Nostalgia Marketing

Nostalgia is a memory that one has, these can be triggered either by touch, smell or visually. Using nostalgia to market a product is clever way to market because it triggers emotions that can either be positive or negative associations.

An advantage to nostalgia marketing is when it triggers positive memories. This would cause them to purchase the product because it helps them to relive their good times that they have had and make them feel young again. Younger people can still be affected positively by this strategy. For example Pepsi and Mountain Dew had a throwback packaging. Younger people that have not experienced the old packaging are still drawn to buy it because it is retro and is “cool” to them. Older people buy the soda because they are familiar with the old packaging and have had good memories with it.  But the disadvantage to nostalgia marketing would be if someone had a bad experience with that brand before and would not be able to forget it. Negative associations could have been made with a product if that product broke when they were using it or even something not related directly to the product itself like a fight with a significant other while using the product. Nostalgia marketing relies on the person and their past experience instead of the product and its pros and cons.

Products that are supposed to be technologically advanced would not be able to use nostalgia to market their product. Technology is practical and needs to be up to date with everything around it so making it seem old would not help it to be seen as the most innovative product out.