Trending: nostalgia
Old is the new new.
Have you noticed that nostalgia is having a huge moment in marketing right now?
I mean, when isn’t retro cool? There’s something fun about imagining yourself in a different lifetime: a 50s housewife, a 60s mod, a 70s bohemian.
From Glossier’s vampy black cherry campaign and Adanola’s collab with Kendall Jenner which seems more than a little inspired by 90s icon Tommy Hilfiger, to Sabrina Carpenter’s current era of cutesy sitcom kitsch, retro has never been more current.
But why?
Have we run out of new ideas? Has everything been done already?
I don’t think so.
When times feel bleak or unstable, we tend to look to the past, what we consider more simple times.
And let’s face it, times have never felt more unstable. Rose-tinted memories of childhood, or even worlds we haven’t lived in but feel drawn to, are comforting and warm, and we need that right now more than ever.
It’s definitely a pattern - the twee, vintage-inspired fashion of the early 2020s came about not long after the 2008 credit crunch.
Now I wasn’t around in the 50s or 60s, and I’m a 90s baby so I don’t really remember much about it other than watching Disney films and Pokemon, but I’ll admit, sometimes when I’m getting ready for my 9-5, for a very brief moment I do think wistfully about how a floral-aproned Betty Draper lifestyle might have been easier. But then I remember that I enjoy having rights and a career, and I’d rather not be subservient to a man who’s probably having an affair with his secretary. Also, things didn’t end very well for her.
But why do some of us feel nostalgic for a period of time we didn’t experience?
Well, we only see the romanticised part. We see the beautiful clothes, the elaborate hairstyles, the huge houses on a one-income household(!!!) but the darker parts of those eras of time are kind of glossed over.
Tap into the trend
So, how can you bring a bit of nostalgia into your brand?
Aesthetic: take inspiration from vintage colour palettes and typefaces or even photography style to bring a bit of retro to your modern business.
Campaigns: check out old adverts and marketing campaigns and see if there are any elements that inspire you. Something I personally love is when a business takes inspiration from a completely different industry (Vacation sunscreen is a great example of this, taking inspiration from retro food advertising).
Memes: need I say more?
Audience: as always, consider your audience first. What’s nostalgic and relatable to them? What’s going to give them the warm and fuzzies when they see it?
Is this trend something you’ll be using for your own business?
Mwah xoxo
