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Nostalgia marketing is not new, but it is particularly important today if people feel increasingly lonely on the one hand and distrust brands and companies on the other.

Although nostalgia is not for every brand. In some cases, nostalgia can marginalize your brand by emphasizing that it is out of touch and no longer relevant to consumers. Radio Shack initially achieved great success with its 2014 Super Bowl ad with icons from the 1980s such as wrestler Hulk Hogan, the legendary DeLorean car from the film franchise Back to the Future and the alien Alf. But his past could not save his future and only three years later, Radio Shack filed for bankruptcy and finally closed its 187 stores. In order to successfully implement nostalgia, your brand must be valuable and comprehensible even today. Here are six ways to use nostalgia in marketing:

1. Use the brand heritage: In a country based on mobility and opportunities, heritage is important. Everyone loves a good story, and if you have a historical story to tell, your brand will be greatly strengthened. This applies to all categories, including sportswear (Patagonia), leather goods (Vuitton, Goyard), ice cream (Ben & Jerry) or speakers and headphones (Marshall). Charles Bergh, Levi's CEO, underlines the importance of finding the right balance between heritage and the present. A brand that uses too much of its heritage looks old and dusty. Conversely, ignoring history means moving away from one of the brand's strongest assets.

2. Go scavenger hunt: Search the company's basement and loft for old sketches, notes, orders, pictures, and products. Choose a find or two from your scavenger hunt and write a short story. What you're looking for is a connection to the past, be it with a person (KFC and Colonel Sanders), a place (upscale Laguiole knives are made in the town of the same name), a purpose (Levi Strauss originally created clothing for gold miners) in the early 1850s) or an experience (LL Bean started out as an outfitter of fishing and hunting supplies).

3. Use your near or distant past: You don't have to have a centuries-old history to use nostalgia in your marketing. All you need is a period in which your target market will feel nostalgic. As long as your brand exists in childhood or adolescence, you can use elements of this period. If your brand happens to be older, you can easily refer to a romanticized and idealized past that your audience hasn't even lived through. Celebrating anniversaries Just like with people, anniversaries mark milestones in brand history. Anniversaries are a strong reminder of the viability and duration of your brand. When implemented correctly, they are a simple and powerful marketing tactic. Here is an example of what you shouldn't do: It's the Goodnight Mattress anniversary weekend !!!! 40 percent discount !!!! To be too good to be true. The weak prices have to be increased by 40 percent. Or this: Selected mattress shop No. 1 !!! Everything has to go !!!! From whom? Who cares?

4. Take your customers on a journey into the past: On the day of its 10th anniversary, Facebook informed its users that a video of their previous lives on Facebook was ready to be viewed. The "Review" was created from 15 of each user's most popular status, photos, and life events. A great way for Facebook to remember how central the platform has become in our lives and how we document our memories.

5. Play with your customers' senses: Of our five senses, the smell is the strongest that is reminiscent of our childhood memories. At Jenny's Ice Cream in Calabasas, California, employees make waffle bags by hand with an iron that is clearly displayed at the entrance to the store. When you walk past the shop, the smell of warm waffles instantly takes you back to your younger years. Jenny's ice cream could have set up the waffle maker in the back room. The decor on the front triggers nostalgia and authenticity and the (more expensive) waffle cone is sold without additional marketing costs.

6. Use today's technology to revive yesterday's brands: Polaroid recently launched its Z2300 camera, which combines analog and digital photography by allowing users to save images as digital files and print them instantly. Such products enable the 1940s camera company to remain relevant by reconciling its nostalgic atmosphere with modern technology. Polaroid also leverages the power of Instagram by hiring independent content creators to create premium content for its brand. Polaroid and Instagram are 60 years apart and have the same meaning for their users: bringing people together by instantly sharing pictures. Hashtags #FBF and #TBT With the hashtags #FBF (Flashback Friday) and #TBT (Throwback Thursday), you can inexpensively advertise the nostalgic appeal of your brand.

Where do you want to transport your customers to? An easier time? A happier time? A warmer place? A slower pace?

In my new book Brand Hacks: How you can expand your brand by fulfilling human search for meaning, you will find many more techniques for building brands.

The Blake project can help: Meet the new competitive advantage requirements in the Branding 4.0 Business 4.0 workshop (NOW ONLINE).

Brand Strategy Insider is a service from The Blake Project: A strategic brand consultancy that specializes in brand research, brand strategy, brand growth and brand building

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