Nostalgia as a Tactic for Marketers: The Use of Retro Marketing to Entice Consumer Purchase

In marketing, nostalgia involves linking a product, service, or brand to the past to create an emotional connection. While it has existed in marketing positioning for some time, it has become a strategy that marketers can take advantage of through retro marketing. Retro marketing involves relaunching a product or service brand from an earlier period, by using familiar packaging or product designs, to evoke a nostalgic connection among consumers (Brown et al., 2003). Through the effective use of brand attitude, product experience, and brand preference, companies small and large can use retro marketing to create a competitive advantage and entice consumers to purchase. This paper aims to discuss the history of nostalgia at a personal, historical, and collective level, identify triggers that can cause nostalgic bonding, and explore what entices consumers to purchase nostalgic products.