Nostalgia Marketing: How to use Memories to Connect with your Audience
Waking up at the crack of dawn, expectant to see how much snow had fallen overnight. I’d rush to the window, lift up one of the blinds and peak my head in awe. Running to see if my family is awake, I urge my brother to grab his biggest winter coat and beg my parents to dig out the sleds from the garage. Once we were all suited up, we started to hike up the snow-covered hill. After what felt like days of climbing Mount Everest, we finally reached the top. When we finally got there, we’d spend hours racing down it. My dad giving us a big push to send us spinning. My mom is cheering us on, phone in hand, recording and commentating as we pretend to be in the Olympics.
After winning gold, we would scrabble for sticks, carrots, and old scarves to make sure we built the best snowman on the block. We finally wore ourselves out after a brawling snow ball fight followed by snow angels we wished could be stamped in the ground forever. Our cheeks red and hands frozen, we made a mad dash back to the house. My brother and I would reach for the Swiss Miss packets, looking to my dad to heat up the milk for hot chocolate to finish off the day.
That snowy day is a cherished memory for me. One that comes rushing back when I see a photo or an ad of kids on a snow day. Nostalgia isn’t just about our personal memories, but a powerful tool marketers can use to build emotional bonds between consumers and brands. By understanding nostalgia marketing, you can create meaningful connections with your audience, especially during the holiday season.
1. Nostalgia and the Impact of Memories in Marketing
Nostalgia. It’s that sentimental tug at the heart that brings us back to a time we wish to revisit. Formally defined as “a wistful desire or sentimental yearning for return to a period of the past”, nostalgia is often tucked away throughout the year, but seems to unlock when surrounded by something familiar. This sense of familiarity when the seasons start to shift and the stores begin stocking the shelves for the holidays have many of us thinking, “How is it already ____? ” You fill in the blank. Whether it is Halloween, Thanksgiving, or Christmas, nostalgia marketing is able to pull us into a comforting sense of familiarity as the holiday season begins.
Brands that use nostalgia in marketing strategies create a bond with their audience by connecting their products with common seasonal memories. This shared connection shows consumers that brands value the same experiences and traditions that we all know and love. It is a reminder that a brand isn’t just a business, but want to be a part of moments that matter to their customers.
2. The Psychology Behind Nostalgia
Nostalgia contributes to a number of factors that influence the way we think and feel. When engaging in nostalgia, there is a focus on selective memory, where we tend to recall positive moments from the past while overlooking the negative ones. Nostalgia also has the ability to regulate a person's emotions. The feelings of discomfort, stress, and anxiety can all be weakened when we think about the past with sentiment. Studies show that this memory reflection can lead to increased optimism, a sense of continuity, and social connectedness.
Another psychological tactic marketers can use is collective memory. This is when a group of people share the same memory which fosters their cultural or generational identity. It is not only a shared experience, but a core memory that connects individuals within a group. Marketers often use collective memory in holiday advertising, such as everyone gathered around a fire, or everyone super eager to open a present under the tree. These common memories are unifying and being able to share them with family and friends becomes a collective memory. This type of marketing is able to remind followers of “the good old days” as they think back to familiar scenarios which fosters an emotional connection to the product.
3. Memorable Nostalgia Marketing Campaigns
The holidays are the best time to put nostalgia marketing into practice. Brands can showcase universal generational traditions that many people can relate to.
In Publix’s “Holiday Surprise” commercial from 2008, they are able to capture feelings of family connection. Many people can resonate with having to travel far away to be with family or the disappointment of not being able to gather due to the hustle and bustle of life. At the end of the ad, the family surprises the son by bringing Christmas to him in his small, city apartment. This taps into consumers' own memories of holidays past of seeing their own holiday traditions reflected on the screen.
For a social media marketer, you also have to be able to tell a story through your campaigns and photos. L.L. Bean does a great job around the holidays of featuring nostalgic imagery of family and friends around a campfire, on a hike, or just an outdoor adventure. When seeing their content, a lot of it is user generated, so you know that these experiences are real and they are truly enjoying their time. In September of 2023, this carousel of photos was able to tell a story of what family life is like when apple picking. This is a common activity many families do in the fall and consumers looking at these photos can reflect on their own nostalgia and connect to the brand.
4. How to Incorporate Nostalgia in the Holiday Season
When thinking about content, make sure to consider the relatable, holiday memories that can resonate with many audiences, such as cooking, decorating, or gift-giving. These traditions are likely to be shared across generations allowing many different age groups and demographics to connect with your brand.
One thing about the holidays is that there is a lot of storytelling. This could be explaining a classic plot to a scary movie, how your grandma made the perfect pumpkin pie growing up, or that time you woke up your parents at 5 am to see what Santa brought you. We all have a story and if a brand is effective in sharing their own, they are voicing to the consumer that they are seen. Marketers should show that they want to be a part of their consumers' classic traditions.
In order to evoke nostalgia, you have to be able to induce moments and feelings the consumer can relive. Take advantage of putting yourself in your customers’ shoes! Depict familiar scents, sounds, or visuals in a campaign to transport your audience back to a nostalgic time. They will most likely listen and it will encourage customers to create new memories with your product. Your brand can then become part of a followers nostalgic stories and be talked about for generations to come!