Effects of nostalgia marketing on perceived self-continuity and purchase intention - an empirical research study in Vietnamese food and beverage industry

Abstract

Evoked nostalgia and nostalgic marketing appeals have been found to have significant and long-lasting effects on consumer behavior, notably consumer decision-making and customer-brand connections. In Viet Nam context, however, research on the phenomena of evoked nostalgia and its association with critical brand behavioral outcomes such as brand attitude, purchase intention and perceived self-continuity is scarce. Thus, this study evaluated the link between recalled nostalgia and these behavioral outcomes in the specific example of three well-known brands: Hao Hao, Knor and Choco Pie. To meet the major purpose of the study, a theoretical model based on ideas of planned behavior, reasoned action, and self-identity was established. A survey of the literature on theoretical model constructions was done, which resulted in the development of a nostalgic brand evaluation instrument with 4 measurement variables. A self administered online questionnaire on the Google Forms platforms was used to survey consumers in Viet Nam. On the actual sample of 275 respondents, descriptive and inferential analyses were performed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). For the Vietnamese consumers, statistically significant positive associations between evoked nostalgia and its putative antecedents, namely sensory and emotional brand experience, were established. Statistically significant positive associations between evoked nostalgia and the two mediating factors in the study model, namely brand attitude and personal continuity, were also verified. Result: Nostaglia marketing has considerable influence on personal lives of consumers (perceived self-continuity) and also on their attitude towards brand (brand attitude). Brand attitude remarkably affects purchase intention of consumers. Nostalgia marketing itself, nevertheless, does not have a direct impact on consumer purchase intention. However, study findings indicate an indirect association between advertising nostalgia, perceived self-continuity, and brand attitude. In other words, by increasing perceived self-continuity using evoked nostalgia factors in marketing campaigns, consumers could have a more positive attitude over the brand, and therefore leads to purchasing intention