How gen z rediscover the past

For many marketing people, gen Z seems a paradoxical generation: raised with the internet in his pocket, but deeply attached by a past that he did not live.

In an era of Tiktok, AI and Augmented reality, brands do not only rely on innovation-but also on nostalgia. It’s not about parents or grandparents. It is about children born after 2000 who wear T -shirts with Nirvana, shoot with VHS filters and rediscover the 90s of the last century as a mythical world.

What seemed once a strategy reserved for millennials became, in 2025, one of the most effective ways to capture the attention of the youngest consumers. Including in less obvious areas. For example, in igaming, some platforms such as Green They have begun to integrate retro symbols – 2D graphics slots, classic trick sounds, pixel animations – precisely to create that feeling of familiarity among young players who seek more than just modern functions.

What is, in fact, « nostalgia marketing »?

In simple terms, nostalgia marketing is a strategy by which brands use past symbols, aesthetics or references to create an emotional connection with the public. It’s not a novelty-Coca-Cola has been doing this for decades, and Nintendo has reinvented the same console at least five times.

But what is really interesting in 2025 is that nostalgia is no longer about real memories, but about « second-hand images » of an idealized past. Gen Z does not remember the 1990s-but consumes them through memes, movies, Lo-Fi music and branding that faithfully reproduces the atmosphere.

Why does the nostalgia work on the genus?

It may seem counterintuitive. How to sell the past of a generation that was there? The answer is simple: nostalgia is not about personal experience, but emotion.

For Gen Z, who lives in an extremely accelerated world, nostalgia offers comfort, clarity and simplicity. An old logo, an 8-bit style animation or an advertisement with a 1998 toy can convey more heat than a whole campaign on Metvers.

In addition, social networks have greatly amplified the circulation of retro culture. Hashtags such as #throwback, #2000skid or #vintageaesthetic are ubiquitous. When something « retro » becomes viral, it doesn’t matter if it is real or manufactured-the vibe counts.

How do you use this trend in a smart way?

It’s not just about pastel colors and old fonts. Brands that truly manage to use nostalgia in their marketing do more than an aesthetic rebranding – create coherent campaigns that tell a story.

• The reinterpretation of classic packaging: Pepsi, Burger King or Doritos relaunched packages inspired from the 80s -90s, with a modern twist. Gen Z loves to post such products on Instagram-not because they consumed them in childhood, but because it shows « a vintage cool ».
• The return of old advertisements-Adidas, Nike or Levi’s reuse legendary commercials, with granulated frames and narrative voices in the archive. Thus, the new product seems rooted in a tradition-although it is completely new.
• Partnerships with « Cult » – Netflix brands relaunched Stranger Things as a retro marketing platform itself. Lego collaborates with Super Mario, Adidas and other giants for « Old Meets New » sets.
• Gaming + Nostalgia = Love Story: Console manufacturers launches retro editions (Game Boy Mini, PlayStation Classic) that are instantly exhausted. In online slots, the themes of classic tricks, pixel animations and 8-bit music gain popularity on young players oriented.

Concrete cases of « nostalgia marketing » that worked

One of the best recent examples of effective nostalgic marketing comes from McDonald’s, which has launched a Happy Meal dedicated to adults – with toys inspired from the 1990s and retro packaging. The idea exploded. It was exhausted in a few days, not because people necessarily wanted a burger and potatoes, but because they wanted to relive an emotion. IT

Spotify Wrapped follows the same model-they wear cold data in hot clothes, inspired by CDs, old magazines or even audio boxes. Each end of the year becomes an opportunity for personal storylling, visually packaged as a cultural artifact.

Risks and mistakes in nostalgia marketing

Gen Z is a very sensitive audience. If you smell « fake nostalgia », it charges you immediately. Not all attempts to call the past work. Some brands fail because:

• Surgifying: it changes the font and the colors, but the message is empty.
• They do not have an authentic connection with the past: if your brand did not exist in the evoked period, do it part of the conversation, not its center.
• Overutilize the visual elements: if everything is retro, it becomes kitsch.

The past sells but only if you know how to tell him

Nostalgia marketing does not mean selling the past. It means selling what I felt in that past. Brands that succeed are those that create emotion, not just packaging. They understand that gen Z does not just want technology – wants context, vibe, identity.

And in today’s digital world, sometimes the most modern thing you can do is take a step back, draw in 8-bit and place a soundtrack lo-fi.