While most advertising focuses on the future, nostalgia ads and commercials transport us to a simpler time when our problems didn’t matter.
Nostalgia marketing encourages us to concentrate on what we know works rather than anticipating the next big thing.
We’ve selected 22 examples to inspire you with nostalgia campaigns that appeal to the nostalgic feelings of times gone by.
Nostalgia Marketing: The Power of Nostalgia Marketing
Jones Krahl and Milton Correa, Deloitte Digital’s co-heads of creative brand and marketing, say that playing on nostalgia can bring people back to simpler times and the comforting familiarity of a shared experience.
Correa says that while playing on nostalgia is not new, it has become more popular to put your spin on it.
You may be surprised to find out that we can spend more money when we are nostalgic.
The Journal of Consumer Research published a study that found participants were more likely to spend money on goods and services when they felt nostalgic. This is a big win for nostalgia marketing.
Nostalgic Ads: 22 Examples
We’ve gathered some nostalgic commercials to evoke fond memories of a time gone by by referencing pop-culture elements from the good old times.
It is proven that incorporating famous characters or scenes from the past into modern advertising will generate positive feelings among your target audience and encourage them to spend more money.
Nintendo
Children of the 1980s and 1990s will remember playing Nintendo video games together with their siblings. Many people can also not forget the sadness of drifting apart from a family member or growing apart.
This commercial brings back both memories. It tells the story of two Nintendo fans who grow apart as teens, then argue and finally reunite as adults to play the Nintendo Switch.
This nostalgia reminds people of what it was like growing up with siblings. It also reminds them of the fun they had playing video games when they were children.
It shows that Nintendo has developed its technology to allow people to stay connected with old friends and family members around the world.
Australia Tourism Board
Instead of advertising a traditional tourism ad, Australia disguised the advertisement into a star-studded trailer for a fictional remake of the 1980s film Crocodile Dude.
While fans of the Dundee original series are excited to see clips from the new film, which stars Chris Hemsworth, it is revealed that Hemsworth manipulated Sudeikis by tricking him into appearing in a tourism advertisement. Hemsworth, Sudeikis, and the rest of the cast agree that despite the trickster, their trip to Australia is still the best they have ever had.
It was a clever idea to capitalize on the TV and movie remake trend in 2018 and 2019 while still promoting the best of Australia’s tourism. It’s hilarious because it stars famous actors from the present, and is also for people who have followed the Dundee movies or the main characters of the fake remake.
Spotify
In 2016, the music streaming service Spotify introduced a new spokesperson — er, spokes dragon in a 30-second commercial produced by Wieden+Kennedy New York.
Falkor, his companion Atreyu, and the boy Atreyu are all characters in the popular fantasy film The NeverEnding Story.
W+K got the original actors (Noah Hathaway as Atreyu and Alan Oppenheimer to voice Falkor) to reprise their roles.
The two appear exactly as they were in the film, which was over 20 years old: gliding across the clouds with the dramatic theme song playing in the background. “I can’t imagine people listening to this song!” Atreyu screams. His dragon concurs; they laugh together and then speed off into a grainy CG sky of the ’80s.
Freia
Freia is a Norwegian chocolatier whose tagline is “Et lite stykke Norge.” The SMFB Oslo spot produced for the company captures the message simply and joyfully.
The story follows a Norwegian ex-pat in New York who is navigating the hectic fashion styling life. He finds a bar of Freia Chocolate in his fridge, which is otherwise empty when he returns to his apartment.
After only one bite, the man is inspired to fly back to Norway and visit his father to soak in the magnificent landscape of his native country. The stylist discovers a modest salon for sale near his home.
A taste of Freia Chocolate is intrinsically connected to Norway.
Adobe
Bob Ross, a beloved 1980s painter who died in 1995, saw an unexpected rise in popularity after Netflix added the classic TV show The Joy of Painting to its streaming line-up.
Adobe noticed that after his Netflix debut, Ross was a hot topic on Instagram. Adobe decided to honor the late painter with a series of tutorial videos that promote their new Adobe Photoshop Sketch iPad Pro.
This nostalgic campaign was centered around authenticity. Adobe and the agency Lekker Media worked with Bob Ross Inc. to ensure that every detail was accurate. They even went as far as to display the clothing Ross wore during his show.
Chad Cameron is a children’s illustrator who portrays Ross in the series. He has a relaxed and unpretentious demeanor that perfectly reflects the artist.
Adweek reported that “Bob Ross’s wish” was to inspire and encourage as many people to be creative as possible. Joan Kowalski is the media director for Bob Ross Inc. Adobe’s Joy of Sketching series shows that even a large company like Adobe believes in this hope.
Oikos
Full House, which originally aired between 1987 and 1995, has become a childhood icon for many generations due to its syndication.
Before Netflix revived the series with a reboot in 2016, Dannon brought together a few stars of the show for an advertisement for Oikos, their line of Greek yogurts.
John Stamos appears in this Y&R Vinicius spot with former cast members Bob Saget, Dave Coulier, and others. The trio does not explicitly reprise their Full House characters, but their dynamic is undeniably similar to their days on that sitcom.
Adidas
In 1973, Billie Jean King beat Bobby Riggs in a historic tennis match. The game was the very first time that a female tennis player faced a man.
Men were considered superior athletes in the era and prior to it. Even Riggs, who was 55 years old at the time of the match with King (who was 25), said that he could defeat a woman even if she were only 25.
King’s victory in the tennis match showed that Riggs was wrong. The tennis match also showed that women and men could compete on an equal basis in sports and other fields.
It also empowered women who, at that time, were stereotyped as wives or homemakers. King’s victory made it harder to ignore the fact that gender stereotypes are false and that women can win and lead men.
King wore a pair of iconic blue Adidas tennis sneakers while playing the match. Adidas released a limited-edition line of BJK tennis shoes in celebration of King’s 45th anniversary. Each pair featured the tennis legend’s initials and face.
Adidas created a simple series of commercials that showed Billie Jean King spray painting piles of shoes in blue. Here is an example of the ad:
Adidas also had booths at the U.S. Open Tennis Match, where fans could bring any brand of shoes to have them painted blue with Adidas’ BJK unique logo.
Adidas claims that the campaign resulted in a 20% increase in tennis shoe sales. Now that the campaign has ended, people are selling these limited edition sneakers on eBay from to $1,000.
Tesco
Old home movies are the epitome of nostalgia. This extended holiday advertisement from British grocery store Tesco shows us a family growing and aging over the years, as seen through their Christmas home movies. The ad, set to a touching theme, is meant to bring back fond memories of holiday celebrations for viewers.
Adweek quoted David Wood, former Tesco marketing director, as saying: “We wanted to show a real Christmas — not the airbrushed version, but the one we know from our lives.” Wieden & Kennedy, London, produced the ad.
Microsoft
This 2013 commercial for Microsoft’s Internet Explorer earned viral recognition as well as a nomination for the Webby Awards.
The narrator of the commercial begins by saying, “You may not remember us. But we met in ’90s.” The ad features all things from the ’90s, including fanny packs, Tamagotchi, and bowl haircuts. Even the Oregon Trail appears.
Column Five Media was the agency that created the viral ad. Its goal was to introduce Internet Explorer to kids of the 1990s.
The agency’s blog post said, “The idea that a brand such as Internet Explorer would be so forward-thinking to create a commercial with a focus on Gen Y was quite newsworthy.”
“Focusing on nostalgia for the ’90s, which was known to be popular among Gen Y, and yet not fully realized in video format, made [the ad] a share-worthy.