The rapid development of society has improved people's quality of life, but the resulting stress and anxiety are also draining modern people's psychological resilience. In search of a "safe haven" to catch their breath, both the "trend-chasers" moving forward and the "nostalgics" retreating backward, in the fragmented gaps of time, place their spiritual world on people, things, and objects that can soothe their souls. Anything past is always beautiful. Once-popular films, old songs, and familiar faces are put back on stage, stirring the emotional memories deeply hidden in people's minds. Similarly, food, as a cultural carrier, is not only the foundation of human survival but also a source of joy and emotional sustenance. In the late 17th century, the term "nostalgia" was used by Swiss physician Johannes Hofer to specifically refer to the extreme homesickness of soldiers for their homeland, even studied as a disease. Later, the definition and scope of "nostalgia" expanded, gradually permeating daily life and coalescing into a huge consumer driving force. Today, this consumption trend has brought many opportunities to the food and beverage market. If products like Beibingyang soda, Ovaltine, White Rabbit candy, and Dongbei Daban ice cream, which play the sentiment card, are ways for the "nostalgic" to reminisce about their happy childhood, then fusion innovative products with fashion and social attributes, such as Guanzhan instant fish maw, Tongrentang health coffee, and Hankou No.2 Factory soda, satisfy the "trend-chasers'" need for relaxation and pleasure. What exactly are consumers nostalgic for? Under the nostalgia trend, how can brands usher in a "second spring"? And how can brands build new gameplay that suits current consumer preferences while emphasizing tradition? Today, let's talk about the "nostalgia economy." Consumer nostalgia triggers retro trend. Why do we always focus on past times? Humans are creatures living in nostalgia. No matter what age, people are willing to wander aimlessly in their past, sighing over things from those days. In terms of types, nostalgia psychology is mainly divided into personal nostalgia and public nostalgia. Personal nostalgia mainly refers to individuals' reflection on personal experiences and emotions, a manifestation of rich personal emotions and a desire for emotional reshaping. Public nostalgia, also known as historical nostalgia, is people's belief that the old society, collectives, or related historical events seem better, and they yearn to escape the present and retreat from current life to a seemingly better past. Simply put, nostalgia is related to a longing for the past and its personality, possibilities, and events, especially "good old times" or "warm childhood." Modern views consider nostalgia an independent, even positive emotion. Relevant scientific research shows that nostalgia has important psychological functions, such as improving mood, increasing social connection, enhancing positive self-evaluation, and providing existential meaning. In China, the nostalgia craze can be traced back to the 2010 Spring Festival Gala reunion of The Little Tigers and Faye Wong's comeback, which triggered a wave of "post-80s nostalgia." For a time, toys, snacks, and drinks carrying childhood memories of the 70s and 80s returned... becoming the most fashionable things at the time. Image source: China.com. The development of the times has caused social changes, and the more fierce the changes, the stronger the "nostalgia" sentiment. With technological progress, nostalgia is no longer exclusive to the post-80s. As the post-90s and post-00s take the main stage of consumption, they have begun to play a leading role in the wave of mobile internet rise and gradually become the main force of nostalgic consumption. Countless young netizens on Douyin, Xiaohongshu, and Bilibili act as "organic fans," posting countless "archaeological posts" for childhood delicacies. According to the 2022 Young Consumer Life Observation Report, 94.7% of young people will buy childhood snacks or drinks due to nostalgic feelings. If the purchased food can match the taste of childhood memories, they may even repurchase long-term. Nostalgic traditional tastes often resonate with people, and more and more people hope to seek comfort and familiarity from food and beverages. According to survey data from Jushu Suanshu & 36Kr Research Institute, the top three drivers for consumers purchasing domestic trendy food and beverage products are nostalgia, trying new products from old brands, and trustworthy quality. Additionally, according to Innova Market Insights research, some global consumers said they "would like to try fashionable/innovative versions of familiar food and beverage brands." Mintel's 2022 Global Consumer Research also found that 73% of American consumers like things that remind them of the past, laying the foundation for the return of nostalgic foods. The business behind nostalgic foods. To cater to the growing nostalgia of consumers, we see that in recent years, old brands have been re-listed after many years on the food and beverage track. For example, familiar brands like Beibingyang, Jianlibao, Moqi Beverage, Ovaltine, Bright, Kellogg's, and Holiland have either explored new usage scenarios with existing products or used new technology to mix and adjust healthier ingredients with "taste of memory" recipes to meet the diverse needs of increasingly picky young groups. In addition, emerging brands have created new categories by challenging tradition, using contemporary technology to replicate the taste and packaging of memories, and developing new ways to eat, creating products that are both nostalgic and trendy, such as Hankou No.2 Factory soda, Zhongjie 1964 ice cream, and BLUE DASH soda wine, becoming trendsetters of the era. Undoubtedly, in the current homogenization of marketing and products, nostalgia-themed marketing provides a great opportunity for old brands to rejuvenate, gives new brands market competitiveness, and offers consumers more choices. So, some people say, should we add nostalgic elements to our products? In fact, the business of sentiment is not a long-term strategy. For brands, relying on nostalgia can be a temporary novelty, but after all, consumption habits and needs are constantly changing. Every time consumers taste again, they overwrite their memories until new products become new memories. Under the nostalgia trend, how should brands adapt to changing consumer needs, and while evoking "nostalgia," build new gameplay that suits current consumer preferences? Below, we will analyze the five major business strategies behind nostalgic foods, combined with excellent brand cases in domestic and international markets. 1. Stimulate collective emotional resonance. Demand is like a mountain; the 1/7 above water is explicit demand, and the 6/7 underwater is implicit demand. Implicit demand generally refers to the psychological requirements and behavioral states that consumers generate beyond expectations through sensory stimulation to the brain to achieve higher-level emotional appeals or spiritual satisfaction. Only by identifying and stimulating consumers' implicit needs can brands guide consumption direction and subtly influence consumption decisions. Nostalgia is essentially an emotional appeal, especially in the fast-paced involution era, where freedom-seeking young people yearn to return to a relatively carefree old world, making retro nostalgia an attractive style for them. Therefore, brands' nostalgic products need to be based on consumers' emotional appeals, deepen their emotional understanding, and trigger collective emotional resonance; in fact, consumers are largely paying for "memories." For example, on its 30th anniversary, KFC warmly launched the classic theme activity "Prices Return to 1987": during the event, mashed potatoes were only 0.8 yuan, and original recipe fried chicken was 2.5 yuan, guiding users to relive childhood tastes and triggering a wave of collective nostalgia. "In 1987, KFC entered China; we all queued up to eat then," "The price has returned to childhood prices, but I am no longer the child I was," many netizens shared their youthful stories under KFC's social platform. Undoubtedly, while using "low prices" to attract directly and collecting stories between consumers and the brand, KFC's "memory kill" marketing was well-received, earning both traffic and praise. Image source: Shuying. Similarly, Holiland, born in 1992, seems to have endless creative ideas in its products, precisely grasping consumers. This year, on its 30th anniversary, Holiland launched a limited series of classic cream cakes with nostalgic piping, cleverly using retro as a creative entry point. Through old-fashioned cream cakes and era-rich new product designs, it connects the brand's past and present, taking consumers "back" to wonderful childhood times, evoking emotional resonance and increasing consumer goodwill toward the product. Image source: Holiland. 2. Revive classic nostalgic flavors. We are in a diversified, personalized consumption era where people's needs are constantly changing. As the most basic attribute of food and beverages that most directly influences consumer decision-making, flavor is an innovation direction that every food brand pays close attention to and hopes to break through. Virginia Dare, an American old spice company, believes that nostalgic flavors will continue to drive new product development in 2023. In fact, as early as IFT FIRST 2021, this flavor company proposed the "Forever Young" flavor trend, describing it as "an extension of the nostalgia trend of the past decade, featuring childhood favorites, mixing the good, simple times of childhood with adult experiences." At the same time, considering health-conscious consumers, nostalgic foods should also mix healthier ingredients with "taste of memory" recipes when redeveloped. New trendy alcohol brand BLUE DASH announced the launch of its "Blue Gas Can" series of new 5-degree sugar-free flavored soda wine, including four flavors: cola, creamy ice cream, cucumber, and lime bergamot. According to official introduction, the new flavors aim to "revive classics and awaken memories." The brand hopes that the moment consumers open the can, the bubbly alcohol can awaken scenes in their memories, injecting "atmosphere fuel" into recollections. In addition, while paying tribute to classics, the brand innovated by adding imported British base liquor and 0 sugar 0 fat, replicating childhood memories like "candied plum candy," "cola gummies," and "old popsicles" in taste. Image source: BLUE DASH. 3. Grasp common memory symbols. For "novelty-seeking" consumers, products need both flavor innovation and visual packaging innovation. There is a saying: most products don't have a salesperson around; packaging is the one responsible for selling. Good packaging design is not only beautiful and reflects brand characteristics, but also directly hits consumer pain points and promotes product sales. Research shows that in a consumption scenario, excellent product packaging can stimulate consumers to buy within 0.2 seconds of passing the shelf. Therefore, brands can further enhance the market value of products through nostalgic packaging. When selecting relevant nostalgic elements, fully utilize people's psychology of recalling the past, grasp consumers' common memory symbols of the past, and then carry out nostalgic design around this common symbol. For example, cartoonish and youthful designs can evoke childhood memories and give products healthy energy, or retro art styles and colors can evoke familiarity, making products more attractive and fun, helping brands stand out from competitors and create a good first impression. To pay tribute to past pop art, Brooklyn Brewery launched Pulp Art Hazy Double IPA, which gives a strong visual and taste experience. The product features a hazy, soft yet powerful body with aromas of fresh pineapple and vivid passion fruit, featuring Citra, Sultana, and Sabro hops. The packaging uses green and purple tones with bright red and blue accents to evoke familiarity, creating an impressive iconic retro style and delivering a double sensory effect. Image source: trendhunter. Recently, PepsiCo released a new visual identity for 7UP, the brand's first major image update in seven years. The English name is 7UP; the original logo was mainly based on the brand name. The new logo retains the "7," "UP," and red circle elements, adding a long shadow for more depth. This retro 3D font design transports people back to the advertising look of the 80s and 90s. At the same time, the new packaging retains 7UP's iconic green as the main color, using red and green with adjusted shades, especially the brand's main color becoming light green, giving a more lively and youthful feel. It is reported that the team created this bright and confident visual identity system; this upgrade is a concept that will resonate globally across cultures, regions, and languages. The new visual identity will also be launched in March 2023. Image source: Logo Master. 4. Old brands regroup. In Western countries, nostalgia marketing is a common way to solve brand aging and enhance brand vitality. In recent years, it has become increasingly favored by brands in China and has become one of the best strategies for the revival of old brands. In consumers' minds, time-honored brands have a certain brand foundation. Even if they have declined, due to nostalgic feelings, some consumers have strong reluctance to part with related brands. Usually, nostalgia is proportional to consumer loyalty to historical brands; the higher the nostalgia, the higher the loyalty, and the more willing they are to support the redevelopment of historical brands through their consumption behavior, laying a good market foundation for the rebirth and revival of historical brands. Memories can be activated; old brands that were once glorious can rejuvenate by using the brand impressions people once remembered. However, the key to the rebirth of old brands is not retro but innovation. Here we have to mention Ovaltine. Since entering the Chinese market in 1993, its classic cocoa powder solid beverage has been the main seller, but under the impact of ready-to-drink beverages, Ovaltine has been in a loss-making state in the Chinese market for many years. On the basis of the original solid beverage, Ovaltine also launched new flavors like Honey Ovaltine, but none were as classic as the original. So, Ovaltine decided to break out of the solid beverage category, constantly integrating with various foods, selling its "peripheral products" through different channels, deeply participating in co-branded product designs, and using the Ovaltine trademark to showcase the creativity of this century-old brand with rich product forms and familiar tastes. Image source: TOM News. In the past two years, many foodies have noticed that Ovaltine, which has accompanied everyone's childhood, is active in people's vision in a new form, with more and more products named after Ovaltine flavors appearing on local brands. Ovaltine Bobo Ice, waffle cones, bursting balls, cakes... from milk tea to ice cream, from puffs to cakes, Ovaltine can be seen everywhere. Image source: KELLY HSIAO. The rich taste feast and innovation brought by "Ovaltine flavor" make people reminisce about their childhood taste, not only making the post-80s and post-90s who grew up drinking Ovaltine solid beverage the core consumer group again, but also winning the "hearts" of many Gen Z young consumers. 5. Emerging brands continue local heritage. The new generation of main consumers who grew up with the internet have different consumption preferences than previous consumers. They have more distinct and vivid characteristics, pursuing personalization, appearance, quality, and emotional value and other additional experiences, and have a more open attitude and stronger interest in innovative elements in food and beverages. Challenge old authority, establish new order; in the vast historical torrent, everyone can be a trendsetter. Actively integrating nostalgic emotions with innovative elements of the times, through the role of innovative elements, can not only enhance consumers' positive understanding and emotions toward products and services but also stimulate young consumers' purchase desire. A good example of combining nostalgia and innovation is Hankou No.2 Factory soda. Its founder, post-80s Jin Yawen, and friends transformed an old century-old house into a lifestyle experience store. During a subsequent event, they came up with the idea of "revitalizing" Hankou No.2 Factory soda. Soon, Hankou No.2 Factory soda was refreshed, entering more than 5,000 stores in dozens of supermarket systems nationwide, and also laying out channels such as e-commerce and convenience stores. Image source: CBN. The "No.2 Factory soda" in Wuhan locals' memory is fully named "Binjiang Brand Soda." "No.2 Factory" refers to the state-owned Wuhan Beverage No.2 Factory in the 1980s, located at 1503 Hankou Avenue, hence the nickname "No.2 Factory soda." In that era without air conditioning, when electric fans were still a luxury, the orange soda, lychee soda, lemon soda, and banana soda produced by "No.2 Factory" were sweet enough and fizzy enough, bringing unprecedented coolness to Wuhan people suffering from the "furnace" heat. Countless post-70s and post-80s childhoods included queuing with parents at the factory gate to buy soda. Image source: Hankou No.2 Factory official. "Hankou No.2 Factory" uses the century-old "No.2 Factory soda" as a creative source, innovatively launching a series of sparkling fruit juice beverages. Still using glass bottles, they designed raised retro patterns on the bottle body to create a retro feel and improve grip comfort. The bottle design features old Wuhan city cultural elements, with a distinct nostalgic flavor while highlighting adaptation to the new consumption era and environment. The packaging design maintains consistent tone but varies slightly; some focus on two-dimensional anime, some are illustration style, and some give a strong retro aesthetic. From the beginning, Hankou No.2 Factory clearly defined its positioning and brand connotation. In terms of connotation, it is an Eastern, local, quality beverage; in terms of positioning, it is definitely aimed at the younger generation, trendy, delicious, and fun. Nostalgia, as an emotional mechanism, can help people better face some non-continuous role transitions in life with a psychology of identity recognition. Applying nostalgic emotions to brand innovation and marketing strategies can greatly enhance brand market value and strengthen consumer loyalty. There are many successful cases of nostalgia marketing, but there are also many failures. Times are changing; truly heartfelt nostalgia marketing will always be paid for by customers. A good brand should be an observer, able to dig out consumers' real needs and carry out suitable creativity in the form of products.