Contemporary product packaging is good, but beware of its negative effects : evidence from a nostalgic brand

Abstract EN

Purpose : this study examines the impact of contemporary product packaging for nostalgic brands on consumer attitudes toward the brand, attitudes toward the advertisement, word of mouth, and purchase intentions.

Study design / methodology / approach : participants were exposed to advertisements featuring contemporary (non-nostalgic) and old-fashioned (nostalgic) product packaging for a nostalgic brand in Kuwait in a laboratory experiment.

Differences in participants’ responses toward the advertisements were examined using a series of t-tests, and the mediating effect of advertisement involvement on the dependent measures was tested using Preacher and Hayes’s procedure.

Sample and data : a convenience sample of 393 undergraduate students from a large university in Kuwait was used to test the research hypotheses.

Results : participants in the non-nostalgic (compared to the nostalgic) condition responded less favorably with respect to brand attitudes, advertisement attitudes, word of mouth, and purchase intentions.

More importantly, these negative effects were significant only for individuals who had consumed (childhood brand) and currently consume (current brand) the relevant brand.

Furthermore, the examined relationships were fully mediated by advertisement involvement, with the exception of partial mediation of the purchase-intention measure.

Originality / value : this study is the first to test the impact of contemporary packaging for nostalgic brands on consumer responses and use product packaging to evoke nostalgia in a laboratory experiment.

Practical implications and future research directions are discussed.

Research limitations / implications : drastic changes in product packaging for nostalgic brands may cause controversies in the marketplace and negatively affect consumer responses.

To successfully transition from nostalgic packaging, a nostalgic brand must plan gradual changes and use promotional programs (e.g., limited-edition promotions) to send occasional cues and revive consumers’ childhood memories.