Nostalgic for nostalgia

Cashing in on the nostalgic sentiment among the British public, last year saw advertisers serving it up, and often being rewarded with increased sales. As people feel increasingly burdened or even overwhelmed, they seek out warmth and comfort, and plenty of advertisers have been offering this much-needed ‘comfort food for the soul’.

2008 saw the launch of the big Hovis TV and cinema campaign, revitalising the delivery boy from the much- loved 1973 commercial. Depicting the boy running through scenes from Hovis’s 122 years, the ad is an emotional tour de force, unapologetically referencing the 1973 ad (which itself drew heavily on nostalgia). The British public were delighted, and and helped Hovis to achieve the fastest year on year value growth of the major bread brands: 13% (Dec 08 v Dec 07), vs. market leader Warburtons on 3%, and Kingsmill on 11% (as well as outselling Warburtons in Tesco).

Despite more adverts than ever proclaiming their product as ‘good for you’, Hovis ’08 was full-focused on nostalgia. The ‘good for you’ expression was dropped from the endline used in ‘73 in favour of simply: ‘As good today as it’s always been’.

Another endline to enjoy a well-received return in 2008 was Mars with ‘Work, Rest, Play’, echoing the classic sign-off.Mars’ brand manager said of the endline: “We are confident that this return will be as popular with the new generation of MARS bar fans as it was amongst those who remember it so fondly.” Nostalgia-driven advertising can appeal to young people by demonstrating a brand’s longevity; in times like these, nostalgia (provided it connects) can perhaps be as reassuring to young people as old.

Brands can also connect with consumers’ nostalgia by adopting a celebrity whose ‘golden days’ remind viewers of their own ‘glory days’. Snickers enlisted no less a man than The A-Team’s Mr T to drive tanks, fire chocolate bars at people, and generally be himself. The key with using celebrities is to make sure s/he won’t alienate any existing or potential purchasers – easily assessed by testing the ad before airing. Sainsbury’s enlisted heavyweight celebrities in its Christmas advertising. Was Sainsbury’s’ ‘best-ever Christmas’ in part due to such a combination of the trust generated Jamie and the down-to-earth warmth and entertainment embodied by Ant and Dec?

In these difficult times, successful advertising will be key to continued brand success. Executing nostalgia successfully isn’t just about nodding to the past, it’s about successfully creating those vital feelings of warmth and comfort. The challenge is to do it convincingly and credibly, in a way uniquely relevant to the particular brand. Already Guinness have revealed plans to leverage their unrivalled heritage by running a number of their classic adverts later in the year, in celebration of their 250th anniversary. With nostalgia back in fashion, advertising in 2009 is set to be just as interesting as ever.