Nostalgia Marketing: Did We Just Kill Advertising?
Monday, June 23, 2014
If you thought the nostalgia marketing bubble was due to burst any time now, keep thinking. Reputable ad firms are producing more “remember this” campaigns than ever, leading some to wonder whether this is now a permanent part of advertising.
Recently, AutoTrader.com launched a series of ads featuring the original Dukes of Hazard stars--not the actors who played those characters in the big budget reboot from a few years back. AutoTrader’s campaign is fun and memorable, and plays off themes Dukes fans will love, but you have to wonder: Have we broken the industry?
Hollywood Syndrome
When was the last time a major film studio backed an exciting new franchise? Godzilla, Star Trek, Josie and her Pussycats…you’ve seen it all before. And it’s not just the pulp! Studio execs haven’t met a Shakespeare or Jane Austen rewrite or spin-off they couldn't throw a huge budget and a pile of A-listers at.
Be honest: Every time you see a new trailer for an upcoming I dream of Jeannie or Voltron reboot, you worry nothing new will ever be funded. Hollywood has dusted off and propped up all the good ol’ days favorites, and we all know it’s just plain laziness.
If we all agree this strategy is sub-par, why are we marketers relying on lazy appeals to the characters and products we outgrew decades ago?
Nostalgia Sells
The short answer is nostalgia has worked pretty well for many brands. Sure, there are some disaster stories, like Nintendo’s downward spiral, propelled by appeals to people who love characters created 20 years ago.
For the most part, though, we love seeing our old favorites re-imagined and sporting the latest brands. Blame it on whatever suits you:
• Wistful longing for better days
• Regret over the loss of our 9/11 or pre American Idol innocence
• Acceptance of the fact Hannah-Barbera is relevant in any context
As long as our audience keeps rewarding our efforts to associate everything new with anything old, there seems to be no reason for the marketing industry to move on from lazy, cloying sentiment. We've become reliable machines, chugging along and doing the same things we've done for 20 years.
Recently, AutoTrader.com launched a series of ads featuring the original Dukes of Hazard stars--not the actors who played those characters in the big budget reboot from a few years back. AutoTrader’s campaign is fun and memorable, and plays off themes Dukes fans will love, but you have to wonder: Have we broken the industry?
Hollywood Syndrome
When was the last time a major film studio backed an exciting new franchise? Godzilla, Star Trek, Josie and her Pussycats…you’ve seen it all before. And it’s not just the pulp! Studio execs haven’t met a Shakespeare or Jane Austen rewrite or spin-off they couldn't throw a huge budget and a pile of A-listers at.
Be honest: Every time you see a new trailer for an upcoming I dream of Jeannie or Voltron reboot, you worry nothing new will ever be funded. Hollywood has dusted off and propped up all the good ol’ days favorites, and we all know it’s just plain laziness.
If we all agree this strategy is sub-par, why are we marketers relying on lazy appeals to the characters and products we outgrew decades ago?
Nostalgia Sells
The short answer is nostalgia has worked pretty well for many brands. Sure, there are some disaster stories, like Nintendo’s downward spiral, propelled by appeals to people who love characters created 20 years ago.
For the most part, though, we love seeing our old favorites re-imagined and sporting the latest brands. Blame it on whatever suits you:
• Wistful longing for better days
• Regret over the loss of our 9/11 or pre American Idol innocence
• Acceptance of the fact Hannah-Barbera is relevant in any context
As long as our audience keeps rewarding our efforts to associate everything new with anything old, there seems to be no reason for the marketing industry to move on from lazy, cloying sentiment. We've become reliable machines, chugging along and doing the same things we've done for 20 years.
Remember Creativity?
It’s a sign of the times that even consumers are nostalgic for the marketers of old. Remember when an ad manager would have responded to your pitch with:
“Dukes of Hazard? That’s been done twice already, show me something fresh!” Then he would have lit up a Marlboro, backhanded you in front of your peers and tossed back a fifth of gin.
Is it time to give creativity a second chance? If you’re afraid you’ve forgotten how to think outside the Nick at Night box, here are some exercises to jumpstart your marketing General Lee:
• Read a book
Shaking up your mental imagery can kick-start your brainstorming. Some of the most original imagery and ideas are being published in literary fiction and graphic novels. Take a break from your favorite marketing blogs and HBO movies for a few nights and earn some paper cuts.
• Resurrect the classics
Read up on marketing strategies people used prior to the television age to rediscover what used to get attention and influence people, and how to apply that to your audience. If you’re stuck in a reinvention rut, you can at least reinvent the classics.
• Remember why you outgrew all that stuff you outgrew
Change the way you think about the things consumers are supposed to feel sentimental toward. You stopped watching Two and a Half Men and ThunderCats for very good reasons, and so did your audience. Just because it used to be popular doesn't mean you need to subject the next generation to it.
What we do isn't rocket science, it’s persuasion. Shouldn't we have more in our toolbox than The Jetsons and Apollo 13?
Marketing Blog founder and top-selling author Michael Fleischner has been featured on The TODAY Show, ABC World News, and Bloomerg Radio. 
9 comments :
Thank you for sharing. I feel like this type of marketing should always be a part of the mix, But in recent years it seems like people are more into just putting something out there using something from the past instead of delivering original and creative content.
Its very nice blog.....
Thank you for sharing great information.
internet marketing company
Great post Michael, I must admit to being a sentimentalist myself.. I wonder whether the cycle of the economy is a major factor on this. I'd be interested to see the statistics. When things aren't great.. we all look back to happier times, relate to those.. our relative comfort zones I guess.. That said, I totally agree.. we should be looking to be optimistic and forward thinking.. new and fresh ideas.. Just like in the old days ;-)
Killing advertisement is a kind of killing business.Because advertisement and promotions only give the valuable things for the business.
Web Design Company India | Web Development Company India
I have gone through your blog in details. It is really very relevant and informative..... web design
You mention of reading the "classics" is something that most marketers miss in their education. I always recommend to young marketers to read the books from David Ogilvy.
Interesting! Let me share this inspirational story about one of the world’s leading companies in “FMCG: The Future of Fast Moving Consumer Goods”
“There isn’t a serious food company in the world that doesn’t have health and well-being high on its agenda, but none has been as single-minded as Danone.”
Check fmcgbook.com for more details.
This is enlightening! For more interesting tidbits on one of the world’s leading companies, see “FMCG: The Future of Fast Moving Consumer Goods"
In August 1915, a product was launched as Elkhorn Kraft Cheese: ‘The cheese of creamy richness – will keep in any climate’
Check fmcgbook.com for more details.
nice blog, in my opinion advertising is key the bring up any of your product, so it should be given much importance than any other thing in a business.
SEO services in India
Post a Comment
Please note that we reject all posts that clearly are leaving a comment simply to acquire a back link. Only comment if you have something of value to share with other readers.
Thanks!