Nostalgic Marketing Strategies In 1980 Kellogg's Stranger Things

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Netflix debuted its trailer for season two of Stranger Things during the 2017 Super Bowl (“Netflix Super Bowl”). The commercial employs strong references to the experiences of 1980’s youth. Before being introduced to the subject of the message, viewers are compelled by a grainy clip from a vintage 1980 Kellogg’s Eggo commercial, with the famous phrase “L’eggo my Eggo”, followed by the rapid sight of a rotating neon arcade sign (Grebey). The name “Eleven” is shouted, a group of prepubescent boys in Ghostbusters costumes pedal frantically on their bikes, a hazmat-suited individual dons a flamethrower, and a succession of clips build suspense towards the unveiling of a looming figure in the distant sky. Finally, the Stranger Things theme song
Aristotle argued that effective speakers understand the emotions of their audiences and that they can use those emotions to persuade them (40). Nostalgia is a complicated emotion, defined as “a sentimental longing or wistful affection for a period in the past” (“Nostalgia | Definition”). Due to the fact that there is no official research done on the nostalgic marketing techniques employed by Netflix, one must infer their intentions based on the trends identified by sources focusing on behavioral phenomena and marketing. Psychology Today said that “Marketers rely on nostalgia to sell us everything”, and it’s no new trick (Burton). An independent study found that 8.5% of 401 shows introduced on all platforms between 2015 and 2017 used nostalgia as a selling point or storytelling tool (Bojalad). The nostalgia emulated by Stranger Things may attach to the audiences hope for or anticipation of a positive future event (Burton). This could be a longing for a return to simpler times, as contrasted against the norms of today in which the media portrays youth as being constantly connected to technology, forsaking the charms of the great outdoors and the freedom in staying out until sunset cued us to return home for dinner. Stranger Things is littered with intentional, and perhaps subliminal, connections to past pop culture references. The group of tenacious children reminds of the adventurous boys in Stand by Me. The characters riding bicycles at night is reminiscent of E.T. Eleven, the telekinetic heroine, reminds of Drew Barrymore in Firestarter. The mother who challenges and communicates with the supernatural reminds of JoBeth Williams in Poltergeist (Stewart). The nostalgic connections are plentiful, and each has the potential to catch the attention and pull the heartstrings of the

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