The secret ingredient

This paper discusses how brand advertising can engage with consumers emotionally (for example, by appealing to nostalgia).

The secret ingredient

Todd Wilkinson

When it comes to tugging at the heartstrings of modern consumers, Paul Alexander knows there's one asset that no amount of advertising dollars can buy or invent: honest-to-goodness nostalgia. To him, nostalgia means the romantic connection customers feel with a product on a visceral level. It often evokes a sense of loyalty and trust and can take generations to build.

As the vice president of global advertising for the Campbell Soup Co. in Camden, N.J., Alexander is among a new breed of marketing innovators who are using nostalgia to engage customers in a more impactful...

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