In media and advertising, nostalgia-evoking images, sounds, and references can be used strategically to create a sense of connectedness between consumers and products with the goal of convincing the public to consume, watch, or buy advertised products.[1] Modern technology facilitates nostalgia-eliciting advertising through the subject, style, and design of an advertisement[2]. The feeling of longing for the past is easily communicated through social media and advertising because these media require the participation of multiple senses, are able to represent their ideas entirely, and therefore become more reminiscent of reality.
Due to efficient advertising schemes, consumers need not have experienced a specific event or moment in time in order to feel nostalgic for it. This is due to a phenomenon referred to as Vicarious nostalgia. Vicarious nostalgia is a feeling of wistful yearning for a moment that occurred prior to, or outside of, the span of one's memory, but is (has sentimental value)relatable due to repeated mediated exposure to it.[3] The constant propagating of advertisements and other media messages makes vicarious nostalgia possible, and changes the ways we understand advertisements and subsequently, the way consumers use their purchasing power.
Examples of nostalgia used for provoking public interest include revamps of old movies or TV shows, or books, such as Riverdale, the 2017 Netflix show based on the famous Archie comic books. Vintage, rustic and old-fashioned design styles, can also be seen in nostalgia-based ad campaigns that companies such as Coca-Cola and Levi Strauss & Co. use.[3]
Lizardi, Ryan (2015). Mediated Nostalgia. Maryland: Lexington Books.
