Trends Snapshot Vol.16: What are the 3 golden ages of nostalgia?

This month we’re taking a look at nostalgia and how it’s sweeping the cultural landscape.

The Paper: Finding meaning in the obsolete

With the premiere of The Paper, a spin-off of The Office, the documentary crew is now chronicling a struggling Midwestern newspaper, the Toledo Truth Teller. The Paper focuses on local journalism, a field being gutted by the internet and a drive for clickbait.

The return to the workplace setting comes at a time of immense technological change. If The Office provided a commentary on the obsolescence of paper in an increasingly digital world, The Paper hones in on the novelty of human-generated, investigative journalism. This trend is less about pure nostalgia and more about finding meaning and community in places where people are fighting for survival against the digital tide. For viewers of The Paper, witnessing the helplessness of a declining industry fuels a desire for the sense of purpose and tangible impact that can only be found in human-led work.

Why Do It? Nostalgia with a Gen Z twist

Nike’s Just Do It slogan has been iconic since its launch in 1988. Children of the ‘90s and beyond can attest that it’s one of the most memorable and familiar branding exercises they’re ever introduced to. But even nostalgia evolves.

This month Nike introduced their latest iteration on a classic, Why Do It? The adapted slogan speaks to a new generation of athletes around the world, a cohort who “are growing up in a world where trying, and failing, can feel daunting”. Nike plays on the era of self-consciousness that we live in, which can feel like it shames effort as try-hard and cringe. Yet it reinforces its familiar rallying cry with a message that just starting out is a victory, and failure is part of the process.

What’s the message to brands? Temporary reinvention and transformation is part of keeping a nostalgic brand alive and in the cultural zeitgeist.

The three golden ages of nostalgia

What drives audiences to crave nostalgia? We hear this question time and time again from brands. MTM’s recent Remakes vs Innovate: Is the past the future of gaming research identifies three key drivers for audiences to seek influences from the past:

• Connection to the past: This direct connection to history instills a sense of comfort. Outside influences can often make it feel like the world is lurching from one crisis to the next, and nostalgic references to the past wrap audiences in a warming, emotional comfort blanket to cloak them in memories of simpler times

• Sharing the love: nostalgia is inextricably linked to childhood, and generations of adults find joy in experiences and content that can be shared with their own children or grandchildren

• Discovering classics: Social media now allows for instant re-discovery of cultural trends and content from the past. There is a cultural cache to being part of a younger generation that feels like it’s unearthing or re-discovering classics that others have overlooked

If you want to understand more about nostalgia, our latest report is for you. Remake vs Innovate: Is the past the future of gaming? focuses on what gamers really think about Remakes and Remasters. For that, and so much more about the phenomenon of nostalgia, download the report now.