Nostalgia Advertising and the Influence of Nostalgia Proneness

Nostalgia, or a “yearning for yesterday,” is a frequently used advertising appeal. However, the impact of a consumer’s propensity to be nostalgic, i.e., nostalgia proneness, has not been assessed. Respondents in this study were exposed to ads with nostalgia (test ads) and to those with no nostalgia or contemporary ads (control ads). The study first examined the influence of individuals’ nostalgia proneness upon the nostalgia intensity toward the ad and the nostalgia intensity toward the brand/company that sponsored the ad. Second, age, and its relationship to nostalgia proneness, was assessed. Finally, nostalgia proneness and its affect on gender was considered. Findings indicated that nostalgia proneness was influential on most of the variables examined in this study. Implications for marketers, limitations of the study, and suggestions for future research were presented