Together with
The Future. Millennials are defined by nostalgia. Stranger Things delivers heaping scoops of it, and not just on the show itself. Nostalgia marketing has been around for a few years, but it’s hard to believe it could ever get bigger than this.
Going HAM on nostalgia
Netflix is ramping up nostalgia marketing to never-before-seen levels to promote Stranger Things Season 3. Including:
- A fair on Santa Monica Pier that will offer an “imagined glimpse” into 1985 Hawkins, Indiana.
- A 1985-inspired Nike shoe release called “Hawkins.”
- Eggo waffles social takeover featuring ads from 1985.
- A Coca Cola throwback teaser for 1985’s “New Coke.”
- A special-edition upside-down Polaroid camera.
- A sizzle featuring several brand partners—including Burger King and the Gap—that you might find in a 1980s mall.
Netflix partnered with 75 different brands to promote the season, many of them “heyday” brands from Millennials’ childhoods.
Old imagery, new tactics
While nostalgic brand imagery is old, engagement marketing is brand new. Brand stunts and integrated campaigns were rare in the 1980s, and of course the internet didn’t exist at all.
Back then, a simple TV ad was more than enough to make or break a brand.
Maybe that’s the reason we gravitate towards nostalgia in the first place. It reminds us of a more straightforward time before new media, when media was comfortable being new.
After our “age of nostalgia” ends, will we be nostalgic for…nostalgia marketing?
TOGETHER WITH CANVA
No design skills needed! 🪄✨
Canva Pro is the design software that makes design simple, convenient, and reliable. Create what you need in no time! Jam-packed with time-saving tools that make anyone look like a professional designer.