When it comes to marketing, nostalgia has always carried a certain weight and it seems as though things are not changing.
YouGov has carried out a study that involves consumers explaining how they feel about the way in which their attitudes are impacted by the past and how it influences their purchasing decisions.
The study found that 90% of people look at the past favourably occasionally while 47% of those stated that they reminisce regularly. As they get older, people are more likely to look back at the past while Millennials claim that they reminisce more than that of older age groups.
To add to this, 55% of people said that if they had the chance to go back in time, they would with only 28% stating that they would like to go to the future.
Therefore, those who love to be reminded of the past were also more likely to say that their purchase decisions are driven by advertising.
In fact, when it comes to looking at the past decades, there is no indication as to which era was the best. When it comes to an era that people fondly remember, the 1990s stand out while the 80s, 70s and 60s are also positively remembered. In contrast to this, the 50s and the 2000s were not as fondly remembered.
As expected, different age groups have different memories and that relates to the decades in which they grew up.
When it Comes to Nostalgia, Music is King
There is a reason why marketers turn to classic songs or songs that relate to their target market. Therefore, if markets are looking to create feelings of nostalgia then it seems as though the most effective way to do this is through music. What’s more, there is a group of people known as Fauxstalagists, who are known to have a strong connection to a certain decade even though they did not live through it or are too young to remember it.
As far as music goes, the 60s was a highly influential era with the likes of the Beatles and many other bands leaving their mark.
So, nostalgia, from a marketing perspective, has seasonal triggers. Given that Christmas is just a few weeks away, it provides brands with a great opportunity to play on emotions and take people back to a time where they felt good all of which can help to increase sales and interaction.