Throwback ↩️

DEJA VU

How to win with nostalgia marketing

Everyone needs a case of the warm and fuzzies from time to time. Especially in the middle of a seemingly never-ending pandemic. And there's no better remedy than a heavy dose of nostalgia to remind people of the good ol' days.

And Blues Clues just proved that. The OG star of the show, Steve Burns, just reappeared in a new video last week and instantly melted the hearts of millennials who grew up watching him. As a result, the video went viral, gathering nearly 52M views on Facebook alone.

Sure, it was a cute way to get folks to smile. But it was also a brilliant brand-building strategy. With an upcoming movie, the franchise aimed for the video to reengage parents who now have kids in the right age range.

But it's not just Nick that's jumping on the nostalgia train. Other brands are also channeling the past to boost their brand's standing.

For example, to celebrate the 45th anniversary of Billie Jean King's win in the infamous "Battle of the Sexes," Adidas launched a limited edition line of BJK shoes. And it worked! That campaign led to a 20% boost in shoe sales for Adidas.

That's because feeling nostalgic makes consumers more willing to spend money. Because in the heat of it all, they don't care as much about the price tag. What they care about is keeping the feeling going, so they'll spend whatever it takes to make that happen.

And if you associate your product or service with those good feelings (AKA use nostalgia in your marketing), people will be more likely to buy your product. Here's how you can use the past to propel your company's future success: 

• Play to your audience. Meaning, get clear on what "the past" is for your ideal customers. Because what appeals to one generation may not appeal to others. For example, Gen X audiences might love a Breakfast Club throwback, while millennials might not "get it."  
• Recreate the memories. Such as taking a nostalgic moment in history and recreate it with your brand's vibe. At Trainual, we teamed up with 90's star Montell Jordan to remix his hit single "This Is How We Do It" into a small business anthem. Because today’s business owners likely grew up jamming to his original hit.
• Work within your budget. You don't need a crazy-big budget to brings these memories back. Posting an old photo or video of a pop-culture moment on social media works just as well! For example, ESPN posted a collage of classic sports movies and asked its followers to pick their favorites. The result? 14.2K comments, which is nearly 13k higher than their average.

But whatever you choose to do, nostalgia shouldn't just be about getting sales. Because the best nostalgia marketing is about connecting with your audience, sharing in the good ol' days, and proving that you "get them."

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS

What sets the “best workplaces” apart?

You hear it all the time. Companies bragging that they’re the #1 workplace in their city, state, industry, and so on (ourselves included). But who gives them the right? The obvious answer: All the awards they’ve won to back up their claims.

But really, it’s the hard work they put in behind the scenes that got them these awards. Because earning this kind of recognition, it doesn’t just happen. Every award-winning workplace invests in the same 4 things (minimum): 

1. Their core values. Meaning, for one, they have them. And two, their team knows them. It sounds obvious - but 19% of employees worldwide don’t know their company’s values.
2. Hiring the right people. Sure, you want kind humans with the right skills for the job. But specifically, look for people who fit your values - not your culture. This is critical because while culture naturally changes over time, values remain static.
3. Their people. This doesn’t just mean offering great benefits. It also means offering development opportunities (such as attending events like Playbook or getting HubSpot certifications). All of which should be opt-in only, so they’re in their career’s driver seat.
4. Getting feedback. Once a quarter, send everyone an engagement survey via a tool like Culture Amp. Then, use what they say to correct the bad or reinforce the good. And let your team know how their responses drove those changes (that way, they continue to take these surveys seriously).

But here’s the thing: Getting recognized for doing these things is just a bonus. Because even if we never won any awards, we’d still be building Trainual the exact same way! And (in our humble opinion) that’s the real trick to being the best place to work.

👉 How to apply for “best workplace” awards.

SUCCESS STORY

How Forsite 5X'd their team in 2 years

When Bethany Babcock founded Foresite Commercial Real Estate, she was determined to solve an age-old industry problem: There was little-to-no transparency in management and leasing. And she and her business partner, Chad Knibbe, knew they could fix that.

The company started off great. And they grew their team to 5 people. But shortly after, Bethany hit a wall. “I was tired of answering all the same questions every day. I realized I had to duplicate myself.” 

So, she signed up for Trainual to do just that. And within 2 years, she scaled her efforts, pioneered new practices in the industry, and grew the company into a 25-person team. 

And now, she’s sharing exactly how she did all that - so you can, too!

👉 Steal all of Foresite’s tips.

TL;DR

This week's highlight reel

• Let me show you! TikTok has been a struggle for advertisers. But the social app just shared the secret to creating high-performing ads on its platform.
• Not again. Restaurants are closing indoor dining rooms as the Delta variant spikes and staffing shortages continue to present new challenges.  
• Oof - that’s embarrassing. More than 7 years after launching Apple Pay, only 6% of people with iPhones use the feature in-store. And contactless cards will likely keep that number low.
• Asking for a friend. Is business travel officially dead? With almost 85% of companies saying they’ll scale back trips - even when it’s safe to travel - the answer is likely yes.
• Wait...what? JPMorgan just bought Infatuation (the review and guide site that oversees Zagat). The site will continue to operate independently. But Chase cardholders will likely receive special perks, thanks to the deal.