A candle that smells like the place you grew up might sound like a hard sell online, but for Homesick Candles, it became a breakout success. By bottling scents tied to places, moments, and memories, the brand invites customers to relive personal experiences through fragrance.
That success shows how nostalgia can serve as an emotional hook, drawing people in through shared memories that feel both personal and universal. At a time when consumers crave authenticity and emotional connection, nostalgia marketing offers brands a powerful way to stand out.
Learn how to evoke nostalgia to forge emotional connections and build brand loyalty. Explore key marketing tactics you can use to plan campaigns that make nostalgic moments land effectively.
What is nostalgia marketing?
Nostalgia marketing involves crafting a product, service, campaign, or brand identity that draws on references from the past to create an emotional connection with customers. When people experience nostalgia, they recall both tangible and intangible aspects of their past—favorite places, songs, products, and shared cultural events—that evoke comfort and belonging.
Brands can tap into these cherished memories to elicit positive emotions and deepen customer engagement. A strong nostalgia marketing strategy allows consumers to feel good about revisiting the past while strengthening their attachment to the brand in the present.
Why nostalgia marketing works
Nostalgia marketing works because it taps into deep psychological needs. Studies show that nostalgic feelings enhance comfort, security, and emotional well-being, particularly during times of uncertainty or change.
Nostalgia can also maintain our sense of identity and belonging. When brands evoke fond memories—through familiar designs, references, or sensory cues—they activate the same feelings of our original experiences. When customers feel emotionally grounded and understood, they’re more likely to form lasting associations with the brands that evoke those feelings.
This psychology helps explain how Homesick Candles used nostalgia marketing to drive sales in a category that typically depends on in-person sensory experiences. “Homesick is a great story,” says Kyle Widrick, founder of Win Brands, which acquired Homesick. “When you break it down, it’s about nostalgia, it’s about memories,” he says on Shopify Masters. “It’s a very unique case where you’re selling a candle—something people usually want to smell—but because the sense of nostalgia is so strong, it allows you to sell the product online.”
Best practices for nostalgia marketing campaigns
- Focus on emotion, not era
- Use pop culture to amplify reach
- Anchor nostalgia to seasonal moments
- Reimagine the past for modern audiences
- Keep it fresh, not frozen in time
Established brands can draw on their own company history to stay both timeless and relevant. Newer brands can achieve similar results by referencing shared cultural memories—such as childhood icons, holidays, or classic aesthetics—that evoke collective memories, even for audiences who didn’t experience them firsthand.
These nostalgia marketing tactics show how brands can build emotional resonance by weaving the past into modern storytelling:
Focus on emotion, not era
Nostalgia marketing ultimately aims to evoke emotions associated with joy, comfort, or belonging—not to recreate history perfectly. “Nostalgia today isn’t about accuracy but about creating an emotional composite,” says Madison Stefanis, founder of analog camera maker 35MM Co. “You’ll see people mixing ’70s fonts, ’90s cameras, and Y2K outfits all in one image. The goal isn’t to replicate the past but to evoke comfort and familiarity.” With trends recycling faster than ever, audiences blend decades fluidly—so precision matters less than the overall emotional effect.
LePuzz, known for the quirky art direction of its jigsaw puzzles, uses a similar approach. It might channel the past through color palettes or whimsical illustrations, but the goal is to create a sense of carefree fun rather than capture any specific historical moment or time.
Use pop culture to amplify reach
Nostalgia marketing often succeeds by aligning with cultural touchstones that already carry emotional meaning. Beauty brand ColourPop has taken this approach with a variety of collaborative lines—ColourPop x Shrek and ColourPop x Sailor Moon, for example. Similarly, skin care brand Bliss partnered with Gilmore Girls actress Kelly Bishop for a collection with packaging inspired by the popular TV show.
Homesick Candles has also leaned into pop culture collaborations, with scents like The Great Pumpkin (a nod to the beloved Peanuts Halloween special) and Jerry’s Apartment (inspired by Seinfeld and its iconic setting, blending cereal, “Festivus” cinnamon, and other familiar notes).
These campaigns show how nostalgia can bridge multiple generations, spark social connection, and give familiar icons fresh relevance. Pop culture tie-ins work best when they tap into collective memory rather than fleeting fame. Consider collaborations built around long-loved icons rather than short-lived internet personalities.
Anchor nostalgia to seasonal moments
Holiday marketing campaigns work well because nostalgia peaks around recurring rituals. The familiar music, décor, and traditions make target audiences especially receptive to emotional storytelling. Around the holidays, apparel brand Hill House Home, for example, embodies this warmth and tradition on its Instagram feed with candlelight, a roaring fire, and mantel garlands recalling the feeling of classic family gatherings and timeless holiday décor. It’s a visual shorthand for comfort and belonging—showing how brands can use sensory cues to tap into nostalgic memories of home.
Vintage-inspired clothing designer Vixen partnered with mock-horror movie Beetlejuice for a 2024 Halloween campaign. Brands like Christy Dawn and Ghia have tapped into the imagery of 1950s to 1980s Southern Europe (as shown in movies like The Talented Mr. Ripley and Call Me By Your Name) to capture the care-free leisure of summer.
These campaigns resonate because they connect brand storytelling to universal emotional anchors—family gatherings, childhood summers, and festive rituals that help audiences take a brief trip down memory lane.
Reimagine the past for modern audiences
Nostalgia works best when it honors the past while meeting modern expectations. Snow Days reimagines old-school pizza bites with better-for-you ingredients. Half Magic Beauty, created by Euphoria’s makeup artist Donni Davy, channels Y2K glitter aesthetics in vegan, cruelty-free formulas. Vacation sunscreen merges its 1980s “jet set” aesthetic with modern SPF formulas, reformulating its once-low-SPF tanning gel into a safe, high-performing sunscreen.
These brands show how nostalgia can coexist with progress. The most effective campaigns treat the past as inspiration, not instruction—honoring memory while meeting modern expectations for quality, sustainability, and relevance.
Keep it fresh, not frozen in time
Overreliance on nostalgia marketing can make your brand feel dated or static. The most effective campaigns stay self-aware and dynamic—acknowledging the past while keeping a contemporary edge. The wine industry offers strong examples because it’s steeped in heritage and tradition, yet increasingly driven by modern design and storytelling.
Nocking Point Wines, for example, celebrated the Golden Girls’ 40th anniversary with bright, tongue-in-cheek packaging that feels more playful than archival. Australian winemaker Alpha Box and Dice takes a similar approach with “Ancient Youth,” a label that blends classical mythology with modern illustration. Its description captures that balance perfectly: “A story retold, a song replayed, a secret remembered upon first sip.”
By keeping the tone light and contemporary, nostalgia becomes a living influence—not a relic. It helps brands connect with loyal fans while attracting new audiences who respond to the timeless emotions nostalgia evokes. As a rule, nostalgia should feel like a conversation with the past rather than a retreat into it.
Nostalgia marketing FAQ
What is nostalgia marketing in 2025?
In 2025, nostalgia marketing freely mixes references from different decades to evoke emotion rather than strict historical accuracy. Modern brands are also moving away from purely retro aesthetics toward more self-aware, contemporary interpretations that keep the sentiment alive without feeling dated. Examples of nostalgia marketing include Homesick Candles’ nostalgic scent collections, ColourPop’s throwback collaborations, and Hill House Home’s tradition-inspired holiday campaigns.
What is the psychology behind nostalgia marketing?
Nostalgia marketing works because it taps into emotional regulation and well-being. Familiar cues from the past can create comfort, connection, and optimism—feelings that help people navigate change and uncertainty. This emotional lift translates into stronger brand attachment and customer loyalty.
What are the disadvantages of companies using nostalgia marketing?
Nostalgia marketing runs the risk of romanticizing the past, idealizing it while ignoring its flaws, complexities, and context. From a brand and marketing perspective, relying too heavily on nostalgic imagery can make campaigns feel repetitive or stagnant. The most effective nostalgia marketing honors the past while adding something new—whether that’s modern relevance, improved quality, or a fresh point of view.
