Friday night, after a hectic week at school. Mom's cooking in the kitchen, a Spice Girls song playing in the background on the radio. Some place we all miss and long for yet have never been to. The nostalgic feeling that has Gen-Z in a grip, pining for the 90's. The same thought that brands have been capitalising on generating throw-back products and back-in-style trends. For a while, branding and advertising catering to Gen-Z has focused on retro aesthetics, throwback music, and movie / T.V. show references from the 90s. Vibrant, pixelated graphics, old-school devices (such as flip phones and cassette tapes) and neon colour schemes are amongst popular trends in advertising, which induce a longing for easier times. Ads also incorporate 90's music and pop songs, creating an emotional attachment to the product. Brands often re-release limited-time products from the 90s, such as sneakers, fashion, and digital devices (like Polaroid cameras). This limited-time availability, combined with the invoked feeling of nostalgia, creates appeal for the product. An excellent example of this is Coca-Cola's partnership with Stranger Things. Stranger Things, the Netflix show loved by Gen-Z, incidentally uses the same marketing techniques by setting the entire show in the 1980s-90s. In collaboration with Stranger Things, Coca-Cola utilised the perfect opportunity of the season 3 release and decided to relaunch a failed formula of Coke called "New Coke” from 1985. Coca-Cola carried this out efficiently, going as far as re-creating a game arcade that resembles the one from the show and including a significant part of the show, the “upside-down," which, if found, gives you access to “New Coke” for free. Brands like McDonald's have also been seen using the same tactic by introducing throw-back meals at prices similar to those of the 90s. It featured sauces from three decades, and the packaging featured the old McDonald's logo with retro aesthetics and colours. Tamagotchi, too, re-released the original version of their virtual pet from the 90s for their 20th anniversary, exclusively available in Japan for a limited time. In honour of the Air Max, Nike also released a shoe version that caters to the original in the 90s. Brands are always looking for new and creative ways to engage with consumers. Nostalgia marketing can create stronger emotional bonds with modern consumers, which drives brand loyalty. Brands that have realised this and perfected this art have given rise to an entirely new yet old era of branding and aesthetics by bringing back memories of bygone eras.
Source : hypebeast.co
Source: campaignlive.com
21 Oct 2024
Meera Rajeev
