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Article
How Strong is the Pull of the Past? Measuring Personal Nostalgia Evoked by Advertising
Journal of Advertising Research
  • Altaf Merchant
  • Kathryn Latour
  • John B. Ford, Old Dominion University
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-2013
DOI
10.2501/jar-53-2-150-165
Pages
150-165
Abstract

Marketers frequently evoke personal nostalgia in their advertising. To date, scales have been developed to measure the propensity to get nostalgic but not the actual dimensions of personal nostalgia. Results from four studies show that advertising-evoked personal nostalgia comprises four correlated but distinct dimensions: past imagery, positive emotions, negative emotions, and physiological reactions. This multidimensional scale showed a high level of validity and reliability. Moreover, due to careful choice of sampling frames, the study demonstrates a high level of external generalizability. Evaluating nostalgia-based advertising using the study's multidimensional scale may provide marketers with strategic insights for developing and fine-tuning advertising aimed at inducing nostalgia among consumers.

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Citation Information

Merchant, A., Latour, K., Ford, J. B., & Latour, M. S. (2013). How strong is the pull of the past? Measuring personal nostalgia evoked by advertising. Journal of Advertising Research, 53(2), 150-165. doi:10.2501/jar-53-2-150-165