Nostalgia Marketing: Why Retro Works
The nostalgia vibe is not just a passing fad – retro will never go out of fashion. It evokes comforting feelings and the idea that things were somehow better back then. But why is it so powerful? And how can you harness it in your marketing?
Why nostalgic branding is so effective
“The magic in new beginnings is truly the most powerful of them all,” wrote author Josiyah Martin. Researchers have confirmed this is true: “Firsts” have a special impact. We can all probably remember our first kiss, our first own apartment, and our first car. It’s much more difficult to recall our fourth cellphone or sixth holiday. Plus, there’s the fact that negative memories tend to be suppressed, while positive ones are nostalgically idealized.
Retro marketing: How to harness nostalgia
There is a stage in our lives during which we experience many of these moments that we will later look back on as highly memorable. The years between the age of 10 and 30 are marked by numerous “firsts.” This stage is known as the reminiscence bump: We can recall more memories from this period, and they tend to be tinged with a comforting nostalgia.
“Successful brands know how to tap into the emotional resonance of nostalgic elements and feed them into new customer experiences that differentiate them,” explains Kai Ebert, deputy chair of the Digital Agencies Expert Group within the German Association for the Digital Economy (BVDW). Bringing the certainty of the familiar and the fascination of the new together creates brand experiences that are emotionally anchored yet still surprising. “This synthesis produces a special kind of customer loyalty,” says Ebert.
“Consciously combining tradition with innovation gives brands a unique kind of lasting significance. This timelessness makes them less susceptible to competitive pressures and market changes.”
The nostalgia factor in architecture, art, music, and fashion
The exact point in time when we began imitating cultural styles from earlier periods is disputed by researchers. However, it’s clear that the conscious mixing of past styles has steadily increased since the 1970s and is particularly evident in fashion, music, and art.
Why everybody loves the nostalgia vibe
Trench coat, techno, or traditional tea dress – anything with the label “vintage” is considered ironic and trendy. Boomers, millennials, and Gen Zers are united by their yearning for memories of their youth. This also explains why artists and designers have been so instrumental in establishing the retro trend. After all, timeless works are able to captivate all generations.
And one thing is for sure: The young will also grow old, and they, too, will indulge in celebrating their adolescence. Nostalgia will never go out of fashion.
The nostalgia factor: Why analog is making a comeback
Within the nostalgia wave, there’s one big trend that may trump them all: digital vs. analog. We may be spending more and more time in front of our screens, but we long for non-digital experiences. And this yearning for the analog helps explain the success of vintage marketing.
British singer Adele sold more than 320,000 vinyl copies of her album 30 in 2021 – Taylor Swift notched up a total of 23.5 million vinyl sales in 2023.
Another example is photography: Analog film manufacturers, such as Kodak, were facing financial ruin but are now making a profit again. And the market for physical books is proving resilient, too, despite the growing competition from digital products. Annual global sales of printed books total around 64 billion euros.
Successful nostalgia marketing examples:
#1 Charly, the trigema monkey
In 1992, the textile manufacturer trigema released a TV commercial that showed a monkey dressed as a news anchor. Wearing a shirt, tie, and glasses, the chimpanzee promoted the German company. New versions of the advert followed over the years, but Charly the chimp remained a constant in the brand’s appearances. A digitalized version was released in 2018. At least two commercials featuring the real Charly are expected to appear in 2025.
#2 Bob Ross and Photoshop: “No pressure. Just relax and watch it happen.”
In the 1980s, Bob Ross painted his way across US television screens. His gentle, laid-back manner later made him one of the ultimate retro stars. Netflix re-released The Joy of Painting in 2016 and proved that Bob Ross is a true timeless classic. Adobe jumped on the bandwagon and released a humorous how-to video for Creative Cloud mimicking the style of the artist, who passed away in 1995.
#3 Uber Eats Wayne’s World
During Super Bowl LV in 2021, Uber Eats aired a creative retro commercial featuring Wayne Campbell and Garth Algar, the heroes of the cult comedy Wayne’s World. The hosts of the homemade TV show, shot in an Illinois basement, explain that they want to support local restaurants. Wayne and Garth swear that they would never lie to their audience and make blatant advertising.
Nostalgia marketing: Retro rules!
Evoking nostalgia is a powerful tool. Tapping into longings for the past creates genuine brand experiences that not only move audiences – they also form lasting connections. In an overstimulated world, the familiar provides a sense of security and orientation. Nostalgia awakens memories of a time marked by many “firsts.” This is why nostalgic branding is so effective across generations, regardless of whether it uses fondly remembered figures or pop cultural references. Vintage marketing that creatively links the past with the present does more than just capture the target group’s attention – it creates an emotional bond. Nostalgia is not a retreat into the past, but a bridge into the future.
