Consumer–Brand Relationships: A Contrast of Nostalgic and Non‐Nostalgic Brands

TLDR

Nostalgic status effects on brand relationships had not been previously examined in nostalgia research. The study investigates how consumer–brand relationships differ between nostalgic and non‑nostalgic brands. The authors compared pairs of nostalgic and non‑nostalgic brands across six product categories, measuring attachment, self‑brand connections, storytelling, gift‑offering, and collecting behaviors. Results show that nostalgic brands elicit stronger attachment, self‑brand connections, storytelling, gift‑offering, and collecting, with product category moderating these effects but gender not influencing them.

Abstract

ABSTRACT This research examined how consumer–brand relationships change when one contrasts brands perceived as nostalgic with brands perceived as non‐nostalgic. Paired comparisons of brands in six product categories revealed that brand attachment, self‐brand connections, and storytelling, as well as, the propensity to offer the brand as a gift and collect brand‐derived products, depend on the nostalgic status of the brand. On a sample of 606 consumers, the results showed that a brand's nostalgic status has a positive effect on attachment, self‐brand connections, and storytelling. These effects had not previously been considered in nostalgia research. Furthermore, the nostalgic status of a brand has positive effects in terms of intention to purchase the brand as a gift and collect brand‐derived products. Moreover, ANOVA results illustrate that consumer relationships with nostalgic brands are systematically stronger than with non‐nostalgic brands. Finally, results indicated that product category moderates all of the dimensions of brand relationships while gender does not.