Bill Magee
Retro Retail Therapy a Hit with Scots Gen Z Consumers

The next time you're on a city centre retail therapy expedition (buying stuff, to you and me), or just out for a walk to build up your daily steps towards that elusive 10K, prise your nose away from that insistent "always on" mobile for a personal reality check.

Apparently, it's the era of "nostalgia marketing" a trend viewed enthusiastically especially by the first fully fledged digital generation, aged 8-23 that involves anything so-called retro. It's well worth taking a wee bit of time out to cheer a piece of refreshing news.

It involves the preservation of an iconic slice of our past more than holding its own in today's frantic internet-driven era. During your outing you'll undoubtedly stroll past an eye-catching advertisement, either the classic paper-and-paste version or a digital billboard.

Do a quick check to see if the advert is on social media.

Why?

Roadside Reality Check Long Overdue?

A new report reveals street hoarding adverts are more than holding their own and likely to be noticed by significantly more folks than the same paid social advertising. It appears the latter's instantaneous message/rapid delete element regularly works against expected coverage.

For the digital marketers this may be somewhat surprising given the apparent ubiquity of the all-powerful net. That more traditional methods of getting that message out are more than holding their market position. Such classic-style advertising has been around, it seems, forever.

In Scotland's Merchant City, for example, sites marking history included Barr's Iron Bru ad at the Trongate, banknote engravers Gilmour & Dean in North Hanover Street, and the "Votes for Women" Freedom League in Gordon Street. Then there's Lipton, Swan Vestas, the list goes on and on.

Of course, all belonging to a different time, a different generation and well before the Internet Age. Yet remaining potent. Fast forward and the Glasgow City Screen on Union Street has been digitally displaying a new advert in a loop seven days a week for some time now.

With a range of almost 1,000 metres, it's visible on Renfield Street and the junctions of Sauchiehall Street, Bath Street, West Regent Street, West George Street and St Vincent Street. The last time I walked past the screen the BBC Good Food Show Scotland was headlined, and I hadn't noticed such a key event via Google or a n other online "social" platform or website.

Data from YouGov, analysed by 75Media who established a presence in the city and specialise in selected classic and digital billboards in towns and cities across the UK, confirmed my suspicions about a strong "hit or miss" element by relying on internet/mobile sites to necessarily alert you and me of a major event or product in the offing.

The survey revealed 23 per cent of people indicated they will pay attention more to an "out-of-home" (OOH) advert compared to an identical one on a cell phone which reaches 18 per cent of viewers.

The YouGov "Effectiveness of Billboard Advertising" report stressed that multiplied over lots of different locations, the "cut through" impact is significant, and unlike radio, TV or streaming ads they can't be skipped or switched off.

The research also looked at how effective other forms of advertising were: streaming is the least effective with just 11 per cent of viewers paying attention to them, whilst radio adverts scored similarly to billboards and TV slightly higher but at a significantly higher price point.

Calculating the cost of producing and airing a TV ad compared to producing and displaying a hoarding - they're world's apart. An advertising hoarding can cost as little as under £500 for a two-week campaign.

Cyber-jury remains out on the cost effect of online advertising

Award-winning brand and advertising specialist Nick Kendall, who has worked on new product launches for Johnnie Walker, Unlilever, Haagen-Dazs and Boddingtons, has reported digital is viewed an unnecessary cost by some and the question of adverts and choice is as old as advertising itself.

A social-only approach can lead to a mere 'smart' part of what is on offer by the new media world", forgetting the clever but hard bit of how advertising affects innovation, quality and consumer choice to inspire confidence in a product or service.

It is here Gen Z are said to be embracing aspects of what has been dubbed "nostalgia marketing". One would think, what with the likes of social media, they live very much in the here and now rather than dwelling on the past. Not so.

Such advertising, as one key component of any marketing strategy, registers with folks and is at its most effective when a brand makes an emotional connection with its audience.

For Gen Z anything "retro" is a goer as they jump on, for example, Nineties trends although they didn't experience the decade, also a resurgent cassette player market featuring Eighties music.

What better way than to connect through the memories of our childhoods. Nostalgia works by reminding us of ourselves at a different time, letting us reflect on the past, if you think about it.

For many Gen Zers it tells them of how the world, and their parents and grandparents lived. It is the wise organisation that is relating itself to the past, drawing on the emotions of the customer.

Heartening to think that the relatively younger end of the age spectrum take time out from their ultra-busy digital lives to check in with the family.

Back to that planned city centre walkabout. It might kick off by an individual on their mobile whilst upstairs on a bus zooming past an advertising hoarding. There's always the return journey home to catch the eye...

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