Nostalgia is a complex emotion, one with infinite shades. It’s a great way to excite, inspire brand affinity and give your audience a warm feeling that they won’t forget. How to Implement Emotion Into Your Business.
However, it’s important to know that nostalgia marketing can also backfire if executed poorly. Here’s how to do it right.
1. Use Visuals
From fast food and breakfast cereals to gaming systems, many smart brands are employing nostalgia marketing tactics to appeal to millennials. It can be a powerful tool for engaging a younger audience, and it can help your business build brand loyalty.
Using vintage colors and fonts in your marketing is an easy way to bring back memories. You can also use popular culture from past periods to create nostalgic feelings in your audiences, such as music, movies, and fashion trends.
However, you must be careful not to include any elements that will evoke negative feelings in your audiences. It’s important to choose cultural memories that most people primarily associate with positivity – both in the past and today. Also, be aware that some societal norms from the past are no longer acceptable, such as the objectification of women. In addition, some cultural icons may not be as beloved in the present as they were in the past.
2. Use Music
Music is a huge nostalgia trigger for many people. They remember the lyrics, the melodies and even the feelings associated with specific songs. This is why a lot of nostalgic marketing campaigns use music from the past to capture their audience’s attention and interest.
This is especially true for Millennials and Gen Z who are most drawn to nostalgia-centric content. TV shows like Stranger Things, re-releases of favorite movies, and 90s fashion aesthetics (think Mary Jane shoes with strappy heels) appeal to these generations because they bring back happy memories from their childhoods and adolescence.
To develop a successful nostalgic marketing campaign, it’s important to find out what is most meaningful to your customers. You can do this by conducting a voice of customer (VoC) survey to identify what memories and feelings your target market associates with your brand. Then, you can build a creative campaign that capitalizes on those themes.
3. Use Social Media
You can implement emotional marketing into your business through social media. For example, if you share a heartwarming story that tugs at the heartstrings of your audience, they’re likely to react and engage with it. This will increase your social reach and help to grow your business.
Customers who feel connected to a company are far more valuable than those who simply use their products. They’re far more likely to advocate for the brand and recommend it to others. This is why it’s so important to make sure your marketing strategies are emotional.
You can create emotional content by adding vivid narratives to your advertising and website. For example, Digital Blonde worked with Greenville Appliance and Mattress to create a campaign that focused on the company’s hometown roots and homegrown customer service. This created a sense of nostalgia and familiarity with their target audience, which was very effective. Millennials are particularly responsive to nostalgic marketing because it reminds them of their childhood needs read more hear.
