Nostalgia in the Media

In my opinion, there is hardly a feeling more complex than the emotions associated with nostalgia. There is the happiness of innocent memories but also the sadness that those times have passed. But, as complex as it is, nostalgia is a feeling we all crave. We all want to return to a simpler time, and marketers know this. A recent example I noticed was a Wendy's commercial, re-using the old catchline from when my parents were in high school, "Where's the Beef?" Nostalgia as a marketing tool is usually in advertisements targeted to an older audience, as that Wendy's commercial would not be understood by my generation (unless your dad has a story of getting kicked out of a Wendy's for saying that line to the manager when the server forgets to put a patty in his burger). I've noticed this tactic being used as a marketing technique in mediums other than advertisements. Movie or television remakes of nostalgic things are very effective. For me personally, The Avengers and the television show Once Upon a Time are hugely nostalgic for me and also happen to be some of my favourite things to watch. Sometimes I wonder if it is the quality of the shows or movies that influence my consumption, or if it is the reminder of simpler times they give me.

Wendy's used nostalgia as a marketing tool in its current Where's the Beef? commercial