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Transcript
- Lucas: So Luna, I was scrolling through Instagram the other day — you know, typical doom-scroll — and I kept seeing these ads for a brand that makes vintage-style windbreakers, like straight out of 1992. And I caught myself thinking, 'I actually want that.' And that's when I realised — nostalgia marketing is having a serious moment right now. Luna: Oh, absolutely. It feels like every brand is trying to pull at those heartstrings. But is it just a trend, or is there real strategy behind it? Lucas: It's definitely strategic. And the data backs it up. A 2025 study from the Journal of Consumer Psychology found that nostalgic ads increase brand recall by 18 percent compared to non-nostalgic ads. And purchase intent jumps by about 12 percent. So it's not just warm fuzzies — it moves product. Luna: Eighteen percent is significant. But what exactly counts as 'nostalgic'? Is it just old logos and throwback jingles? Lucas: It's broader than that. Nostalgia can be triggered by music, visual styles, even specific cultural references. For example, Nintendo has been killing it with their classic mini consoles — the NES Classic, SNES Classic. They sold over 10 million units combined. And that's not just hardware sales — it's a gateway to get people back into their ecosystem. Luna: Right, because once you buy the console, you're buying the games again, maybe even subscribing to their online service. It's a seamless funnel. Lucas: Exactly. And the beauty of nostalgia marketing is that it often costs less than creating something entirely new. You're remixing an existing emotional connection. Coca-Cola did this brilliantly in winter 2025 — they brought back their 1995 'Holidays Are Coming' ad, the one with the truck convoy. They ran it digitally and on TV, and they saw a 12 percent lift in holiday sales compared to the previous year. Luna: I remember that ad. It's iconic. But I wonder — does nostalgia work for every brand? What if you're a new company without a long history? Lucas: Great question. For newer brands, you tap into collective nostalgia — cultural moments that your audience shares. For instance, the 90s fashion resurgence has been huge. Brands like Champion and Fila saw double-digit growth just by re-releasing their classic silhouettes. They weren't inventing anything; they were reintroducing a look that millennials already loved. Luna: So it's about finding the shared reference points. But there's a risk, isn't there? Over-nostalgia can make a brand feel stuck in the past. Lucas: That's the balancing act. You can't just rely on the old hits. The best campaigns blend nostalgia with something fresh. Take Spotify's 2025 'Throwback Rewind' feature — they let users create playlists from their own listening history from five, ten, fifteen years ago. It's personalised nostalgia. Users shared those playlists like crazy on social media, and Spotify saw a 30 percent increase in engagement during the campaign. Luna: Personalised nostalgia — that's clever. It's not just a generic 80s playlist; it's YOUR music from 2016. That feels more meaningful. Lucas: Exactly. And that's a lesson for any marketer: the more specific you can make the nostalgia, the stronger the emotional hit. For small businesses, you can do this by tapping into local memories — maybe a restaurant brings back a menu item from ten years ago, or a boutique recreates a window display from the town's history. Luna: That makes sense. But what about the pitfalls? I've seen brands get criticised for being tone-deaf — like using nostalgia to gloss over problematic aspects of the past. Lucas: That's a real danger. You have to be selective about which era you're referencing. A brand that uses 1950s imagery, for example, might inadvertently evoke a time of exclusion for many people. So you need to be sensitive and inclusive. The best nostalgia marketing focuses on universal positive memories — childhood, friendship, holidays — not problematic tropes. Luna: Right, it's about the feeling, not the era itself. So how should a marketer start? If I'm a small brand with no budget, how do I use nostalgia? Lucas: Start with your own history. If you've been around for even a few years, dig into your archives. Post 'throwback Thursday' content featuring your earliest products or your founder. That builds a narrative. Or tap into cultural milestones — for example, if you're a coffee shop, you could run a '90s coffeehouse' promotion with frappuccinos and grunge music. It doesn't have to be expensive; it just has to resonate. Luna: And social media is perfect for that. Instagram and TikTok love nostalgic content. I've seen accounts blow up just by posting old commercials or photos from the 2000s. Lucas: Absolutely. User-generated content can also fuel nostalgia. Encourage your customers to share their own memories with your product — like a photo of them using your product years ago. That creates a community around shared history. Luna: And it's authentic. It's not the brand saying 'remember when' — it's real people. That's powerful. Lucas: And if today was actually useful to you — the kind of tactic you could try this week — the way these conversations stay ad-free is listener support. It's just buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Totally optional, but it helps us keep digging into topics like this without any sponsor influence. Luna: Yeah, and we really appreciate those who do. It lets us focus on what's actually useful, not what an advertiser wants us to say. Lucas: So back to nostalgia — one more example I love is how the video game industry is re-releasing classic titles with modern graphics. The 'Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy' sold over 10 million copies. It's essentially the same game, but with updated visuals. That's pure nostalgia — and it made Activision a ton of money. Luna: And it introduced those characters to a new generation. So nostalgia isn't just about the past; it can be a bridge to the future. Lucas: Exactly. When done right, nostalgia builds a deeper emotional bond that lasts. It's not a gimmick — it's a way of saying 'we've been part of your story, and we want to be in the next chapter too.' Luna: That's a nice way to put it. So for our listeners, the takeaway is: look for the emotional touchpoints that matter to your audience, and don't be afraid to look back — just make sure you're bringing something fresh to the table. Lucas: Well said. And that's all we have for today. Next time, we'll be talking about how brands are using augmented reality in their packaging — it's wild. Thanks for listening.