Abstract
The idealistic focus in days gone by in contemporary advertisements was the point of attention for the first interest in nostalgia as a marketing tool. The focus of this qualitative investigation falls on the definition of nostalgia within a marketing context, and specifically on the signs of nostalgia in advertising communication. A random sample of printed South African magazine advertisements (2006−2017 and examples from the Pendoring and Loerie advertising competitions) were used for this investigation.
A conceptual model of analysis was developed as the result of the literature study, and it can serve as a basis for further empirical research. The presence of linguistic and visual signs of nostalgia in print advertising was used as a selection principle in the data gathering.
Advertisements are aimed at activating desire within the target audience for a certain brand name, and the brand name then becomes the answer to the nostalgic longing. It is the nature of consumer culture that consumers are defined by the brands they buy. Are you, for instance, a Nike, Adidas, or no-name brand sportswear person? Boym (2001:13) mentions in this regard: “While the details and flavors differ, the grammar of romantic nostalgias all over the world is quite similar. ‘I long therefore I am’ became the romantic motto.”
Advertisements in which nostalgic feelings towards the past are evident were used in the development of the conceptual framework of analysis. The selection principle for the data was identifying something abstract (desire) made concrete in the advertisement. The relevance of advertisements for an investigation into nostalgia in the words of Boym (2001:38) is: “One could speak about 'inculcation of nostalgia' into merchandise as a marketing strategy that tricks consumers into missing what they haven’t lost.” The examples in this investigation support the literature study done on advertising and nostalgia that indicates that advertisements “seduce” their target audience by playing into their feelings of nostalgia.
The under-representation of the African languages in the mass media in South Africa is necessarily also applicable to advertisements with a nostalgic character. This might be linked to the lack of language pride of the speakers of the African languages and the association of English with sophistication and prosperity within the South African context.
Nostalgia as the phenomenon was first viewed as a medical condition and later regarded as a psychological “illness”. The contemporary view of nostalgia as a social construct offers a variety of creative marketing options for copywriters, as is evident in the examples included.
Advertisements activate feelings of nostalgic longing by using objects, people, food, etc. portraying the brand name as the point of access to still this longing. This can very often create a positive attitude towards the brand name. Nostalgia is often linked to politics and ideology due to the birth of mass culture and the “souvenirization” of culture.
Examples in the newly identified categories of nostalgia in this investigation, namely physical appearance, the passage of time, and cultural heritage, can be used in future investigations as empirical evidence for the suggested model of analysis. That which the target audience member longs for is activated by linguistic and visual signs such as food (traditional koeksisters), music icons (Elvis Presley), intergenerational sepia family portraits, outdated technological artefacts (gramophone record players), etc.
The type of objectification (of that abstract concept) is part of the conceptual framework of analysis. The analysis covers historical and/or personal nostalgia, emotional and/or rational advertising appeals, and the social representation process (type of objectification).
Six main categories of nostalgia in advertising were identified: people (icons), artefacts, events, physical appearance, the passage of time, and cultural heritage. Different subcategories of nostalgia related to cultural heritage, namely music, visual art, food and literature, were also identified.
Keywords: advertising communication; culture and community; emotional and rational appeal; historical nostalgia; nostalgia; nostalgic representation; personal (subjective) nostalgia; social construct
Lees die volledige artikel in Afrikaans
Nostalgie as sosiale konstruk in advertensies in die Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrifmark
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