Brandy and Monica got me y’all.
And so did the Millennium Tour, the Barbie bonanza, Bath & Body Works bringing back their discontinued scents and even McDonalds resurrecting the Snack wrap. Oh, and basically everything that Usher has done in the past three years.
They knew my millennial-self would be a sucker for all of the early-00s nostalgia, and I fear they were right. Because everytime I see something that reminds me of the golden-era of my high school days, I need to have it. Immediately. And unfortunately, my bank account (and budget) is not on the same page.
But why is nostalgia so popular these days? Well, for one, brands are cashing in on it pretty easily, so why not. More than 50% of U.S adults are likely to make a purchase when it makes them feel nostalgic for the past, as reported by GWI. Meanwhile, even Gen Z consumers are feeling the nostalgia for the 1990s (a time when many of them weren’t even around to experience it), with 37% wanting to relive that era in some capacity (through products, experiences and campaigns). I’m not going to lie, it really was a time to be alive. And for Gen-Z they’re also hungry for the aesthetic and feeling of times they primarily experienced through social media and hand-me-down cultural references such as FreakNik, and popular TV shows such as A Different World, etc.
It’s even why we’re seeing everything from Pepsi’s anniversary campaigns pulling from decades of brand history to Oh Polly collaborating with Bratz for a doll-inspired festival collection. The strategy has become so pervasive that brands are now competing to see who can mine the deepest emotional connections from our collective past.
But we’re seeing it so frequently that it’s evolved beyond simple product re-releases. Sure, there have been the Tamagotchis making comebacks, Beanie Babies returning to shelves, and Bath & Body Works bringing back those discontinued scents that had us all in a chokehold (I was a Cucumber Melon and Sweet Pea kinda girl myself). But brands have gotten sophisticated about their nostalgic manipulation.
The Millennium Tour, for example, has been banking on our love for early 2000s R&B year after year, creating an entire experience around the collective memory of that era. Celebrity participation from our favorites such as Bow Wow and B2K amplifies this effect exponentially. When Monica and Brandy got in on the hype for their “The Boy Is Mine” tour, they knew exactly what they were doing to all of us: unlocking a specific emotional memory we’d all tucked away (at least some of us), because let’s be real, Brandy and Monica haven’t always been portrayed as the best of friends. But they saw the hype from Verzuz, and wanted to continue the momentum.
The Barbie phenomenon also illustrates how modern nostalgia marketing operates on multiple levels simultaneously. The film went beastmode into tapping into childhood memories while simultaneously critiquing and celebrating the cultural impact of the toy. It was everywhere surrounding the release of the film. Barbie’s parent company, Mattel, reported a revenue boost of $125 million from the movie. This included over 100 partnerships, toy sales, product licensing, and a share of the film’s earnings. But why it worked so well (and why they need to do a masterclass for other nostalgic brands), is because it gave audiences permission to engage with something from their past without feeling childish, wrapping nostalgia in enough cultural commentary to make it intellectually acceptable for adults.
The psychology behind our susceptibility to nostalgia marketing runs deeper than simple sentimentality. During times of uncertainty, like what we’re in right now—economic instability, social upheaval, global pandemics—our brains naturally gravitate toward periods that feel safer and more predictable. And in these times, what perfect time to bring back some of our favorite memories. It’s like all of the collective nostalgia has become a coping mechanism, (or form of shared delusion we all seem to have a hold of) and brands that can tap into that emotional need have a direct line to our wallets.
Social media plays a big part in this by creating a constant stream of throwback content that keeps driving us to engage. Seeing those TikToks of Usher giving out the cherries to “There Goes My Baby” (a song that came out 15 years ago)? Instant buy on Ticketmaster. You just have to be there to witness it for yourself in person, and relive those times. This emotional manipulation is incredibly effective, which is why the trend shows no signs of slowing down.
The question for consumers becomes: how do we engage with nostalgia in a way that’s healthy and intentional rather than compulsive and financially damaging? Perhaps the first step is recognizing that while our memories are precious, they don’t need to be purchased to be valid (I’m speaking for myself). And also realizing, everything from the past does not need to be redone!
But until then, I’ll probably keep falling for every throwback release or campaign. But I draw the line at a Love Jones remake, if that were ever to come to fruition.