Monthly Archives

April 2025

Nostalgia is brand currency

In a world where every brand is shouting to be seen, nostalgia whispers—and everyone listens.

There’s something about a vintage logo, a familiar jingle, or a throwback color palette that makes people stop scrolling. It’s not just clever design or old-school vibes. It’s emotional muscle memory. When brands tap into nostalgia, they’re not just selling a product—they’re reconnecting people with who they were when they first felt something.

Check out these breakfast cereal flavored ice creams. These aren’t just food items. They’re edible time machines. One bite of Apple Jacks or a scoop of Eggo Waffles, and boom—you’re back in the grocery store with your mom, begging for the box with the prize inside.

Smart brands know that tapping into this nostalgia isn’t about being retro for retro’s sake. It’s about emotional resonance. That’s why cereal brands are reissuing their original box designs, and why ice cream companies are bringing back discontinued flavors with cult followings. People don’t just want a snack—they want a feeling.

But here’s the thing: nostalgia isn’t about getting stuck in the past. It’s about using the past to spark something new. The best brands don’t mimic—they remix. They create products and experiences that feel both timeless and timely.

So if your brand feels like it’s trying too hard to be “next,” maybe it’s time to look back. Because sometimes, the future of branding is just a familiar feeling—cleverly disguised as dessert.

The colors make me “feel things” about the brand

What’s black & white and red all over? Not the New York Times Games!

I’m in the business of customer experience so I’m hyper aware of things that get my attention. The big obvious ones are obvious, duh, but it’s the ones people don’t realize are having an effect on them that fascinate me. It could be a sound, a smell, a noise or in this case – colors. Big beautiful saturated colors.

While I’m not a daily gamer, I have a large family and somehow The NYT’s wordle game has become the morning greeting on the family text thread. When I remember, I’ll jump on the app and do the spelling bee, the wordle and maybe the mini but there’s something the NYT games have that I really respond to – so much so that it makes me want to play more games – HAPPY, FUN, POSITIVE COLORS. I think they actually make me “like” the brand more. Good move for a brand built on black and white.

**Oddly, the most popular Wordle game is the only one that doesn’t have a fun color.