{"id":21645,"date":"2019-08-07T10:15:33","date_gmt":"2019-08-07T09:15:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fifteen-staging.fifteen.dev\/blog\/the-stranger-thing-about-nostalgia-marketing\/"},"modified":"2019-08-07T10:15:33","modified_gmt":"2019-08-07T09:15:33","slug":"the-stranger-thing-about-nostalgia-marketing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fifteendesign.co.uk\/blog\/the-stranger-thing-about-nostalgia-marketing\/","title":{"rendered":"The Strange(r) Thing about Nostalgia Marketing"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nostalgia is a powerful emotion. A familiar smell, a long-forgotten song, a goofy character from a cartoon cancelled a decade ago. These moments are poignant reminders of lives well lived. This emotion has been used for decades to get a response out of consumers, one need only think of the hit Netflix series Stranger Things<\/em> to see how powerful this emotion can be.<\/p>\n

Stranger Things<\/em>, now in its third season is one of the world\u2019s most popular television series. Set in a little town called Hawkins in the 1980s, this series has, for the past 4 years, meticulously stuck to its nostalgic roots. Whether through obvious 80\u2019s tropes such as the shopping mall-style trailer for season three or the long list of references to classic 80\u2019s films such as The Terminator and Ghostbusters, this series knows how to engage young and old audiences with a nostalgic lens.<\/p>\n

\"Nostalgia<\/p>\n

This approach has also extended to their marketing with other companies such as Microsoft<\/a>. Microsoft\u2019s release of a \u2018new\u2019 operating system was teased on social media before releasing the \u2018all new Windows 1.0 with Ms-Dos Executive, Clock, and more!!!\u2019 Accompanied by a promo video Windows partnered with Stranger Things<\/em> to hit those nostalgic notes, reminding consumersabout the heritage of Microsoft and how it\u2019s been a part of homes around the world for decades.<\/p>\n

This model is by no means new. Coca Cola has always stuck to this strategy with adverts, bottle designs and even the brand typeface embracing their heritage and nostalgia. However, what is intriguing is why it\u2019s so big now. With technology accelerating more and more, why is it that society, and millennials who aren\u2019t from the era, so taken with nostalgia?<\/p>\n

What is Nostalgia Marketing?<\/h2>\n

\"Nostalgia<\/p>\n

Simply put, nostalgia marketing looks to tap into cultural memories from the past to drive goodwill and energy into a modern campaign. For most people, nostalgia taps into childhood and adolescent experiences and portrays them through rose-tinted glasses. This feeling has never been more relevant as our exposure to advertising, social media and information can make the world seem like it\u2019s moving faster and faster. Cue all the memes about \u2018adulting<\/a>\u2019.<\/p>\n

Digital media has become more impersonal too. Algorithms define what content and ads we see creating echo chambers and targeted content. People have largely fought back against this trend with ad blockers and a general distrust for \u2018fake news\u2019. However, nostalgia marketing<\/a> sidesteps this brawl with an important weapon as it taps directly into the amygdala, the emotional seat of the brain.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Nostalgia is one of the many ways to create an emotional hook and that is what all brands, marketers and SEO experts<\/a> go mad for. A few examples of successful nostalgic marketing include:<\/p>\n