Author: Boran Şuekinci
Publication date: 29.06.2024
Nostalgia is such a powerful feeling that it was even considered as a mental illness in the past. Needless to say this perception has changed greatly over time as later research showed that nostalgia is a bittersweet but ultimately healthy state of mind with possible psychological benefits. However, even these early statements alone is enough to show how much of an impact nostalgia can have over people. Many companies use nostalgia to create brand loyalty and promote their brand through nostalgia marketing. In this article we will try to discuss nostalgia marketing alongside nostalgia in general.
Understanding Nostalgia
Nostalgia is a complex emotion rooted in many different factors of the human psyche. It originally comes from the Greek words nostos (return/homecoming) and algos (pain) and is considered a bittersweet state derived both from the joy of reminiscing about the happy memories of past and the pain of knowing that these times from the past are now over. To put it simply, it can be described as a love and desire towards certain things in the past.
There are multiple reasons behind our need for nostalgia. For starters nostalgia helps people in determining their own identity. Remembering your past and looking to the things from your past that you liked, that were around you or that were connected to you in other ways imbues the awareness of a personal history. This personal history which also includes many personal preferences and qualities in turn strengthens the persons sense of self.
Furthermore, nostalgia is also a very communal feeling which helps fulfill people’s need for connection. Just like how a remembrance of personal history can help strengthen a personal identity, a remembrance of shared past experiences (such as family gatherings) can also create a group identity. After all, feeling nostalgic towards shared experiences would also come with feeling a sense of connection and desire towards the group you shared it with.
Dark Side of Nostalgic Experience
One important thing to mention for the sake of ethics when it comes to talking about nostalgia regarding nostalgia marketing is that the perception of the past stemming from nostalgia isn’t always an authentic version of the said past but an idealized version of it. The way our memories are stored in our brain isn’t our brain keeping an exact copy of our memories from the past but rather our brain recreating memories in the present. Therefore, the way we perceive the past is not always fully objective. Instead, it is affected by our situation in the present.
Creating a Nostalgic Brand Experience
Nostalgia marketing basically means using nostalgia in order to evoke certain past experiences and the emotions that come with those experiences in your customers through your marketing. The way in which nostalgia helps define an identity can help form a brand identity both on an individual and a communal level. Furthermore, imbuing a nostalgic sentiment into your brand can help the consumer form an emotional connection to the brand and as a result keep coming back.
An important thing to consider when using marketing for nostalgia purposes is your target audience. Different groups have different ways in which they are pulled towards nostalgia. For example, a group of people who are away from the environment they are familiar with such as a family who moved to a new country could turn to nostalgia looking for remnants of their old lifestyles while young people growing up in an age of rapid development could turn to nostalgia in order to have a sense of stability at a constantly changing environment.
One good example of nostalgia marketing is this video about Pokemon. The video starts with a group of friends walking together in a road filled with greenery and peaceful music on the background. It then recounts some of the iconic scenes and characters in Pokemon while showing people living good lives through Pokemon and ends with the same group of friends walking again. The whole video creates the sensation of a life well lived through Pokemon with people enjoying the Pokemon world together. It then ends in a way which gives the feeling of “adventure goes on” connecting the past and the present.
Balancing Nostalgia with Innovation
Nostalgia’s affiliation with the past brings the question of whether nostalgia and innovation could fit together but research shows that while nostalgic sentiment has some aspects that discourage change, the sense of security which comes from the feelings of belonging in a group that comes with nostalgia makes people more confident towards the future and more welcoming towards change. With that being said, not every product has the same affinity towards nostalgia marketing and whether the thing that’s being marketed would work well when marketed through nostalgia should be considered.
Conclusion
Nostalgia is a very powerful feeling with immense potential to attract customers to brands. As long as the way which the marketing campaign is directed towards is considered carefully, nostalgia marketing can not only make the consumers feel sentimental towards a product but also create a brand identity which the consumers could feel loyal to.
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