Shape My Choice: How Iconicity and Nostalgia Marketing Influence Brand Preference (Sadh & Mukhopadhyay, 2024)

Welcome to Revise and Resubmit, your favorite podcast where research meets relevance! In today’s episode, we dive into the emotional world of nostalgia marketing with a fascinating paper presented at the prestigious ISMS Marketing Science Conference 2024. This paper, titled "Shape My Choice: How Iconicity and Nostalgia Marketing Influence Brand Preference," is the brainchild of Ashish Sadh and Mayukh Mukhopadhyay—both from the Indian Institute of Management, Indore. The presentation was expertly moderated by Professor Sami Al Battashi and hosted by the INFORMS Society for Marketing Science. Nostalgia isn’t just a warm feeling; it’s a powerful tool that brands can use to form meaningful connections with consumers. This paper reveals how nostalgic branding and iconic brand names—think sharp versus round sounds, like Kiki versus Bouba—can influence consumer choices. Through an innovative 2x2 experimental design, the authors explore how brands can tug at our heartstrings and align their messaging with consumer preferences, fostering loyalty and emotional resonance. The results could reshape how marketers think about the interplay between nostalgia, sound, and brand perception. This conversation opens up exciting questions. How do brands know when nostalgia will charm us or turn us away? And, do the sounds of a brand name really influence our choices more than we realize? Understanding these emotional triggers could change the way companies position themselves in a crowded marketplace. We extend a special thanks to the authors, hosts, and moderators of this insightful conference paper. If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe to Revise and Resubmit on Spotify and follow us on YouTube at Weekend Researcher. You can also catch us on Amazon Prime Music and Apple Podcast for more exciting research deep dives. Let’s explore how sound, memory, and emotion shape our brand preferences—and whether we’re choosing brands or they’re choosing us. Reference Ashish Sadh, Mayukh Mukhopadhyay (June 27, 2024) Shape My Choice: How Iconicity and Nostalgia Marketing Influence Brand Preference. ISMS Marketing Science Conference 2024, INFORMS Society for Marketing Science. https://submissions.mirasmart.com/ISMS2024/Publication/ProgramBook.aspx Youtube channel link ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@weekendresearcher⁠