On May 20, 2022, Wang Xinling quickly returned to the stage in “Riding the Wind and Waves” – her singing voice awakened countless Chinese people’s youth. In an instant, the magic of “the good old days” quickly swept across the entire country.

For Chinese social media, “nostalgia” is also one of the most effective marketing tactics. For everyone, beautiful memories can cover all the dust. People are always full of nostalgia for the good old days, and in their free time, they will try their best to find traces of the past. And the marketing strategy of “nostalgia” has entered the market in this way.

Wang Xinling sang her own songs on the program, accompanied by dancing

Why use “nostalgia marketing”, and how can new and old brands use it?

“Nostalgia marketing” for old brands

An old brand must have gone through years of precipitation, become well-known to the public, and even accompanied most people throughout their childhood and youth. It is precisely because of this that old brands can use their past glory to awaken people’s memories of the good old days.Today, there is a trend in Chinese social media.

Example: Wahaha AD calcium milk, which is now back in people’s vision, has classic packaging that makes countless people born in the 80s and 90s feel like they have returned to their childhoods. AD calcium milk has become popular again: In June 2021, its revenue reached 51.915 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 18.04%. Before that, in 2020, due to good sales, Wahaha also took advantage of the situation to innovate and launched a 450ml size, and the price began to enter the 5-yuan era – this is also the magic of “nostalgia”.

Wahaha at various prices on supermarket shelves

“nostalgia marketing” strategy for new brands

The main problem that new brands face is that they do not have a good consumer base, so they can start from people’s shared emotions to achieve a hit. For example, linking your brand to people’s memories.Chinese social media such as Xiaohongshu are its main positions.

Example: On Xiaohongshu, many wedding photo bloggers have launched “nostalgia series” wedding photos, which quickly became popular. The nostalgia series of wedding photos also contains memories of youth, even if it is the memory of the last generation. The sunny and simple style touches people’s souls. Based on this foundation, the new brand is known to people at a faster rate.

Nostalgic wedding photos

Life may temporarily erode passion, but it will always reignite it

“nostalgia marketing” is not just about benefiting oneself – in today’s rapidly changing society, everyone’s harbor is buried deep inside. The most important significance of “nostalgia marketing” is to help people rediscover the romance in their hearts and rekindle their passion for life.

Example: Before the 2013 Spring Festival, Tencent launched a public service advertisement. The content was that a couple went home for the New Year. The woman recalled the scene of chatting with her husband in the snow and ice when they were in love. When the woman was about to leave, the man said, “Let’s chat for a while.” After many years of erosion, passion has been worn down by life, but when she remembered the past in the snow, her husband suddenly appeared and said, “Let’s chat for a while.”

In this moment, the audience was taken back to their own youth.Even though TV advertising is no longer the mainstream nowadays, the rise of Chinese social media has given publicity means a broader position.

Original video link:
https://www.baidu.com/link?url=IP4hzlAohYbTqnh_jJrEDNAxkVNRc8K0VFceZMt5BgEKFYsz5rAlj5CN_praXEAQyOkIYYCcqIDrFAUNHli5IrmQx6ZPFSKP_U7KJsD6VJm&wd=&eqid=cd63a99e0002fbea000000066417d980

A man in love requests to chat with his lover for a while longer .Public service advertisements before the Spring Festival in 2013

This advertisement has touched many viewers with its unique sentimentality. The reason why “nostalgia marketing” is more effective than other marketing methods is that everyone’s heart yearns for beauty and is full of nostalgia for their youthful life. People cannot simultaneously have youth and the feelings associated with it, so everyone wants to find their initial feelings. “Nostalgia marketing” is designed to help people rediscover those feelings.