Lecture 7 - Retro branding Flashcards
Define nostalgia
HOLBROOK, 1995
“Things were better back then”
BARZUN, 2000
Coexistence of progress and primitivism
Progress is scientific, technological and future looking
Primitivism is marked by profound sense of loss, the destruction of community solidarity and empathy.
- Not a pure memory, elevates and masks.
What do people gain from consuming retro brands, brands that embody a sense of nostalgia?
Sense of certainty and knowing
Want to feel part of that era
Comfort
Why do consumers like nostalgia?
Return to an imaginary era of moral certainty (Individual focus)
Allows consumers to come together to share an affinity that situates them in a common experience of belonging, tied to a particular era with a distinctive yet imagined ethos (collective focus)
What cultural conditions create an appetite for nostalgia?
DAVIS, 1973
Corresponds to STRUCTURAL AND TRAUMATIC TRANSFORMATIONS IN SOCIETY
- People seek ideals to make certainty when social disruption creates anxieties
eg; Fall of the Berlin Wall
Backlash Trump will receive for Mexico wall by reflecting on lack of yearning for the past.
COLLECTIVE SEARCH FOR IDENTITY
BROWN, 2013
“Sense of comfort and close knit community, a safe haven in an unsafe world” - anchoring and grounding
Why has there been a rise in nostalgia for English Austerity?
Response to the collapse of uncertainties following economic collapse.
- Animated by the stiff upper lip and Blitz spirit
eg: Jamie Oliver’s Ministry of Food
Why has there been a rise in nostalgia for the English Empire?
Brexit has created social uncertainty, Britain are yearning for a period of strength.
eg: Owen Harterley’s Ministry of Nostalgia
- Make Tea Not War
- Make Do And Mend
- Send Them Back
How is nostalgia illustrated through film?
HASIAN, 2014
Skyfall shows the resonance of new nostalgia sense of imperial identity whilst inviting audiences to accept the type of counter terrorist violence Bond and other have to employ in battles with vicious terrorists
Released in 2012, Jubilee and London Olympic games.
- Theme of resurrection shows relevance of post colonial ways of governing societies
- British Secret Service aligned to a colony.
- Villians antagonised as backward cultures juxtaposed by celebration of quintessential Englishness (BERKERICH, 2012)
Bond films nostalgia is for the return of a Cold War ideology and form of state decision making that allows nations to fight in the shadows without the encumbrances that come from too much democratic meddling.
What are the 4 A’s of retro branding?
ALLEGORY - symbolic stories, narratives,metaphors with morality tales
ARCADIA - evocation of utopian sense of past words, past as a special place
AURA - ensuring authenticity and existence f immutable brand essence
ANTINOMY - irresolvable paradox at the heart of retro brands
How is ALLEGORY applied to the VW Beetle?
Honest, moral overtones in adverts, drawing on old stories to sell new products.
- Describes the ugliness of the 1960s Beetle to compete against large spatial cars portrayed in movie style
“Its ugly but it gets you there”
“Will we ever kill the bug”
Madmen response: people get attach to reflexive ironic marketing, paternalistic marketing vs humourous, modern marketing.
VW became the corner stone to hippy culture
- Non conformity and expression
- Woodstock music culture
- Ironic, reflexive, self deprecating yet moral stories
- Designed to bestow the working man
How is ARCADIA applied to VW Beetle?
1) Community of the Beetle
- Utopian, romanticised, upbeat, optimistic, time-are-a-changing attitude of the 60s America.
2) Rallied against conformity in the spirit of individuality
New Beetle represented an eternal return to such utopian dreams
How is AURA applied to the VW Beetle?
Authenticity is found by combining new and old aesthetics.
New Beetle similar to the first, reinforced through advertising with John Mayer as a like for like replacement of 1960s music scene.
When should retro branding approaches be utilised?
If it remains DORMANT and UNTOUCHED
If it has a VITAL ESSENCE, existing as an IMPORTANT ICON, during a specific DEVELOPMENTAL STAGE for a particular GENERATION or COHORT (eg Pokemon).
If it is capable of evoking VIVID yet RELEVANT ASSOCIATIONS for particular consumers
If it is capable of mobilizing a UTOPIAN VISION of engendering a longing for an idealised past or community
How are consumers important in shaping the meaning of retro brands?
Consumers are authors of cocreation so play an important role in shaping how the brand is interpreted by others.
Describe the James Bond brand in terms of allegory.
James Bond is part of a saga set in a world blending past and future relations of the British Secret service. It is a British fantasy boasting of a hero, in the battle between good and evil.
It is rich in terms of its moralistic narrative, describing the battle between good and evil and patriotism, James Bond is a therefore a timeless symbol, alluding to a reality which transcends in consumers’ mundane daily exercise.
His behaviour is continually assessed whether it is moral or not. In Skyfall, James’ behaviour is continually questioned as moral but we want to see good ride out and triumph.
Describe the James Bond films in terms of arcadia.
Consumers use elements of the James Bond story to create their own utopian domain, of a world where terrorism is defied by the secret service and they live in terrorism free world.
James Bond as a brand represents a tale of timeless liberating empowerment, exemplified by experiences consumers had with the brand as a child. The film reflecting them back to nights in on the sofa whenever the films were aired on itv when only 5 channels existed. The brand has power to transport people back in time to when they were children, and thrill them how the previous films did back then.
If the film is too contemporary it shatters the illusion of iconic events unfolding in a place set apart from today.
