Cloudways’ Suhaib Zaheer: why nostalgia is the message of the moment
Remember when.? That one simple question is currently driving a marketing revolution. Nostalgia is having a moment, and smart businesses are cashing in.
This started long before Oasis almost broke the internet with their reunion earlier this summer. Across 2024 Blur, Pulp, and Girls Aloud have all returned to the stage, capitalising on their fans’ rose-tinted memories of a bygone era. Even Taylor Swift – who has never left the spotlight – has tapped into the power of nostalgia to break record after record after record.
These sepia tones aren’t restricted to the music industry. Bergerac, Gladiators and Baywatch are back on the small screen. Y2K fashion – including butterfly graphics, low-rise jeans and nameplate necklaces – dominates, and Camden has even opened the UK’s first Tamagotchi shop. Let that sink in.
We live in a world of constant innovation, so why are consumers flocking to the familiar? Perhaps amid global uncertainty, nostalgia offers a psychological anchor. It can often be used as a coping mechanism, providing comfort and a sense of continuity. But how can marketers tap into nostalgia within their strategies without falling into the trap of simply rehashing the past? How can they balance the allure of yesterday with tomorrow’s need for innovation and relevance?
Nostalgia as a business strategy
Contradictory though it may sound, nostalgia isn’t just about looking back. It’s a powerful trend to drive businesses forward and help them differentiate themselves in a saturated market. Brands that tap into this need for familiarity can create powerful emotional connections with consumers. Kantar’s Link Ad research reveals ads with nostalgic elements show a 15-point increase in enjoyability and a 9-point increase in emotional connection. ]
We’ve seen beer brands borrow plot beats and visual style from It’s A Wonderful Life, while elsewhere an animated carrot emulates Home Alone for Aldi below). I anticipate many more as festive adverts begin to hit our screens. By tapping into shared memories and emotions, brands can cut through the noise of constant innovation and quickly establish a unique identity that resonates across generations.
This strategy goes beyond simply marketing – it’s about creating a bridge between the past and the present, appealing to long-time customers and new audiences alike. Once again, take Taylor Swift as an example. By re-recording her earlier albums, she not only reconnected with her original fan base, but also introduced her early work to a new generation of listeners. Similarly, the revival of Gladiators appeals to those who watched the original series while also attracting a fresh audience curious about a 90s cultural phenomenon.
By skilfully blending nostalgic elements with contemporary offerings, businesses can create a sense of reliability and familiarity that feels both comforting and exciting. This approach allows companies to stand out, offering consumers something valuable: a connection to their past alongside the promise of future innovation.
Balancing nostalgia with innovation
The best practitioners of nostalgia have created products and services that feel both innovative and familiar, offering the comfort of yesterday alongside cutting-edge, modern features.
This blend of nostalgia and innovation taps into a deeper consumer desire for products and services that are not just new, but also reliable and trustworthy. Many people are nostalgic for a time when things seemed to work more consistently, without the constant updates and potential glitches of modern technology. To create a strong sense of reliability, some tech companies are reimagining traditional IT services with a modern upgrade. They’re developing platforms that combine the reliability and simplicity of old-school hosting with the power and flexibility of contemporary cloud technology. These solutions offer businesses a sense of dependability while still providing the advanced infrastructure needed to compete and scale in today’s fast-paced digital landscape.
For marketers promoting these solutions, the challenge lies in crafting messages that resonate with both the nostalgia for reliable systems and the excitement of cutting-edge technology. Campaigns can highlight how these platforms offer the ‘best of both worlds’ – the trustworthiness of familiar systems combined with modern capabilities. This approach allows marketers to tap into the same emotional resonance driving the broader nostalgia trend while addressing practical business needs.
While nostalgia can evoke memories of a time when technology seemed simpler and more reliable, it’s important to recognise that our expectations have evolved. Today’s consumers often have rose-tinted glasses about our past technologies, forgetting the limitations and frustrations of earlier systems. In reality, our impatience with technical issues has grown alongside the rapid pace of innovation.
Take the Oasis ticket sale, which left so many fans eager to relive the nostalgia of their youth frustrated due to overloaded servers. The incident underscored the need for robust, scalable hosting solutions that can handle traffic surges without compromising on speed or user experience. In an era where nostalgia drives high-stakes online events, the technology supporting these moments must be as reliable as the memories they’re trying to recreate.
The appeal of nostalgia shows no signs of waning. The past sells. For businesses, the challenge – and opportunity – lies in harnessing this powerful emotion to create meaningful connections with consumers. However maintaining relevance while leveraging the raw, emotional power of nostalgia is a delicate balance. It requires creativity and a deep understanding of a brand’s heritage, as well as an audience’s evolving needs. Some things are better left in the past, after all. When done right, it can create a powerful, lasting connection which spans generations and drives long-term success.
Perhaps the most successful businesses will be those that can evoke the warm glow of nostalgia while confidently stepping into the future. They’ll remind us of where we’ve been, excite us about where we’re going, and make us feel at home every step of the way.
Suhaib Zaheer is senior vice president & general manager, Cloudways.
