Selling nostalgia with a twist

Marketers devise reboots that generate same recognition, but win new generations too

Nostalgia sells and marketers know it, having used the brands of yesteryear fully aware that consumers will open their wallets to scratch that sentimental itch.

Those oldies but goodies keep popping up today, but increasingly with a twist. Companies continue to rerelease snacks, entertainment and technology that millions of people grew up with, but tweaking them to create hybrids that possess the same heartfelt recognition with a modern flavor.

Companies have recognized that they can win over consumers nostalgic for the past and, at the same time, win new generations of consumers with a new spin.

“Younger consumers, like those in Gen Z or younger Millennials, had no direct exposure to many of the fads and trends the first time around so they have a different relationship to them, filtered through more current perspectives,” said Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData. “That necessitates a modern spin in order for products to resonate. The younger consumer is often more concerned with curiosity and experience-seeking rather than with simple nostalgia.”

The fintech company Klarna said “vintage tech” sales have rocketed in recent years, some unchanged and some with significant updates. Sales of wired headphones increased by more than 300% in February 2022 compared with the previous year. Flip phones sales were up by more than 80% in August, it said.

Here are a few successful reboots.

Happy Meals for all: Remember when that Happy Meal landed at the table and you didn’t know whether to reach for a chicken McNugget or a toy first? For a brief period last year, you could relive that bounty of riches. This week, McDonald’s reported that strong quarterly profits were partially driven by sales of Happy Meals for adults with toys made by the streetwear brand Cactus Plant Flea Market. The meals came in a redesigned box in Cactus Plant Flea Market’s signature style alongside McD’s iconic Golden Arches. It included either a Big Mac or 10-piece chicken McNuggets, along with fries, a drink and one of four collectible figurines: Grimace, the Hamburglar, Birdie or Cactus Buddy.

Flip your phone: After vanishing for a decade, flip phones are back. Believe it or not, there are teenagers opting out of some technology circles, tired of the glow from their smartphones. A quick search of Amazon or manufacturers’ websites show numerous models available, but the technology has also been updated in a big way, like Samsung’s Galaxy Z flip phone. The company shipped nearly 10 million foldable smartphones worldwide in 2021, an industry increase of more than

300% from 2020, according to Samsung.

Classic characters: Nostalgia is not a new phenomenon in entertainment but movies like “Top Gun: Maverick” and shows such as “Cobra Kai,” based on “The Karate Kid” movie franchise, and “Wednesday,” based on “The Addams Family” television show and films, have begun to resonate heavily. “Top Gun: Maverick” was a surprise nominee for best adapted screenplay for the 95th Academy Awards. “Wednesday,” which debuted on Netflix in November, broke Nielsen streaming records and was renewed for a second season.

ALBERTO PEZZALI/AP 2022 Blast from the past: Tom Cruise suits up for the“Top Gun: Maverick”U.K. premiere last spring at a London cinema.