographic by Spiralytics should help. According to Spiralytics:

“Nostalgia is defined as the longing for the past, especially for people, places, and periods with favorable associations. This human aspect of yearning is incorporated into Nostalgia Marketing – a marketing strategy used to associate the target audience’s positive emotions about the previous decades with a product or service to boost sales.”

Again, some pretty powerful stuff is right here. Nostalgia remains a potentially valuable aspect to consider in your marketing. Let’s take a look at some of Spiralytics’ findings. It starts by explaining just what nostalgia marketing is, which is ‘a strategy used to associate the target audience’s positive emotions about the past with a product or service to boost sales.’

The rest of the infographic employed an 8-bit visual theme, making it look as if it were ripped from a 90s video game. Nostalgia is said to stir powerful emotions, presenting some psychological benefits for people:

  • Helps people cope with loneliness.

  • Provides comfort during times of uncertainty.

  • Incites feelings of Hope and inspiration. 

The overview features several other ‘did you know?” items along with some useful marketing statistics that might help inform your approach. For example, 9 out of 10 people admit to positively thinking about the past at least sometimes. 54% of TV viewers rewatched episodes of their old favorite TV shows, while 55% of those who listen to music listened to tracks they used to love but haven’t heard in a while.

The last section provides some good examples of successful nostalgia marketing campaigns, which usually invoke pop culture elements that were prevalent during the 1990s, like the ‘Crystal Pepsi’ and ‘Volkswagen Beetle’.

The Wrap

Nostalgia marketing immortalizes the phrase ‘Old but Gold’. There’s an innate charm to the trinkets and practices of old, allowing them to still contribute to modern processes even if their time in the Sun was long finished. If you’re planning to launch a unique campaign, then consider going the nostalgia route, it might just nab you that dream audience you’ve always wanted.

Sources

http://bit.ly/3CXQiHY