Is the past a foreign country? Aliya Hasan, head of brand strategy at B Corp certified and B&T Award-winning strategic insights consultancy, Nature, thinks that nostalgia can leave brands at risk of becoming boring.
We have all heard that trends come and go in generational cycles — what’s old is new again. The fascination with the past isn’t a new phenomenon. However, what we’re witnessing today, feels different, much bigger, and more widespread than a fleeting retro fad.
Take Gen Z’s fashion style for instance, their love for all things nineties and Y2K. They crave a simpler time they’ve never experienced. There’s a tension in their relationship with the tech-driven world: on one hand, they’re addicted to it while on the other, they’re seeking detox.
Consider movie franchises revisiting their archives, from Hollywood remakes to Bollywood reboots of movies and music from decades gone by. Even Netflix’s most-watched documentaries are revisiting global phenomena and ‘feel good’ stories of boy bands and basketball icons.
And of course, our very own industry is following suit. Brands such as Pure Blonde are returning to its ‘A place purer than yours’ brand platform, while ANZ has resurrected the memorable ‘Falcon,’ now with a modern twist of individuality and personalisation.
We’re seeing Pauls Milk bring back its ‘milk that tastes like real milk’ TV ad, exactly as it was aired 20 years ago. Even the ABC has announced the return of its legendary news theme tune, accompanied by a shift from the monochrome logo to one with a “vibrant blue background” which, I must admit, I’m still processing whether I love or loathe.
Nostalgia sells, and the world seems addicted to it. It’s an instant link to memories and, perhaps most importantly, a safer bet than creating something new at a time when attention is scarce and purchasing power even more so.
Personally, I’m not complaining – sometimes it feels like the glorious years I grew up in, just with our faces buried in our phones instead of a chunky Walkman clipped to our denims.
But I can’t help but wonder if we’ve passed the peak of originality and I fear it may not return. The truth is, that we’re living in an era where AI is pushing the boundaries of creativity, and consumer-generated content is often funnier, more interesting, and more captivating than what brands are putting out there.
Brands are notorious for playing it safe, pandering to category tropes and tired cliches. Are we slowly losing the power to create memorable campaigns, the art of engaging people?
I’m not advocating for mindless change – an enduring brand platform that works, is a rare gift and should be maximised. However, it’s crucial for brands to stay original, stay fresh and invest in fresh thinking.
The next generation expects creativity and originality from brands. While they may love vintage fashion, they won’t pay attention if every brand starts pulling the same throwback levers.
Nostalgia is a powerful weapon, but it should be wielded only when truly appropriate and needed.
Otherwise, we risk shifting from the Millennial-targeted era of ‘blanding’ — where brand logos, Insta feeds, and packaging began to look the same -into a Gen Z-centric era of marketing where brands become so fixated on the past that they forget to focus on future vision, lose the courage to take creative leaps, and worst of all, get forgotten by consumers because they’ve lost their spark.
Nostalgia. Use responsibly.
