Nostalgic advertising provides comfort in crisis: “Marketers going back to what worked is a safe bet”

The recent trend of brands relying on nostalgia in their advertising is tied to the cost of living crisis, creative agency executives say.

“When the world at large is stressed, there is comfort in the familiar,” Paper Moose strategy director Annabelle Rogers told LBB.

“With high inflation, high interest rates and the cost of capital – when the economy is challenging, bringing up the past is smart marketing. When we are in a crisis, we go to safety. It’s a safe bet for marketers to go back to what worked.”

She went on to describe the industry’s “fetish” for new ideas, but believes the best strategy is to make the message more understandable to audiences.

“We’ve always reinvented, reinterpreted and remixed – we get new from the old.”

Take McDonald’s “The Original Mouthful,” Mazda’s “Zoom, Zoom” or last year’s remake of “Happy Little Vegemite” as examples. Each is a powerful revival of an old idea for a new age. They bring a sense of comfort to those who remember the original while increasing the value of the brand in 2024.

Abbey Jane, a writer from Bastion, believes that nostalgia gets “some strong criticism” and says that revisiting past ideas is a way to show respect to the creatives who were already there.

“A brand cannot exist without a solid foundation. Allusions to the past arise not from a lack of creativity, but from an appreciation of imaginative pioneering work,” she noted.

Olly Taylor, CSO at Havas Creative Group Australia, disagrees. “It’s easier and cheaper to settle for what you’ve done before and what’s been successful,” he said. Olly said that while it was comforting to hold on to nostalgia in our personal lives, it was completely useless professionally and was “holding us back”.

Nostalgia is not only used to relaunch past campaigns, but is also a feeling conveyed to the audience. John Lewis recently released a campaign celebrating the brand’s 100th anniversary. In the TVC, the change over 100 years is highlighted in a shop window. John Lewis has stood the test of time, the advert says.

Giorgia Butler, CSO of Innocean, pointed out that nostalgia offers a safe escape in times when traditional institutions such as marriage, education and home ownership are being redefined. The opportunity for Giorgia lies in what can emerge from looking into the past.

“But is playing it safe the only option? Or even a good one? Tapping into the past can be effective, but the real opportunity for brands may lie in exploring the new desires of today’s audience,” she said.

Daylight CEO Lee Lowndes sees nostalgia as a desire for a simpler time “when creativity, fun and building big, meaningful brands were priorities.”

Psembi Kinstan, Group ECD at DDB Melbourne, added: “If there is one thing that has eroded client confidence in Australian agencies and thereby dented courage in our industry, it is the decade or more of dangerous short-termism in the industry. “Give away all ‘nostalgia’ while the enemy gets dangerously involved.”

In a world where information is just a click away and uncertainty abounds, nostalgia has become something to hold on to. “It’s a feeling that everyone understands,” says Wellcom’s CD Oli Hammerton.

While nostalgia provides comfort, especially in times of crisis, the danger lies in how easy it is to wallow.

Scott Dettrick, national executive creative director at M&C Saatchi AUNZ, said: “Nostalgia is not a strategy or idea in itself. Plus, the world is moving faster than ever before. So if a brand leans too much on the “good old days,” it risks becoming irrelevant to a newer audience.

“You can celebrate history, you just don’t want to get stuck in it.”