Brands, films and web content tap into nostalgia to drive consumption

livemint.com:

Gadar 2 and Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 took the box office by storm. Meanwhile, according to media consulting firm Ormax, web shows like Gullak (piggy bank) or Yeh Meri Family that essentially remind viewers of simpler times, have fared well in terms of Ormax Power Rating (OPR).

This is a score on a scale of 0-100, representing a show’s content strength and the percentage of audiences likely to recommend it. Meanwhile, singers are rebooting classics or hook lines while brands onboard faces from the 1990s.

“Nostalgia is a huge lasso for audiences. It plays a very significant and substantial role in film, television, social media and a step further, even in how marketing has evolved to reach consumers, both returning and the uninitiated," Gunjan Arya, chief executive officer, Only Much Louder, a media and entertainment organisation, said.

"Whether it’s reboots and remixes, adaptations, period pieces or sequels, IPs (intellectual properties) that tap into a consumer’s established reference point will deliver better results than efforts to build a fanbase from scratch." On the theatrical front, a few months ago, Yash Raj Films kickstarted the nostalgia film festival by re-releasing their older titles, while a brand like Nykaa brought Pooja Bedi (Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar) and Amrita Rao and Zayed Khan (Main Hoon Na) on board to reprise their roles from the films. Fintech firm Cred is bringing back the 90s' charm through their advertisements, featuring names like Rahul Dravid, Karisma Kapoor, Jackie Shroff and others.