From Barbie to Bob Ross, it seems everything is getting a reboot these days. And it’s no wonder. Leaning into old favorites is bringing in big profits. When Adidas rebooted their classic blue sneaker to celebrate the anniversary of Billie Jean King’s victory over Bobby Riggs in the famous “Battle of the Sexes” tennis match, the limited release sold out instantly. Even after the shoes were gone, consumers who could not get their hands on them continued to flock to the website to purchase commemorative T-shirts and other related gear.
Why do brands leverage old imagery to promote new products? “When you play on nostalgia, you’re bringing people back to a simpler time, and the familiar comfort that comes with a shared experience with your peers,”says Jones Krahl, Deloitte Digital’s co-head of creative brand and advertising, along with Milton Correa.
Simply put, when people see these ads, they don’t just see the ads, they feel all of the old feelings associated with their memories of a time gone by. And these feelings are unique and different for every individual. While some may experience happiness, research shows that nostalgia also brings about a range of other emotions, such as feelings of comfort and security. And, if the imagery is relevant and authentic to your brand, consumers will naturally transfer all of those feelings to your product.
Nostalgia Marketing is not new, but has increased in popularity lately. Brands are increasingly featuring new takes on old narratives in order to hype their products. It’s now become commonplace to see things like the classic Nintendo being featured in commercials for the new Nintendo Switch.
Brands don’t have to be old to leverage nostalgia marketing. Even if your brand or your product is completely new, you can leverage imagery to bring about the positive feelings of yesteryear.
Here’s how:
- Understand your audience. If you are targeting millennials, think about what shared experiences they’ve likely had which would make sense to include in your advertising – featuring models with frosted tips or dancing to NSYNC’s Bye-Bye-Bye, for example.
- Don’t be afraid to mimic. Okay, maybe licensing NSYNC’s music isn’t in the cards. But a video that does show teens and young adults dancing a choreographed scene to boy-band music will still make your point, and be a lot of fun in the process.
- Go all in. If you’re bringing a specific era to life in your advertising, do it all the way. From fashions and hairstyles to color palettes and set designs, lean into every stereotype to make sure that nothing about your campaign is subtle enough to be mistaken or overlooked.
- Leverage your brand identity. Take inspiration from your company’s history, and your brand’s mission, vision, purpose and brand pillars to connect with your audience based on where you’ve been, and when you were there.
- Have fun. Nostalgia marketing is all about evoking happier memories, so do sell your product’s features and benefits, but don’t take your brand too seriously. Keep it light-hearted and fun.
Are you curious about how nostalgia marketing could work for your brand? Chat with us to talk through some ideas.
Gigasavvy is a content creation, brand strategy and creative agency that has successfully brought many brands to life with award-winning, authentic storytelling. Contact us to see how we can help you tell your brand’s story.
