Tag Archives: Nostalgia

Cases

Memory over matter: Why Cafe Strada at UC Berkeley means the world to me

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Cafe Strada has long been a beloved spot among UC Berkeley students. Its prime location inside the campus, cozy patio, and inviting workspaces make it the perfect place for studying alone or meeting friends.

But for me, Cafe Strada is more than just a popular café. It is a personal place tied to one of the most memorable periods of my life. In 1999, as an exchange student living at the International House, I often stopped by Cafe Strada in the morning. A five-minute walk there was a comforting ritual in a new environment.

When I revisited 25 years (!) later, I was amazed that nothing had changed. The International House and Cafe Strada remained just as I remembered it. While everything around me in Korea seems to change, its steady presence in US felt like a journey back in time.

Then, I ended up buying more baked goods and coffee than I needed at the cafe, but it didn’t matter. Psychologists describe this as nostalgic consumption, where nostalgic memory weakens our desire to make or save money. For me, Cafe Strada is more than just a cafe—it is where memory transforms money into something meaningless.

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Reference

Lasaleta, J. D., Sedikides, C., & Vohs, K. D. (2014). Nostalgia Weakens the Desire for Money. Journal of Consumer Research, 41(3), 713–729.

Nostalgia has a strong presence in the marketing of goods and services. The current research asked whether its effectiveness is driven by its weakening of the desire for money. Six experiments demonstrated that feeling nostalgic decreased people’s desire for money. Using multiple operationalizations of desire for money, nostalgia (vs. neutral) condition participants were willing to pay more for products (experiment 1), parted with more money but not more time (experiment 2), valued money less (experiments 3 and 4), were willing to put less effort into obtaining money (experiment 5), and drew smaller coins (experiment 6). Process evidence indicated that nostalgia’s weakening of the desire for money was due to its capacity to foster social connectedness (experiments 5 and 6). Implications for price sensitivity, willingness to pay, consumer spending, and donation behavior are discussed. Nostalgia may be so commonly used in marketing because it encourages consumers to part with their money.

Cases

In-N-Out’s nostalgia drives a unique experience

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I recently visited In-N-Out in Long Beach and found myself immersed in a nostalgic atmosphere. From the iconic red and white decor to the lively staff, the ambiance felt like a step back in time. One detail particularly stood out was that an employee stepped outside to greet drivers at the drive-through, hanging something reminiscent of old-fashioned McDonald’s. This personal, nostalgic touch resonated with many customers, making it more than just a fast-food stop.

Nostalgia can enhance consumer satisfaction, often outweighing price or product quality. When brands like In-N-Out press rewind to create enchantment, they create not just meals but memories. In an era of fast-paced change, such genuine, authentic gestures can be more impactful than any menu update.

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Reference

Hartmann, B. J., & Brunk, K. H. (2019). Nostalgia marketing and (re-) enchantment. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 36(4), 669-686.

Most marketing and branding activities are essentially concerned with enchantment—the rendering of the ordinary into something special. To create enchantment, companies are increasingly marketing past-themed brands and products. Yet, there is little research about why and how such nostalgia marketing creates enchantment for consumers. Building on different modalities of nostalgia identified in sociological literature (reluctant nostalgia, progressive nostalgia, and playful nostalgia), we analyze the creation of enchantment through a longitudinal, qualitative, multi-method program of inquiry. We find three routes to enchantment grounded in different nostalgia modes: (1) re-instantiation (symbolic retrojection into a past), (2) re-enactment (reflexively informing the present with past-themed brands and practices), and (3) re-appropriation (ludic re-interpretation of the past). By unfolding the different ways in which marketers can press rewind to create enchantment, we discern important implications for theorizing and managing past-themed brands in terms of marketing strategy, targeting and positioning, brand experience design, and marketing communications.