By kcook@hubspot.com (Karla Hesterberg)

Nostalgia marketing is the advertising equivalent of comfort food.

In a time where most marketing focuses heavily on the future, nostalgic commercials and ads transport us back to a simpler place where our current problems don’t matter.

Instead of anticipating the next great thing, nostalgia marketing urges us to focus on what we already know works.

To inspire your campaigns, we selected 22 examples of nostalgia marketing that play on the bittersweet pangs of days gone by.

The Power of Nostalgia Marketing

“When you play on nostalgia, you’re bringing people back to a simpler time, and the familiar comfort that comes with a shared experience with your peers,” says Jones Krahl, Deloitte Digital’s co-head of creative brand and advertising, along with Milton Correa.

“While playing into nostalgia isn’t new, putting your own spin on nostalgia has become increasingly popular,” Correa adds.

We know at a gut level that nostalgia gives our lives a feeling of meaning and continuity, but you may be surprised to learn it can also make us looser with our wallets.

A study published in the Journal of Consumer Research found that nostalgic feelings made participants more willing to spend money on consumer goods and services — making nostalgia marketing a major win.

22 Examples of Nostalgic Ads

We rounded up some nostalgic commercials that induce a fondness for a bygone time by calling upon pop-culture elements of the good old days.

Incorporating famous characters and scenes from the past in modern advertisements is a tried-and-true way to generate positive feelings in your target audience, making them more likely to open their wallets.

1. Nintendo

Many children of the ‘80s and ’90s remember playing Nintendo-based video games with their siblings. And many people also recall the sad feelings related to growing apart or drifting away from a relative.

This commercial highlights both memories by telling the story of two Nintendo-loving brothers who grow apart, argue as teenagers, and then happily reunite as adults to play the new Nintendo Switch together.

This nostalgic commercial not only reminds people of what it was like to grow up with siblings, but it also reminds you of the great fun you had playing video games as a child.

Then, because the brothers connect and chat virtually as they play Switch games at the end, it shows how Nintendo’s technology has evolved to connect old friends and relatives worldwide.

2. Australia Tourism Board

Instead of promoting a traditional ad showing Australia’s most beautiful destinations, Australia disguised a tourism ad as a star-studded trailer for a fictional reboot of the ’80s film Crocodile Dundee.

As those who watched the original Dundee …read more

Source:: HubSpot Blog