6 Successful Nostalgia Marketing Examples You Need To Know

Does it feel like everywhere you turn, brands are bringing back '90s or 2000s pop culture? This is known as nostalgia marketing, and it's one of the most powerful forms of marketing. If you're unfamiliar with it, we're here to explain what it is and how to use it successfully. 

What Is Nostalgia Marketing?

Nostalgia marketing builds an emotional connection with consumers. It brings up positive memories from the past. Brands use it to create awareness and grab attention.

Have you ever thought about the past when life was simpler and happier? You're not alone. These memories of easier times bring joy and comfort. Brands want you to feel the same way whenever you think of their products.

The Resurgence of Nostalgia Marketing

Our world is filled with stress and uncertainty. It's no surprise that nostalgia marketing is making a comeback. People often find comfort in thinking about better times. Turning to the past helps them feel connected and at ease with familiar feelings.

Nostalgia marketing isn't new, but it's trending right now. People want moments of joy from their past. It helps them escape the uncomfortable present. 

Brands use nostalgia marketing to connect with their target audience. This is how brands can create stronger loyalty.

Nostalgia’s Secret Superpower: The Reason It Works So Well 

Don’t underestimate the power of nostalgia; there’s an actual science behind why it works so well. People are affected by something called “rosy retrospection”. 

This means our brains remember the past as better than it really was. When brands remind us of the past, they trigger happy chemicals like dopamine in our brains. These happy chemicals make us want to explore their products.

Millennials and Gen Z + Nostalgia Marketing = Besties

Nostalgia marketing works especially well with younger audiences like Gen Z and Millennials. Over 55% of Gen Z and Millennials are most nostalgic about the decade of their childhood. Over 35% are also nostalgic about the decade before they were born.

This shows that nostalgia marketing is actually about the happiness we connect with the past, not the reality of it.

Gen Z and Millennials’ appeal for nostalgia makes sense. They started their careers during a global pandemic, faced a shaky job market, and rising housing costs. It's no wonder they're looking for glimpses of joy from their childhood.

Also, since this group grew up with technology, brands that use nostalgia marketing with them are more likely to go viral on social media. Brands should create products and content that connect to their customers’ nostalgic decades. Of course, it needs to fit the brand.

Now let's unpack some amazing nostalgia marketing examples from brands that have done exactly this.

6 Successful Nostalgia Marketing Examples That Understood The Assignment 

Lancomé Juicy Tube Lip Gloss Campaign 

Lancomé’s Juicy Tube lip gloss campaign is one of the best early 2000s nostalgia marketing examples. Lancomé worked with popular celebrities from the 2000s to promote the launch. These celebrities included Chad Michael Murray, Ed Westwick, Paris Hilton, and Hilary Duff.

Each celebrity shared a personal memory about the lip glosses. Each memory connected to an early 2000s pop culture moment. These included movies and shows like A Cinderella Story, Gossip Girl, and Lizzie McGuire. 

The campaign went viral on social media and got positive reactions. The popularity helped bring new customers and longtime fans to the Juicy Tube launch.

Lancomé brought back early 2000s pop culture that Gen Z and Millennials grew up with. At the same time, they reminded people why their lip glosses are still so iconic. 

Kylie Cosmetics “King Kylie” Collection

This collection isn't one of the nostalgia marketing examples focused on 90s or 2000s nostalgia. Instead, Kylie Cosmetics' King Kylie collection brings beauty fans back to the 2016-era makeup. The collection celebrates the brand's 10th anniversary, bringing back popular products from their first launch. 

These products shaped the beauty industry and represented the 2016 makeup trends. Think of bold matte lipstick, big winged eyeliner, and highlighted cheeks. For example, the collection brought back Kylie's famous matte lip kits. 

Also, the packaging looked like the original designs when the brand first started. It included images of Kylie's memorable, colorful hairstyles. Who could forget her ice blue hair?

The nostalgia marketing felt real because the brand was celebrating an important milestone. They chose to bring back products that made consumers fall in love with the brand in the first place. People in the beauty industry see 2016 makeup as an iconic time.

Knowing this, the brand used nostalgia marketing perfectly to fit their audience.

Bliss x Gilmore Girls Collection

Bliss connected with fall-loving fans everywhere through their Gilmore Girls collaboration. The collection celebrates Gilmore Girls' 25th anniversary and features Kelly Bishop, also known as Emily Gilmore, as the face of the campaign. 

This collaboration falls under great nostalgia marketing examples. It shows how brands can use nostalgia to attract both young and mature consumers. 

Gilmore Girls has become known as the ultimate fall comfort show to watch when the season begins. It brings viewers joy and familiarity, even if they weren't around when the show first aired. 

The collaboration was a natural fit as Bliss is known for bringing a playful approach to skincare. The products have an adorable cottage-style design. Lorelai Gilmore would have definitely stocked these at the Dragonfly Inn. The collection focuses on what makes us love fall the most: cozy rituals and pumpkin vibes. 

Kelly Bishop provides a familiar face for younger fans of the show who may not know Bliss. At the same time, she appeals to Gen X consumers. As a mature spokesperson, she shows these products work on mature skin too.

Nivea x Juicy Couture #SkinLikeVelour Campaign

Nivea created the ultimate Y2K nostalgia marketing example. They launched the #SkinLikeVelour campaign with Juicy Couture. The partnership celebrated the relaunch of their Essentially Enriched Body Lotion, including a limited-edition collection of brand merch.

Nivea brought consumers back to Y2K fashion with velour tracksuits and bedazzled gems. The collaboration offered limited-edition Nivea blue velour tracksuits, a beauty bag (bedazzled, of course), and the new body lotion.

The partnership was a natural fit as the campaign highlighted the product's main benefit. It provides extremely soft and touchable skin like velour. Nivea built a Y2K world of nostalgia for their customers. They brought back the fun of what it felt like growing up in the early 2000s. 

McDonald’s “McDonaldland” Adult Happy Meals

One of McDonald's latest nostalgia marketing examples is their adult Happy Meals. The campaign brings back warm memories for all adults. 

Remember begging your parents for a Happy Meal with a toy inside? Now we're adults with our own money. We can finally treat ourselves to our own adult Happy Meal.

Many people grew up eating McDonald's, so it's not surprising that the brand uses nostalgia marketing often. It helps build brand loyalty.  

The adult happy meal includes limited-edition collectible tins with postcards and stickers. Each tin is inspired by McDonald’s characters like Grimace and Hamburglar. Fans have consistently shown interest in their characters. Remember the Grimace craze? 

This campaign shows McDonald's listened to their customers. They brought an experience that connects the past with the present in a modern way.

Dunkin’ Donuts Daydream Hotline Featuring Sabrina Carpenter

Among A+ nostalgia marketing examples is Dunkin' Donuts' Daydream Hotline ad. It shows how brands can use retro ad styles to engage consumers. The ad promotes Dunkin's new Strawberry Daydream Refresher made in collaboration with Sabrina Carpenter.

The ad takes place at a retro hotline center with Sabrina Carpenter as the "Daydream Matchmaker." She's glammed up in an '80s look. Think bright lips, curly volumized hair, and a pink suit. 

Every part of the ad brings viewers to the past—the landline phones, old cubicles, and even the '80s Dunkin' logo. All of these elements create interest and curiosity.

The campaign is playful and funny. It has a glamorous feel often linked to the past. This makes the ad engaging and builds a connection. Sabrina herself is known to be funny and glamorous, which makes the campaign feel authentic. 

How to Create an A+ Nostalgia Marketing Campaign

Ready to create your own nostalgia marketing campaign? Follow this framework. It will help you create a campaign that fits your brand and connects with your audience.

• Think About The Target Audience: Different age groups are nostalgic for different eras. Focus on a specific audience. This helps you create a story that resonates with them.
• Keep It Authentic To The Brand: All parts of the marketing campaign should tie together. It should feel authentic to the brand’s mission, history, or personality. This creates an idealized past that fans can enjoy. 
• Combine the Past and Present in Modern Ways: Memorable nostalgia marketing campaigns explore the past in new ways. Have fun with the past without reinventing the wheel.
• Spark Joy and Fun: The point of nostalgia marketing is to bring back playful, fond memories from childhood. Lean into it and make it fun.

Ready to Start Your Own Nostalgia Marketing Campaign?

You've just leveled up your marketing skills! You're now ready to use nostalgia marketing.

Remember the key points. Nostalgia marketing connects with consumers through happy memories from the past. During hard times, people look to the past for comfort. 

Millennials and Gen Z especially love nostalgia. But you should connect with your specific audience's nostalgic decade.

You can do this through pop culture throwbacks, celebrity collaborations, and retro styles. Most importantly, keep it authentic to your brand. Make sure it sparks joy and fun!

Now it's your turn. Pick your target audience and choose their nostalgic decade. Start brainstorming creative ways to bring back those happy memories. This is how you build lasting loyalty and a brand community that feels like home.

✍️ Written by Natasha Cancinos