Evaluating Consumers' Emotional, Cognitive, and Behavioural Response to Nostalgic Stimuli in Advertising: A Mix Method Study

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 PhD Candidate in Business Management Department of Business Management, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

2 Assistant Professor Department of Business Management, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

3 Professor Department of Engineering Science, Shahed University,Tehran, Iran

4 Assistant Professor Institute for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran

10.34785/J018.2021.386

Abstract

The present study aims to evaluate the effect of evoking nostalgic memories of Advertising on Consumers' Emotional, Cognitive, and Behavioral Responses. The Exploratory Sequential Mixed Method was applied in two studies to obtain the target in the research. In the first study, the data obtained from collage making and interviews with 18 participants, all born in the 1360s, were analyzed through phenomenological qualitative research methods to understand the Nostalgic stimulants that evoke nostalgic memories in the target group. In the second study, the effect of these stimuli, as an intervening variable, was investigated based on data gathered from questionnaires distributed among 200 participants divided into either experimental or control groups based on Post-Test Only Control Group Design. Results of multivariate variance analysis of research data indicate that at a 95% significance level, the mean of emotional response, attitude toward advertising, and purchase intention scores of consumers exposed to nostalgic advertising is higher than those not exposed to such advertising. Therefore, it is concluded that advertisements that have nostalgic appeal evoke more positive emotional responses, a more favorable brand attitude, and higher purchase intention. It was also found out that there is no significant difference between men and women in terms of their attitude to nostalgic advertising.

Keywords

References

Akbari, M., (2015). Investigating the effect of nostalgia in service space on attachment to place by modifying consumer personality (Master's thesis, University of Guilan). (in Persian)
Allan, D. (2007). Sound advertising: a review of the experimental evidence on the effects of music in commercials on attention, memory, attitudes, and purchase intention. Journal of Media Psychology, 12(3), 1-35.
Amini, S., Amini, V., Taheri, H., & Ehtesham, R .(2018). Investigating the relationship between media advertising and customers' emotional responses in the sale of insurance products.Consumer behavior Studies Journal. 5(2),111-134. (in Persian)
Bagheri, M., & GhiasabadiFarahani, M. (2018). Investigating the effect of nostalgic advertising on purchasing intention regarding its intermediate role of perceived self-perpetuating, brand attitude and emotional response to the brand (Case Study: Pak Co. Products). JOURNAL OF MARKETING MANAGEMENT,13(40),83-94.  (in Persian)
Baker, S. M., & Kennedy, P. F. (1994a). Death by nostalgia: A diagnosis of context-specific cases. NA-Advances in Consumer Research Volume 21.
Baker, S. M., & Kennedy, P. F. (1994b). Death by nostalgia: A diagnosis of context-specific cases. ACR North American Advances.
Barrett, F. S., Grimm, K. J., Robins, R. W., Wildschut, T., Sedikides, C., & Janata, P. (2010). Music-evoked nostalgia: Affect, memory, and personality. Emotion, 10 (3), 390. 
Bartmanski, D. (2011). Successful icons of failed time: Rethinking post-communist nostalgia. Acta sociologica, 54 (3), 213-231.
Batcho, K. I. (2007). Nostalgia and the emotional tone and content of song lyrics. The American journal of psychology, 361-381.
Batcho, K. I., DaRin, M. L., Nave, A. M., & Yaworsky, R. R. (2008). Nostalgia and identity in song lyrics. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 2(4), 236.
Baumgartner, H. (1992). Remembrance of things past: Music, autobiographical memory, and emotion. ACR North American Advances.
Belch, G. E., & Belch, M. A. (2018). Advertising and promotion: An integrated marketing communications perspective (11 ed.): The McGraw− Hill.
Belk, R. W. (1990). The role of possessions in constructing and maintaining a sense of past. Advances in consumer research, 17(1), 669-676.
Belk, R. W., Ger, G., & Askegaard, S. (1997). Consumer desire in three cultures: Results from projective research. ACR North American Advances.
Belk, R. W., Ger, G., & Askegaard, S. (2003). The fire of desire: A multisited inquiry into consumer passion. Journal of Consumer Research, 30(3), 326-351.
Brown, S., Kozinets, R. V., & Sherry Jr, J. F. (2003). Teaching old brands new tricks: Retro branding and the revival of brand meaning. Journal of marketing, 67(3), 19-33.
Borbourjafari, M. (2012). Study of the relationship between advertising Appeals and advertising effectiveness by considering the mediating effect of information processing styles and consumer values (Master Thesis, Semnan University). (in Persian)
Burke, M. C., & Edell, J. A. (1989). The impact of feelings on ad-based affect and cognition. Journal of marketing research, 26(1), 69-83.
Chaudhuri, A. (2006). Emotion and reason in consumer behavior: Routledge.
Chou, H.-Y., & Lien, N.-H. (2014). Old songs never die: Advertising effects of evoking nostalgia with popular songs. Journal of Current Issues & Research in Advertising, 35(1), 29-49.
Collins, K. M., Onwuegbuzie, A. J., & Jiao, Q. G. (2007). A mixed methods investigation of mixed methods sampling designs in social and health science research. Journal of mixed methods research, 1(3), 267-294.
Costa, A. I. d. A., Schoolmeester, D., Dekker, M., & Jongen, W. M. (2003). Exploring the use of consumer collages in product design. Trends in Food Science & Technology, 14(1-2), 17-31.
Cotte, J., & Latour, K. A. (2009). Blackjack in the kitchen: Understanding online versus casino gambling. Journal of Consumer Research, 35(5), 742-758.
Cova, B., Elliott, R., Kessous, A., & Roux, E. (2008). A semiotic analysis of nostalgia as a connection to the past. Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal, 11(2), 192-212.
Cramer, D. (1994). Introducing statistics for social research: Step-by-step calculations and computer techniques using SPSS: Routledge.
Creswell, J. W. (2013). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches: Sage.
Daniels, E. B. (1985). Nostalgia and hidden meaning. American Imago, 42(4), 371-383.
Davis, F. (1979). Yearning for yesterday: A sociology of nostalgia. New York, 4, 2-4.
De Pelsmacker, P., Geuens, M., & Van den Bergh, J. (2013). Marketing communications: A European perspective: Pearson education.
Donoghue, S. (2000). Projective techniques in consumer research. Journal of Consumer Sciences, 28.
Doostar, M. (2014). Investigating the effects of brand age on brand preference according to the moderator of the level of consumer nostalgia (Master's thesis, University of Guilan) . (in Persian)
Fathi, F., Elahi, A., & Wasfari, M. (2014). Structural model of the effect of nostalgia on the desire to buy football fans. Bi-Quarterly Journal of Sports Management and Development. 5 (8). 185-200. (in Persian).
Fennis, B. M., & Stroebe, W. (2015). The psychology of advertising: Psychology Press.
Fletcher, R. (2012). The Art of Forgetting: imperialist amnesia and public secrecy. Third world quarterly, 33(3), 423-439.
Forsate Emrooz. (2015). Take a look at the new ad for Bella's shoes / Advertising backed by nostalgia, viewed on January 15th. (in Persian)
Forsate Emrooz. (2016a). A look at the puppet character of “Iran Radiator”, Identifying with “Ammo Yadegar”'s grandson, visited on January 15. (in Persian)
Forsate Emrooz. (2016b) A look at occasional campaign of “Yaldaneh Refah Store Yaldaneh Advertising Campaign, visited on January 15th. (in Persian)
Forsate Emrooz. (2016c). A look at the advertising activities of the movie “born in 65”, 60s advertising. (in Persian)
Gilal, N. G., Zhang, J., Gilal, F. G., & Gilal, R. G. (2020). Bygone days and memories: the effects of nostalgic ads on consumer brand resurrection movements. Journal of brand management, 27(2), 160-180.
Gineikienė, J. (2013). Consumer nostalgia literature review and an alternative measurement perspective. Organizations and Markets in Emerging Economies, 4(08), 112-149.
Graburn, N. (1995). Tourism, modernity and nostalgia. The future of anthropology: Its relevance to the contemporary world, 158-178.
Hair, J. F. (2010). Multivariate data analysis.
Hajiabadi, H., & Ghobadi, T. (2020) A New Approach to Emotional Brand bonds: From Evoked Nostalgia to Brand Love.Consumer behavior Studies Journal. 7(2), 90-104. (in Persian)
Harrison, R. L., & Reilly, T. M. (2011). Mixed methods designs in marketing research. Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal, 14(1), 7-26.
Havlena, W. J., & Holak, S. L. (1996). Exploring nostalgia imagery through the use of consumer collages. ACR North American Advances.
Holak, S. L., & Havlena, W. J. (1998). Feelings, fantasies, and memories: An examination of the emotional components of nostalgia. Journal of Business Research, 42(3), 217-226.
Holak, S. L., Matveev, A. V., & Havlena, W. J. (2007). Nostalgia in post-socialist Russia: Exploring applications to advertising strategy. Journal of Business Research, 60(6), 649-655.
Holbrook, M. B. (1990). Nostalgic consumption: On the reliability and validity of a new nostalgia index. Research paper, Columbia University, Graduate School of Business, New York.
Holbrook, M. B. (1993). Nostalgia and consumption preferences: Some emerging patterns of consumer tastes. Journal of Consumer Research, 20(2), 245-256.
Holbrook, M. B., & Batra, R. (1987). Assessing the role of emotions as mediators of consumer responses to advertising. Journal of Consumer Research, 14(3), 404-420.
Holbrook, M. B., & Schindler, R. M. (1989). Some exploratory findings on the development of musical tastes. Journal of Consumer Research, 16(1), 119-124.
Holbrook, M. B., & Schindler, R. M. (1991). Echoes of the dear departed past: Some work in progress on nostalgia. NA-Advances in Consumer Research Volume 18.
Holbrook, M. B., & Schindler, R. M. (1994). Age, sex, and attitude toward the past as predictors of consumers’ aesthetic tastes for cultural products. Journal of marketing research, 31(3), 412-422.
Holbrook, M. B., & Schindler, R. M. (1996). Market segmentation based on age and attitude toward the past: Concepts, methods, and findings concerning nostalgic influences on customer tastes. Journal of Business Research, 37(1), 27-39.
Homer. (1921). The odyssey (F. Caulfield, Trans.). London: G. Bell.
Huang, X. I., Huang, Z. T., & Wyer, R. S. (2016). Slowing Down in the Good Old Days: The Effect of Nostalgia on Consumer Patience. Journal of Consumer Research, 43(3), 372-387.
Iman, Mohammad (1393). Philosophy of research methodology in humanities. Tehran: Research Center and University. (in Persian)
Janata, P., Tomic, S. T., & Rakowski, S. K. (2007). Characterisation of music-evoked autobiographical memories. Memory, 15(8), 845-860.
Ju, I., Jun, J. W., Dodoo, N. A., & Morris, J. (2015). The influence of life satisfaction on nostalgic advertising and attitude toward a brand. Journal of Marketing Communications, 1-15.
Ju, I., Jun, J. W., Dodoo, N. A., & Morris, J. (2017). The influence of life satisfaction on nostalgic advertising and attitude toward a brand. Journal of Marketing Communications, 23(4), 413-427.
Juslin, P. N., Liljeström, S., Västfjäll, D., Barradas, G., & Silva, A. (2008). An experience sampling study of emotional reactions to music: listener, music, and situation. Emotion, 8(5), 668.
Kessous, A. (2015). Nostalgia and brands: a sweet rather than a bitter cultural evocation of the past. Journal of Marketing Management, 31(17-18), 1899-1923.
Kessous, A., Roux, E., & Chandon, J. L. (2015). Consumer–Brand Relationships: A Contrast of Nostalgic and Non‐Nostalgic Brands. Psychology & Marketing, 32(2), 187-202.
Khoshghadam, L., Kordrostami, E., & Liu-Thompkins, Y. (2019). Experiencing nostalgia through the lens of life satisfaction. European Journal of Marketing.
Koll, O., Von Wallpach, S., & Kreuzer, M. (2010). Multi‐method research on consumer–brand associations: Comparing free associations, storytelling, and collages. Psychology & Marketing, 27(6), 584-602.
Kotler, P., Armstrong, G., & Opresnik, M. O. (2018). Principles of marketing (17th edition ed.): Pearson education.
Kusumi, T., Matsuda, K., & Sugimori, E. (2010). The effects of aging on nostalgia in consumers' advertisement processing. Japanese Psychological Research, 52(3), 150-162.
Lee, M. (2011). Nostalgia as a Feature of" Glocalization": Use of the Past in Post-Soviet Russia. Post-Soviet Affairs, 27(2), 158-177.
Li, Y., Lu, C., Bogicevic, V., & Bujisic, M. (2019). The effect of nostalgia on hotel brand attachment. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management.
Loveland, K. E., Smeesters, D., & Mandel, N. (2010). Still preoccupied with 1995: The need to belong and preference for nostalgic products. Journal of Consumer Research, 37(3), 393-408.
MacKenzie, S. B., Lutz, R. J., & Belch, G. E. (1986). The role of attitude toward the ad as a mediator of advertising effectiveness: A test of competing explanations. Journal of marketing research, 23(2), 130-143.
Malhotra, N. K., Nunan, D., & Birks, D. F. (2017). Marketing research an applied approach (Fifth Edition ed.). New York: Pearson.
Marchegiani, C. A., & Phau, I. (2005). Dimensionalising Nostalgic Appeals in Broadcast Advertisements: Effects of Personal Nostalgia, Historical Nostalgia and Period Oriented Music. Broadening the Boundaries, 109-116.
Marchegiani, C., & Phau, I. (2011). The value of historical nostalgia for marketing management. Marketing Intelligence & Planning.
Mason, M. (2010). Sample size and saturation in PhD studies using qualitative interviews. Paper presented at the Forum qualitative Sozialforschung/Forum: qualitative social research.
Merchant, A., & Ford, J. (2008). Nostalgia and giving to charity: a conceptual framework for discussion and research. International Journal of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Marketing, 13(1), 13-30.
Merchant, A., Latour, K., Ford, J. B., & Latour, M. S. (2013). How Strong is the Pull of the Past? Journal of Advertising Research, 53(2), 150-165.
Morris, J. D., Klahr, N. J., Shen, F., Villegas, J., Wright, P., He, G., & Liu, Y. (2009). Mapping a multidimensional emotion in response to television commercials. Human brain mapping, 30(3), 789-796.
Morris, J. D., Woo, C., & Cho, C.-H. (2003). Internet measures of advertising effects: A global issue. Journal of Current Issues & Research in Advertising, 25(1), 25-43.
Muehling, D. D. (2013). The relative influence of advertising-evoked personal and historical nostalgic thoughts on consumers' brand attitudes. Journal of Marketing Communications, 19(2), 98-113.
Muehling, D. D., & Pascal, V. J. (2011). An empirical investigation of the differential effects of personal, historical, and non-nostalgic advertising on consumer responses. Journal of Advertising, 40(2), 107-122.
Muehling, D. D., Sprott, D. E., & Sprott, D. E. (2004). The power of reflection: an empirical examination of nostalgia advertising effects. Journal of Advertising, 33(3), 25-35.
Muehling, D. D., Sprott, D. E., & Sultan, A. J. (2014). Exploring the boundaries of nostalgic advertising effects: A consideration of childhood brand exposure and attachment on consumers’ responses to nostalgia-themed advertisements. Journal of Advertising, 43(1), 73-84.
Nam, J., Lee, Y., Youn, N., & Kwon, K. M. (2015). Nostalgia's fulfillment of agentic and communal needs: How different types of self‐concepts shape consumer attitudes toward nostalgia. Journal of Consumer Behaviour.
Pascal, V. J., Sprott, D. E., & Muehling, D. D. (2002). The influence of evoked nostalgia on consumers' responses to advertising: An exploratory study. Journal of Current Issues & Research in Advertising, 24(1), 39-47.
Putrevu, S., & Lord, K. R. (1994). Comparative and noncomparative advertising: Attitudinal effects under cognitive and affective involvement conditions. Journal of Advertising, 23(2), 77-91.
Reisenwitz, T. H., Iyer, R., & Cutler, B. (2004). Nostalgia Advertising and the Influence of Nostalgia Proneness. Marketing Management Journal, 14(2).
Ross, B. M. (1991). Remembering the personal past: Descriptions of autobiographical memory: Oxford University Press on Demand.
Rousseau, G., & Venter, D. (1999). The influence of nostalgia on consumer preference. SA Journal of Industrial Psychology, 25(1), 36-42.
Rousseau, G., & Venter, D. (2000). The relationship between nostalgia and consumer preference: Replication and extension. SA Journal of Industrial Psychology, 26(2), 32-36.
Rowley, J. (1998). Promotion and marketing communications in the information marketplace. Library review, 47(8), 383-387.
Schindler, R. M., & Holbrook, M. B. (2003). Nostalgia for early experience as a determinant of consumer preferences. Psychology & Marketing, 20(4), 275-302.
Shields, A. B., & Johnson, J. W. (2016). Childhood brand nostalgia: A new conceptualization and scale development. Journal of Consumer Behaviour, 15(4), 359-369.
Shin, H., & Parker, J. (2017) Exploring the elements of consumer nostalgia in retailing: Evidence from a content analysis of retailer collages. Journal of Retailing and Consumer services, 35, 1-11.
Sierra, J. J., & McQuitty, S. (2007). Attitudes and emotions as determinants of nostalgia purchases: An application of social identity theory. Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, 15(2), 99-112.
Solomon, M. R. (2018). Consumer Behavior: Buying, Having, and Being (12th edition ed.): Pearson Education.
Steinman, R. B. (2009). Projective techniques in consumer research. International Bulletin of Business Administration, 5(1), 37-45.
Stern, B. B. (1992). Historical and personal nostalgia in advertising text: The fin de siecle effect. Journal of Advertising, 21(4), 11-22.
Telford, N. (2013). Does nostalgic advertising have a positive effect on Irish Consumers between the ages of 20-39 and over 40’s. In: National College of Ireland.
Wildschut, T., Sedikides, C., Arndt, J., & Routledge, C. (2006). Nostalgia: content, triggers, functions. Journal of personality and social psychology, 91(5), 975.
Wildschut, T., Sedikides, C., Routledge, C., Arndt, J., & Cordaro, F. (2010). Nostalgia as a repository of social connectedness: the role of attachment-related avoidance. Journal of personality and social psychology, 98(4), 573.
Zajonc, R. B. (1980). Feeling and thinking: Preferences need no inferences. American psychologist, 35(2), 151.
Zaltman, G., & Coulter, R. H. (1995). Seeing the voice of the customer: Metaphor-based advertising research. Journal of Advertising Research, 35(4), 35-51.
Zentner, M., Grandjean, D., & Scherer, K. R. (2008). Emotions evoked by the sound of music: characterization, classification, and measurement. Emotion, 8(4), 494.
Zhao, G., Muehling, D. D., & Kareklas, I. (2014). Remembering the good old days: the moderating role of consumer affective state on the effectiveness of nostalgic advertising. Journal of Advertising, 43(3), 244-255.
 
 
Consumer Behavior Studies Journal
Volume 8, Issue 3
November 2021
Pages 140-171

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics