A Bite of Yesteryear: Unpacking the Evocative Power of Nostalgia in Food Marketing

This study aims to highlight nostalgia as a marketing strategy used by food brands to evoke a feeling of reminiscence and sentimentality toward a particular product or sometimes an entire brand. We focus on discussing the different ways of eliciting nostalgia in a consumer through case studies of some brands. By analyzing both established and emerging brands, we explore how nostalgia reinforces emotional ties with consumers. We examined consumer reviews from an e-commerce platform to understand whether consumers mention their nostalgic feelings for those brands that leverage nostalgia. In today’s data-driven world, people are constantly exchanging their thoughts, perspectives, and opinions on different products through online platforms. A combination of word frequency analysis and sentiment analysis is used to identify and assess the consumer sentiments associated with nostalgia marketing. The findings indicate that nostalgia for food predominantly nurtures positive consumer sentiments and helps build an emotional connection with the brand.