The past is powerful. As we’ve seen from top companies, heritage can differentiate your business, support innovation and strategic goals, build company culture and demonstrate authenticity.
But that’s not all it can do. If you’re looking to move the needle with your brand index score, you may also want to look in the rearview mirror. Let’s see how two well-known brands have taken that approach to sustaining brand loyalty.
The Challenge
You want to build brand loyalty and drive revenue.
The Solution
Play your nostalgia card. By highlighting favorite products, spokespeople, leaders, events or services from your past, you can remind customers and employees alike why they loved your brand in the first place—and why they still should.
At the Ford Heritage Vault, Ford encourages enthusiasts and the casually curious to dive into its extensive digital archives. Audiences can shape their own journeys or browse through curated heritage highlights.
Ford doesn’t use nostalgia just to sustain brand loyalty. Listen to our podcast to hear how Ford is also drawing on its archives and history for initiatives such as the relaunch of the Ford Bronco.
Limited editions, special series, throwback merchandise, anniversary deals, ambitious fundraising goals—heritage is made for these types of revenue and engagement strategies.
Adobe Experience Cloud marked the anniversary of the first banner ad by spotlighting the role it played in the development of the digital marketing industry, with a good dose of ’90s nostalgia thrown in. No one wants to go back to the internet of 1994, but Adobe’s approach seeks to remind readers how many times the company has been there to save the day with its critical innovations. It issued a report on the evolution of digital marketing and future trends, shared infographics and published anniversary-related articles—with links to Adobe’s offerings, of course.
Up next: Two brands show how their pasts are connected to a cultural milestone.