Have you ever heard an old song on the radio which took you back\u00a0a decade ago, when it used to be a part of the soundtrack of your life? Have you ever walked down a street when your nose suddenly caught a waft of a familiar perfume, the one your high school sweetheart used to wear? Have you ever gone through old boxes in your parents’ home, and come across a pack of old letters from an old friend?<\/p>\n
We all feel nostalgic sometimes, when we encounter certain objects, smells, tastes, sounds or people from our past.\u00a0The word nostalgia comes from Greek – where the two words “n\u00f3stos” (homecoming) \u00a0and “\u00e1lgos” (pain, ache) had been combined to express that bittersweet pain of coming back home after an absence, and remembering the past.<\/p>\n
Our nostalgic memories are usually positive ones, which explains why nostalgia often has a positive, soothing effect on us. An improved mood, a boost in self esteem, a decrease in stress and positive feelings about the future are only a few of the positive effects of nostalgia<\/a>. Remembering positive things from the past can help us feel better in the present, so nostalgia can actually serve a defense mechanism, protecting us from bad memories by flooding us with good ones.<\/p>\n Nostalgia can serve as an excellent marketing tool; in fact, it has been used in marketing and advertising for a long time. Nostalgia marketing brings up positive memories in the target audience, which can trigger feelings of warmth, security, comfort or excitement. The strong impact these feelings have on us might just make us buy the product or the service being advertised.<\/p>\n Even on Mad Men<\/em>, a TV series which is based on the past, Don Draper uses nostalgia in an ad for a slide projector:<\/p>\nNostalgia in Marketing<\/h2>\n