Many would argue that constant connectivity has created a generation that only appreciates the momentary, and while that is probably true since many Millennials appreciate timely news and concise communications, you may be surprised to hear of another category that resonates with Millennials: Nostalgia.
Here is a comical video of Millennials evoking nostalgia...
My fellow Millennials and I are now in a phase of life where we have developed a great fondness for sharing our favorite pastimes like slap braclets, Power Rangers, arcade games, and Super Soakers. Couple the Millennial's social media sharing savant-ness with a brands tactful retro marketing campaign and you've got a recipe for next generation success. The media and entertainment industry seems to be leveraging the Millennial's nostalgia to the highest degree. Here are a few recent and upcoming examples.
Media/Entertainment Capitalizing on Nostalgia:
- The Package Tour: New Kids on the Block with guests 98 Degrees and Boyz II Men has Millennial women going gangbusters.
- Wreck-it Ralph (2012 animated movie) performed well due to the large number of adults buying tickets to see their favorite video game characters come to life.
- The cast of the TV show Friends reuniting for 1 season...no surprise this rumor went viral in a heartbeat.
- Arrested Development (cult classic TV show) was resurrected by Netflix.
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014) is getting a reboot and sure to draw endless Millennials. Myself included…no doubt!
- Ghostbusters 3 (the 80s cult comedy) is finally a Millennial dream come true after Bill Murray agreed to return.
- The Goldbergs is a new ABC TV show about a dysfunctional 80s family equipped with Ghostbuster and TMNT shirts. (View the trailer here)
- Dumb and Dumber To (spelled correctly) is the true sequel with Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels. On behalf of Millennials everywhere, "Thank you Farrelly brothers!"
- Under The Sun Tour 2013 includes 90s nostalgia overload with the bands Sugar Ray, Gin Blossoms, Smashmouth, Vertical Horizon, and Fastball.
For more ideas on what to use to leverage nostalgia as your next generation catalyst, check out my previous blog post: Top Millennial Christmas Toys of the 80s and 90s.
Going retro and milking the nostalgia of the largest generation on the planet might not be the worst marketing decision to make this year.
Question: What makes you nostalgic?
