Is Nostalgia Still the Key to Nostalgic Consumption in the Market of Young Consumers? Explore the roles of nostalgia in the case of Lomography cameras.

Abstract

Abstract Research Purpose: Recently, the increasing awareness in nostalgia has produced an empirical foundation towards the understanding of nostalgia in human lives and its potential implication towards marketing strategies. However, such studies were neglected on the area of young consumers with qualitative research, where nostalgia does no merely happen on older generation. In fact, contemporary nostalgic consumption involved a variety of factors other than just demographic; for instance, past experience, word of mouth and identity. The purpose of this present research is to explore and clarify the roles of nostalgia and the motivations of nostalgic consumption by young consumers in a greater depth, in particular on the case of Lomography cameras. Also, the research offers useful insights for potential directions of marketing implications and future research. Methodology: In order to answer the research questions in-depth, qualitative method was employed. In addition, purposive and snowball sampling were applied to identify participants with similar characteristics, consumption experiences and age. As a result, 11 semi-structured interviews were conducted. Main Findings: The findings demonstrated that within the younger buyers, nostalgia has little impact on their decisions of nostalgic consumption due to their limited knowledge and experiences of the past. Besides, participants seem to have different motivations and symbolic meanings when carrying out this consumption. Consequently, this research discovered 8 recurring themes that may have influenced the nostalgic consumptions: impression of nostalgic products and brands, brand images, product designs, product functions, gift giving, the influences of visual media, self-identity and social identity. Specifically, the high consistency of product designs and identities are regarded as the most important factors for young consumers, where word of mouth reinforced their purchase intentions