Nostalgia is trending with Gen Z. To escape an overstimulated reality and the impending adult responsibilities, younger generations are seeking refuge in the past.

The word “nostalgia” comes from Greek, and is a compound word deriving from nostos, which means “returning home” and algos, which is “pain”. Nostalgia is a longing for the past and can be seen as an escape from the uncertainty of the future. The past is known, the past is certain, the past provides comfort.

Y2K (which, for our Boomer readers, refers to the year 2000) has risen in popularity in recent years. On TikTok, the hashtag #y2k has almost 10 billion views. Nostalgia has more than 51 billion. So, why are we looking back at times in which most of us Gen Zers were barely born?

Nostalgia is a form of emotional escapism that provides comfort when the present is uncertain. We are coming of age in a period of unrest at all levels:

• The cost of living is the top concern for Gen Zers and Millennials, followed by the climate crisis
• 81% percent of those aged 13 to 24 said they frequently or sometimes experience stress, and pandemic-related issues are the main source of the stress
• 75% of Gen Zers agree that the world is at a tipping point in responding to climate change and the future can go either way
• The pandemic disrupted school, work, relationships, and life in general
• 46% of Gen Zers say they are stressed all or most of the time, with mental health concerns on the rise

 

“My biggest concern is the amount of turmoil that exists in the world, which is seemingly getting worse. We have one large existential crisis after another, and I think the challenge is everyone is exhausted with having to be resilient… we’re not truly able to solve the issues we’re faced with. Instead, we put a plaster on it and inevitably the problem comes back bigger. This unrest and turmoil then plays out in the financial markets, in the economy, in politics and this coupled with the climate crisis is making everyone more stressed than ever before.”
– Matt, 29, UK, One Young World ambassador

A 2022 study published on the Journal of Neuroscience, found out that the sentiment of nostalgia can lead to weaker perceptions of pain and discomfort. Consequently, young people are looking back to a past that provides them an emotional escape from the problems of today’s world. Some believe we are yearning for a “simpler time”. Familiarity is key. According to Business Insider, Generation Z is seeking comfort and connection during challenging times, and “instead of turning to their own childhood memories, they’re seeking simpler pre-social-media times”. During the first lockdown in 2020, 37% of UK consumers were revisiting dishes from their childhood. Spotify reported a 54% increase in nostalgia-themed playlists being created in the first week of April 2020. But the current trend is not only about re-living the past, it is about reinterpreting it for the present times.

In an attempt to understand product value, the Harvard Business Review created the Elements of Value, identifying the 30 components that drive a customer’s decision-making process. Among the Emotional needs, we find the element of Nostalgia.

Nostalgia marketing is a strategy used to evoke positive feelings related to the past, in order to prompt the purchase of products that remind consumers of the past. This technique is used to arouse personal memories, provide a sense of comfort and ease negative emotions. The negative outlook on the present is seen in contrast to the “rose-tinted” memories from the past. But nostalgia can be both used to evoke periods within the consumer’s own experience, and those that predate the consumer’s lifespan.

Gen Z are now longing for the past, especially one they have never experienced themselves, dating back to when we were not yet born.

• In fashion, the luxury resale market is surging: it was worth $25 billion to $30 billion in 2020 and is expected to grow by 10 to 15 percent every year for the next decade.
• The early 2000s trend is taking over the fashion world, with low-rise cargo pants, baguette bags, baby tees, body chains, chokers, tracksuits and denim on denim. We are bringing back a new era that was defined by women like the members of Destiny’s Child, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Paris Hilton. Depop is one of the main platforms where we find Y2K clothing and 90% of its users are younger than 26.
• According to 70% of home designers, vintage home decor would be a major trend in 2022, potentially linked to supply chain issues, which lead consumers to be creative with vintage pieces.
• Vinyl records sales exceeded $1 billionlast year. CDs are rebounding from a slow 2020, growing 21% year over year. Cassettes are coming back with the number sold doubling between 2020 and 2021.
• Disposable cameras are also making a comeback for that retro vibe.

So how are CPG brands navigating the nostalgia trend? We have here a selection of the best CPG examples, according to the TRFF team. Here is what we liked:

The company takes pride in “transforming Shoreditch into Hawkins” to celebrate the release of the third season. The space enabled visitors to play 80s gaming classics whilst drinking Coca-Cola zero sugar. Moreover, the first 800 visitors to the hidden upside-down world were given a limited-edition Coca Cola x Stranger Things upside-down can.

According to our Instagram poll, 71% of Gen Zers prefer the rebranding that draws on nostalgic 1970s graphics in a new way, versus 29% who preferred the former version of the logo. Launched in 2007, this product was taken off the shelves in 2012, and is now making a comeback with a “glow up” according to the brand. In perfect #tbt (aka, throwback Thursday) style.

Launched in 2007, this product was taken off the shelves in 2012, and is now making a comeback with a “glow up” according to the brand. In perfect #tbt (aka, throwback Thursday) style.

The first bucket debuted in 1986, and for several Halloweens, buckets replaced the Happy Meal’s cardboard box and toy, playing with different designs:

• 1989: McBoo was joined by the white McGhost and the green McWitch.
• 1992: The bucket lids got Halloween cookie cutters.
• Between 2010 and 2016, the buckets featured pop culture tie-ins, including Mr. Potato Head, Minions, and It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.

According to The Drum, Gen Z look ahead to a better world, while they look to the past for belonging and comfort. They experience a tension between longing for the past and trying to shape the future.

What can marketers do to navigate this dichotomy?

Embrace the tension, by reinterpreting the past through the lens of the present reality.

Familiarity should capture attention through the comfort of past memories, but it should be reinterpreted to appeal to Gen Z’s forward-looking attitude. Take for example the way 19-year-old TikTok creator Spencer Barbosa responds to the low-rise jeans trend. In the 2000s, this fashion trend was closely associated with flat tummies and a skinny body type. Spencer is updating this definition for our times, by showing that the Y2K fashion trend is for everyone. In this way, a nostalgic trend is reinterpreted through a more contemporary, inclusive lens.

Y2K marked the end of a century and the beginning of a new one. Don’t we all feel like we are facing a period of unrest that marks the beginning of a new era? I like to believe that, with us Gen Zers coming into adult life, we will be able to create new possibilities for a better future for us all.