Alongside Oasis’ much-publicised reunion this summer, concerts by the original K3 are a huge success and Diddl comics are also promising to become popular again. Imitations of Tamagotchis and Furbies are popping up in toy stores, while analogue cameras and flip phones are back in fashion. Why does looking to the past make us feel so good, and why we are happy to pay for it?
Nostalgia seems to be very popular, and brands are capitalising on that. Why are we so susceptible to nostalgia? Barbara Briers is a professor of consumer behaviour at the University of Antwerp. She spoke to Radio 2’s consumer programme, WinWin, about about the pleasure we experience when we relive things from the past.
“Nostalgia is a social emotion in which you think back to a positive experience from the past that still has value today,” she says. “It also has a social character. And if you can recapture that nostalgia by reliving products or songs with fond memories, you feel that social connection from the past again.”
We become impulsive when we experience nostalgic feelings, and our rationality fades a little
That, according to Briers, is what makes nostalgia so enjoyable: “We are social beings and need that social connection.”
Interestingly, to relive those feelings from the past, you don’t need to be with the people you made the memories with. “You can also experience nostalgia with new people by thinking back to the past.”
A fundamental need
Nostalgia is something that belongs to all generations and all times. Briers: “I think nostalgia has always existed, precisely because it is such a fundamental need.”
However, she points out that there can be individual and situational differences: certain people are more susceptible to it than others, and context plays a role. In uncertain times, or times of loneliness, nostalgia is triggered even more, and you start looking for social connection. And vice versa: when you experience nostalgia, it gives you a feeling of social connection.
“You always fall back on a period in the past that made you feel good,” says Briers. While a growing adolescent may be more nostalgic for their childhood, adults may be more likely to experience nostalgia for their student days.
Money to spend
We also have money to spend on nostalgia: young adults, for example, go to K3 concerts several times or buy all the merchandise. Oasis fans pay for a weekend trip to the UK on top of the ticket for the concert.
That doesn't surprise Briers: “We become impulsive when we experience nostalgic feelings, and our rationality fades a little.”
We are social beings and need that social connection
We’re then easily persuaded to buy a ticket or merchandise. Want to keep it budget-friendly? Take a look in your own closet, in your attic, or among your parents’ or grandparents’ old clothes and toys. You can also often find nostalgic products at a lower price on second-hand websites, apps or at flea markets.
Brand loyalty
“Brands that market nostalgic products or relaunch a music group are automatically viewed positively by consumers,” says Briers. “Because consumers are also brand loyal, companies can play with this. They often don’t come up with just one thing, but an entire collection, or they sell physical gadgets alongside tickets to a music performance.”
She also notes that companies influence each other in this regard: “When companies notice that nostalgia is popular with a certain group or generation, they start to capitalise on it to get a piece of the pie.”