⌛Why now’s the best time to use nostalgia branding

Welcome to Wednesday. If it were not such hard work, we could aim to make the world a better place today. Since it is a grind, let’s just aim to not make someone else’s day worse. 

Alright, today’s Feature Story will swat away the notion that using nostalgia branding is only for big corporations like Coca-Cola. Nostalgia can do lots of good for a business of any size. I’ve got plenty of examples lined up for you.

After that breakdown, pop a top on the following sections: 

• The Knowledge Base  

• Self Help (traps abound) 

• Facts & Stats (cart abandonment)

• Get Hacking (urgent trust issues) 

 Appetizer: Which TV series featured this fictional brand’s logo below? Answer here.

Now, let’s get into today’s Feature Story…

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Nostalgia Marketing Takes Consumers Way Back

Customer: “Do y’all still sell those BBQ sandwiches?”

Me: “No. That was 15 years ago, man!”

Customer: “That was the best BBQ I ever had. Y’all should start selling them again.”

This was a conversation we had about once every couple of weeks at my buddy’s beer store he used to own. 

People would show up out of the blue and want to buy a BBQ sandwich. We had never sold BBQ. But nearly two decades before, the prior owner had (my friend’s relative was the previous owner). 

These BBQ fans had left town and returned for whatever reason, then remembered those tasty sandwiches. Or their parents had bought them a BBQ sandwich when they were a kid. Another possibility was some local person just hearing about these legendary sandwiches from a stranger, then swinging by the store to buy one (15 years too late). 

Either way, nostalgia was branded into their minds. They’d never forgotten this amazing product, despite the fact that the BBQ was only pretty good, not amazing (according to the previous owner)!

The reason customers thought it was amazing? Nostalgia. The same reason my dad thinks another local business (long gone), Waters Cafe, had the best burgers he’s ever tasted.

Why did Nostalgia Branding Work So Well in These Cases?

I’ll tell you my theory in a second, but just so you know… research suggests nostalgic products provide “psychological safety and emotional anchoring.”

This can nudge consumers to purchase items that remind them of simpler, happier times.

Nostalgia also increases feelings of social connectedness. If you’ve ever been to a concert, you know how many people sing along who would never sing in public otherwise. Imagine how many people sing along with a band they’ve loved for 25 years.

Now, I never ate one of the beer store BBQ sandwiches. I did eat a few “Waters Burgers,” though, and they were good, but not the best. 

My dad doesn't wanna hear that. He swears they were #1. Undisputed.

Here’s why I think he and those beer store folks think so highly of these food products. 

They were young and had their whole lives ahead of them. Full of energy, hopes, and dreams — all that nonsense😅. 

So, naturally, nostalgia branding worked its way into their brains, without those two small businesses even trying to brand anything intentionally.

As humans, we remember our favorite moments fondly, and that goes for favorite time periods too. Quick examples:

• 7th grade and 11th grade were my favorite two years of school (I recall those periods fondly and more vividly than other school years).

• The first truck I owned, I can tell you exactly how the dashboard looked, and to this day, it’s my favorite antique truck model.

• Took jiu-jitsu for only a couple of years and wasn’t very good at it, but it’s an experience I recommend to everyone I know.

That’s My Theory

When your life’s going great, everything you do, the people around you, the food you eat… it all seems like there’s nothing better. Like nothing could EVER be better!

That’s created in the present (when you’re younger). Then, as you move forward in life (get older), it builds and cements nostalgia for certain things in your mind. 

Don’t get it twisted, though. People in their 60s can be nostalgic about things they experienced in their 50s. It isn’t only things that happen to us as kids or in our 20s. The past can hold nostalgia no matter what age you currently are. 

Not sure where to start with coming up with ideas for using nostalgia to bring customers closer to your brand? Let’s look at some actionable tactics.

5 Ways to Leverage Nostalgia Marketing

1. Create a timeline of major cultural moments that could trigger nostalgic responses for different customer segments.

2. Bring back discontinued products customers frequently ask about, and perhaps mix in some modern upgrades.

3. Temporarily revive previous versions of your logo for anniversaries or special campaigns (pro sports teams do a good job of this).

4. Business anniversaries — mark significant milestones with content that highlights your brand's journey (plumbing company could show off photos of their first work van side-by-side with a picture of today’s fleet of vans).

5. Encourage customers to share their memories involving your brand or industry. 

Number five has more storytelling opportunities than you can shake a stick at. Diners could be asked if they remember the first time they ate at your restaurant and who brought them there.

Another example is gathering quotes from customers who bought vehicles from your dad and mom before you took over the family car dealership.

Nostalgia Marketing is Powerful and Versatile

Even a new business can still use nostalgia to attract customers or clients. 

Your audience doesn’t have to be nostalgic about your brand. You simply need to connect your brand to stuff they are nostalgic about. 

No different than using holidays as “excuses” to run sales and special promotions. Holidays are “inside people’s heads.” Same as nostalgia. 

Why couldn’t you use Star Wars first hitting theatres on May 25th, 1977 as an “anniversary” promotion every year on May 25th? All you need do is tie it to what you sell. Lots of flexibility, when you think about it.

• E-commerce toy store is a natural fit

• Video marketing agency could use several angles on the theme

• Movie theatre could run a popcorn special, coupon code “TheForce”

I’ll leave you with a few more reasons below to dig deeper to find ways to utilize nostalgia branding tactics. 

There’s never been a better time to lean into nostalgia. With more people becoming disillusioned with the internet and the enshitification of everything, the good ole days will seem even “gooder” for many people.

Final Facts about Nostalgia’s Impact on Buyers

• Nostalgia often trumps other factors like quality or price

• Nostalgia marketing is particularly effective during times of crisis, as it provides a sense of comfort and stability

• Nostalgic branding personalizes marketing messages, making brands more relatable (Self-Referencing Theory)

Moving on to the Knowledge Base…

Self-Help

You may already know this but… Modern people are just as vulnerable to enslavement as ancient folks.

That doesn’t even include human trafficking.

I’m talking mental enslavement by countless entities aiming to addict modern people. 

There are unparalleled profits in creating addicts. Keep your head on a swivel and beware those entanglements. Unless you enjoy having a free mind only 50% of the time.

Facts & Stats

Bonus: ________ campaigns produce a 250% higher rate of purchase frequency than do ______ campaigns. Answer at end of email.

Get Hacking

A specific strategy to implement today

Easy thing to get hacking on today. Easy but urgent.

Increase your business’ trust factor. Go overboard with posting certifications, awards, real smiling customers, 5-star reviews, and big name clients.

It’s not enough to put these trust signals on your website anymore. You should also stick some in your social media posts, brochures, lead magnets, email signature, on and on. 

Why? Americans are getting ripped off to the tune of…

…$12.5 billion in 2024 due to fraud. A 25% increase over 2023, according to the FTC. 

Worse. Older Americans are often the target of fraud. So what? Every day in the U.S., 10,000 people turn 65. The number of “Olds” is expected to more than double over the next few decades to reach over 88 million people by 2050.

So make sure it’s plain as day that your brand is trustworthy. Especially if you serve older Americans, who are rightly skeptical of everything.

Thanks for reading Inbox Hacking. Please share it with your peeps - it’s sugar-free but stings a bit.

Shane McLendon - Copy Kingpin

Bonus answer from Facts & Stats section: Omnichannel campaigns produce a 250% higher rate of purchase frequency than single-channel campaigns. Keeping your brand top of mind across numerous channels drives more revenue (ClickZ).

"When the trust account is high, communication is easy, instant, and effective." ~Stephen R. Covey

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