For me, it’s the Hershey’s Kiss “Christmas Bell” commercial.

First aired in 1989, the ringing of those bell-shaped Kisses set to the tune of “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” is a classic I look forward to every holiday season.

It delights me every time I see it — from that first, instantly recognizable bell tone to the final phew of the Kiss that executed the last lingering note. It also stirs up memories of the glass bowl my mom used to fill with red, green and silver Hershey’s Kisses every year around Christmas. Plain chocolate, almond-filled and eventually the Candy Cane mint-flavored ones. Christmas wasn’t Christmas without that bowl of Kisses.

I think this quote from Karla Hesterberg of HubSpot says it best: “Nostalgia advertising is the equivalent of comfort food.”

THE POWER OF NOSTALGIA MARKETING 

According to a 2022 study by Nielsen IQ, while 86 percent of consumers are driven to purchase from a particular brand or business for functional reasons, 71 percent are influenced by emotional reasons and 66 percent choose based on brand resonance — or aspects that align with personal or cultural identity.

Nostalgia marketing can certainly tap into consumers’ emotions to resonate in very personal and culturally traditional ways. Jamia Kenan, Content Specialist for the social media management platform Sprout Social defines nostalgia marketing as “associating a product, service or brand with positive, familiar elements from the past to evoke an emotional connection with target audiences. By incorporating memories into campaigns, marketers can bridge past and present experiences to foster lasting relationships with consumers.”

So why aren’t more marketers and businesses utilizing the power of nostalgia in their marketing campaigns? Over his 20-plus year career, psychologist Clay Routledge has observed many business owners who fear that focusing on the past will create the perception that they are stuck in the past. And indeed, there are helpful and harmful ways to approach any campaign designed to evoke an emotional response.

TIPS TO UTILIZE NOSTALGIA IN MARKETING 

Troy Allen, founder and CEO of Rise Brands, offers three keys to approaching nostalgia marketing:

1. Research and know your audience. Pay attention to generational preferences and shared experiences that elicit positive memories.
2. Connect new ideas with old feelings. Help customers reconnect with happy, comforting memories from the past through current products and services you provide.
3. Pay attention to the details. Use era-appropriate elements, like graphics and music. When referencing a specific event or idea, accuracy is important.

While replaying a decade’s old commercial is certainly working for Hershey’s — and may work for long-standing businesses and products with a loyal customer base — it is not a reliable strategy for most.

According to Casey Ferrell, Senior Vice President and Head of U.S. and Canada MONITOR, the consumer insights division of global consulting firm Kantar, “Nostalgia is an interpretation of the past, not a reliving of the past. It has to say something about the future, while bringing it back to the past.”

NOSTALGIA ADVERTISING EXAMPLE: SERTA SIMMONS BEDDING 

In the past year, Nationwide Vendor partner Serta Simmons Bedding relaunched not one but two decades-old ad campaigns to promote new and redesigned mattresses in their Serta and Beautyrest lineups, respectively.

First, the Serta Counting Sheep are back. Dreamed up in 2000, this flock of funny and feisty sheep reached iconic mascot status with prominent features in Serta advertising campaigns until 2016. Then, in 2023, Serta reintroduced the famous Counting Sheep — but this time with a twist. Rather than feisty and funny, the sheep have taken on a more emotional role with a nod to caregivers in Serta’s “To All the Comforters” campaign. The brand brought it back to the past, but with a spin that spoke to the future through the launch of the redesigned Serta Perfect Sleeper.

And secondly, Serta went the nostalgic route with its Beautyrest line by bringing back the classic bowling ball concept, first debuted in 1995 to establish Beautyrest as the “Do Not Disturb Mattress.” After a second iteration of this concept in 2006, the bowling ball ads are back again, this time to demonstrate the motion isolation properties of Beautyrest’s exclusive triple-stranded pocketed coil technology — now available in a new four-series lineup that includes 20 different models. Again, Serta Simmons Bedding chose to use a memorable campaign from its past to build on that connection and introduce something new.

CONSIDER A HOLIDAY NOSTALGIA ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN 

So how can your business tap into the power of nostalgia with your current messaging?

In my opinion, there is no better time to test nostalgia marketing than during the holiday season. And with the holidays fast approaching, now is the time to start planning your in-store, digital and social media advertising strategies. Should you choose to go the nostalgic route, be sure to consider the advice above — while also considering both your current and ideal customers.

Tell a story with your products in a way that brings back old memories. Show how something new can easily be incorporated into generational family traditions. Whatever you do, make it memorable and meaningful for your customers.

And if you set out a welcoming bowl of red, green and silver Hershey’s Kisses — don’t be surprised if someone starts humming “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.”