Why Evoking Nostalgia Is 1 of the Most Effective Marketing Techniques

In one of the most iconic scenes from the Emmy-winning television series Mad Men, advertising executive Don Draper pitches the name “Carousel” for Kodak’s slide projector. “[An old colleague] told me the most important idea in advertising is ‘new.’ Creates an itch–you simply put your product in there, as a kind of calamine lotion,” Draper says. “But he also talked about a deeper bond with the product: nostalgia. It’s delicate–but potent.”