Marketing Nostalgia

Feel like taking a trip down memory lane?

You don’t have to go far.

Nostalgia can be found everywhere lately – from TV commercials set to 90s hits and store shelves re-stocked with childhood treats to revived fashion trends and reboots of 80s TV shows.

There’s a good explanation for why nostalgia has taken over in 2020.

Times of stress and trauma often draw us to the familiar as a way to find comfort and a sense of normalcy. The world collectively gravitated toward nostalgia during the COVID-19 pandemic, longing for life before lockdowns and quarantines. Studies show nostalgia even combats loneliness.

Marketers have been quick to capitalize on the nostalgia trend – with no signs of slowing down.

In January, both Pepsi and Oreo brought back products from the 90s and 00s, even partnering with the last-standing Blockbuster and asking people to share old pictures on social media.

Audiences are quick to bite on discontinued products making their grand returns, but what really makes nostalgia an effective marketing tactic is tapping into the feelings and emotions tied past memories to show customers the value of products today.

If You Market It, They Will Come

Take Major League Baseball. With baseball viewership in decline, the MLB tapped into nostalgia and hosted a game in Dyersville, Iowa at the location of the ballpark from the iconic ‘80s sports movie Field of Dreams.

It was the most-watched regular season game in 16 years with more than 5.9 million viewers.

The MLB proved that reminding people of positive emotions is a powerful way to associate those same feelings with your brand or current product.