Pick n Pay stores in Namibia to be rebranded as Model supermarkets
Local franchisee terminates its 27-year agreement with Pick n Pay on 30 June and will return to the brand it first created in 1965.
NOSTALGIA IN MARKETING
‘Good old days’: The power and pull of nostalgia in marketing
By our African Marketing Confederation News Team | 2024
Do you embrace brands that make you feel connected to your roots and hark back to simpler, perhaps happier, times?
If you answered ‘yes’, then you are not alone. Researchers and marketers have long known that leveraging feelings of nostalgia, sentiment and fond memories in consumers has many benefits – such as loosening their purse strings and fostering brand loyalty.
It’s for this reason that big brands such as Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Mattel and Cadbury’s have, in the recent past, rolled out nostalgic marketing campaigns.
The visceral human response to memories and past connections is why soft-drinks maker Coca-Cola was able to run a global marketing campaign in 2015 celebrating the 100th anniversary of its iconic glass bottle.
As then global marketing chief, Marcos de Quinto, told Campaign UK at the time: “Since its creation in 1915, the Coca-Cola bottle has achieved iconic status as a symbol of refreshment and uplift[ment], and it remains an important asset for our business today.”
Arch-competitor Pepsi has recognised the same pull of nostalgia. In 2023, it unveiled a new logo which takes inspiration from its 1990s design, amid a surging nostalgia for the era, thanks to Gen Z.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
At the time, PepsiCo’s Chief Design Officer, Mauro Porcini, told CNN that’s because most people, when asked to draw the logo from memory, still produce something like the design used from 1987-1997.
“We couldn’t ignore that kind of insight,” he said. “Instead of rejecting it, we decided to embrace it.”
Nostalgia in Africa
In developing markets like Africa and Asia, marketing strategies that tap into feelings of nostalgia certainly hold promise, with the 2023 ‘Global Trends in Marketing and Advertising: The Enduring Appeal of Nostalgia’ study by Ipsos noting that “feelings of nostalgia are highest in Asia and Africa”.
Nigeria, South Africa and Kenya feature strongly among the countries surveyed, with Morocco in North Africa appearing further down the list.
According to Mac Mabidilala, Ipsos Strategy3 Regional Head for Sub-Saharan Africa, and Ibitayo Salami, Country Manager for Ipsos in Nigeria: “Nostalgia is a very human reaction to a world that is undergoing as much change and uncertainty as we’re experiencing. It is, however, always dangerous to extrapolate findings from one country to another – especially in Africa where there are some similarities between countries, but also very wide differences.”
You will find this story, and much more, in Issue 1 2024 of Strategic Marketing for Africa – the voice of African marketing and the official publication of the African Marketing Confederation (AMC).
Read it online or download it here. A print edition of the magazine is also available.
Micro-influencers the way to go when targeting Gen Z consumers – study
Gen Zedders value authenticity from brands – something which big-name mega-influencers cannot deliver, US research finds.
PepsiCo is going head-to-head with Coca-Cola in prebiotic soda market
In February, Coke launched its Simply Pop prebiotic drink brand. This week, Pepsi bought its arch-rival brand, Poppi. Let battle commence!
Nigeria’s CIG Group appoints Adeleye Fabusoro to Group Marketing role
He moves from CNBC and Forbes Africa to spearhead marketing, PR and corporate communication initiatives across a portfolio of brands.
SA’s Spar grocery chain plans to differentiate its brand offerings
Like its main competitors, Spar will split its retail brands into higher-income premium outlets and lower-income discount stores.
UN Tourism to host Regional Forum on gastronomy tourism for Africa
Event in Tanzania brings together influencers, chefs, policymakers, entrepreneurs and others to examine ways to enhance Africa’s tourism brand.
Unilever’s new boss will spend more on social media and influencers
Incoming CEO says brand messaging is viewed with growing suspicion by consumers and having others speak for your brand is ‘very important’.
Study examines how X banter with competitors boosted a product launch
When a smaller fast-food brand launched a new meal, it’s bigger rivals began some banter – which benefitted the small brand most.
Boost your marketing career in 2025 with the AMC’s short courses
Confederation has fast-paced online Express Courses you can complete in a week, to in-depth studies taking up to 10 months.
Moroccan telecoms brand unveils Real Madrid player partnership
With an eye on the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations taking place in the North African country, Orange Maroc signs Real’s Brahim Diaz.
Concern in Mozambique as counterfeit alcoholic drinks flood the market
‘Networks of corruption’ and inadequate resources at regulatory authorities mean up to 80% of popular brands of drinks could be fake.
