Nostalgia advertising: A psychoanalytic study of Indian Ads

Nostalgia advertising, a favored strategy among creative directors, effectively elicits a ‘feel-good’ response by tapping into the audience’s subconscious sentiments. Marketers leverage nostalgia to establish positive associations with their brands, a crucial endeavor in the cluttered landscape of Indian media, boasting over 1000 broadcast channels and content platforms. Studies on consumer behavior indicate that over half of today’s consumers seek solace in revisiting old TV shows, films, and songs from their youth—a trend that gained momentum during the recent COVID-19 pandemic (Johnson, 2020). Given India’s vast population of 1.38 billion, understanding local buyer behavior becomes imperative for advertisers aiming to align campaigns with audience expectations. This paper employs a psychoanalytical perspective and content analysis, focusing on 15 nostalgic Indian advertisements to illustrate how nostalgia advertising not only evokes positive consumer emotions but also serves as a potent tool for fostering resonance and attachment with the target audience.