When brands invest millions in nostalgia-driven advertising—such as Super Bowl commercials—they face a critical question: what if they choose the wrong era? Nostalgia is a powerful marketing tool, but its effectiveness depends on whether it resonates with the intended audience. Researchers at the University of Arizona have developed the Nostalgia for Eras Scale. This new measurement tool helps marketers identify which historical periods evoke the strongest nostalgic feelings among different groups. Their findings, published in the Journal of Advertising, provide a more precise way to understand audience preferences and improve marketing strategies.
Developed by Caleb Warren, professor and Robert A. Eckert Endowed Chair in Marketing at the Eller College of Management, and Matthew Farmer, now an assistant professor at Utah Valley University, the scale addresses an important gap in existing research. Previous studies typically measured nostalgia for personal memories or the past in general. In contrast, Warren and Farmer argue that people are often nostalgic for broader periods of time—whether personal life stages, such as university years, or collective eras, such as the 1950s or 1980s. Understanding these preferences enables marketers to create campaigns that connect more deeply with consumers.
To develop the scale, the researchers analysed consumer essays, previous academic studies, news coverage, and more than 200 advertisements. Their work identified three core elements of nostalgia: the warmth associated with remembering the past, a sense of loss because that time has passed, and the belief that life was simpler and more carefree during that period. Using these insights, they designed a measurement tool that identifies which decade or historical era people feel most nostalgic about.
When hundreds of participants completed the assessment, fewer than half identified their late teens or early twenties as the period they missed most. Instead, many selected different stages of life or even historical periods they had never personally experienced. People who had meaningful experiences later in adulthood, for example, often felt stronger nostalgia for those years. Others idealised eras such as the 1950s, the 1980s, or even the Old West, demonstrating that nostalgia is shaped by personal experiences, cultural influences, values, and identity—not simply by age.
The researchers then tested whether these preferences influenced consumer behaviour. Participants who expressed strong nostalgia for the 1990s responded more positively to a 1990s-era eBay advertisement than to a contemporary version. Participants whose nostalgic preferences centred on other decades did not show the same response. The scale also successfully predicted which film trailers participants were more likely to watch based on the historical periods they found most nostalgic, highlighting its value for advertising, entertainment, and market research.
Rather than relying on intuition or assumptions about generational preferences, marketers can use the Nostalgia for Eras Scale to identify the historical periods that resonate most with specific audiences. Whether promoting a brand, producing a film, or creating a period drama, understanding nostalgic connections allows organisations to tailor content that is more emotionally meaningful and engaging. By replacing guesswork with evidence-based insights, the scale offers a practical framework for predicting audience preferences and creating more effective, emotionally resonant marketing campaigns.
More information: Matthew Farmer et al, Conceptualizing and Measuring Nostalgia for Eras, Journal of Advertising. DOI: 10.1080/00913367.2026.2686662
Journal information: Journal of Advertising Provided by University of Arizona