Bucket hats, Cabbage Patch Kids and Hole – oh, my! For decades, nostalgia has been a mainstay in marketing campaigns. From Spotify paying homage to The NeverEnding Story or Target spotlighting a new generation of young Jedi to promote the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, consumers can’t get enough of reliving moments from their past.

So, what is it about nostalgia that enthralls us as consumers? Some could argue that it provides a sense of safety and wistful reminiscence while allowing people to view moments of their lives through rose-colored glasses. For a moment, when they’re exposed to a print ad or 30-second TV commercial encased in nostalgia, they’re transported back in time. And for most consumers, it’s the closest thing to time travel they’ll ever experience and for some folks, it becomes an obsession.

“Just put me in 1992 through to 1994 on a loop.” – Jade Buchanan, Content Creator

For Content Creator Jade Buchanan, her obsession with nostalgia started back in her keyboarding class in high school. Self-dubbed the “Magazine Queen,” Buchanan began creating ʼ80s, ʼ90s and 2000s nostalgia-based content on TikTok last year during the pandemic. An avid magazine collector, one day Buchanan decided to create a short video reviewing an old issue of Teen People magazine. It quickly took off with her audience and in less than a year, she amassed over 265,000 followers. Known by her handle on TikTok and Instagram as “shinypretties,” her account features videos of Kay-Bee Toys, Delia’s catalogs and one-hit wonders like Fastball. It’s a glorious and fun trip down memory lane that her followers can’t get enough of!

In this episode of The Social Angle, ASI Media Social Media Manager Melissa Newman joins Buchanan for a chat about all-things nostalgia. They discuss which big brands are honoring their customers with nostalgic campaigns (like Mead with their new Trapper Keepers) and shedding tears of joy over receiving an Apple iMAC G3 as a gift. So, get in, we’re hopping into our DeLorean to take a sonic trip back in time to celebrate the past!

Podcast Chapters (Available Only On Desktop)
05:03: It All Started with a Keyboarding Class
08:20: Becoming The Magazine Queen
13:39: Creator Burnout
12:08: Brands Doing Nostalgia Right

Jade Buchanan on Social Media

• Tik Tok
• Instagram