Need Proof that Nostalgia Sells? Just Ask the Premier League

“They don’t make ‘em like they used to”. 

It’s the ever-popular refrain of those who love to hark back to a supposedly better time. Be it in music, sport, entertainment, or anything else, nowhere is quite as welcoming as the past.

Whether those distinctly rose-tinted glasses are ever fully accurate is up for debate, but what is inarguable is that love for nostalgia is universal. That applies to brands, too, as even the mere memory of a product or event from the past can summon up a wave of nostalgic joy. If there’s any doubt, just look at the commercial success of football clubs in the UK’s Premier League when it comes to embracing the past. As far as the beautiful game’s branding is concerned, they very much are making ‘em like they used to. 

Standing on the cusp of a new season, we’re in the midst of the annual ritual of kit reveals. It’s a chance for clubs to generate a bit of a buzz, as marketing teams cross their fingers in the hope that their team’s shirt could make the leap from matchday uniforms into genuine fashion.

Already, we’re seeing a nostalgic trend flare up in this year’s batch of kits: Clubs are connecting with fans by replacing modern badges on new kits with replicas of old ones. Newcastle United’s third kit, for instance, carries the team’s iconic 80s crest in place of its modern one. And whilst they may not quite be Premier League (thanks to their Playoff final defeat at the hands of the mighty Southampton), Leeds United have done the same with an away kit embracing their 70s ‘smiley’ logo, providing a sentimental treat for their long-suffering fans. 

And it continues…Arsenal FC are adorning their crests with a slimmed-down version of their firepower-themed badge, a nod all the way back to 1922. Aston Villa’s 2023 rebrand harks to their 50s crest, and Everton recently decluttered an away kit to include nothing more than the silhouette of their iconic tower. My own beloved Saints may buck the trend by refusing to tinker with their crest - but on the other hand, why alter perfection?!

There’s plenty of evidence to support this lean into nostalgia as a marketing move. Last year, psychology professor Krystine Batcho told National Geographic that “consuming nostalgic media of all types gives us a way of thinking about who we are, and helps us make sense of our purpose in life”. And that’s true - it’s a deep, primal thing inside us which fuses memories into identity and drives behaviour. For any brand which is looking to connect with people, nostalgia is too powerful a tool to ignore. 

The word itself can sometimes get a bad reputation. It’s connected with the idea of being stuck in the past, unable or unwilling to move forward. But, psychologically speaking, that’s not quite a true reflection. Nostalgia can be a positive, affirming sentiment. Agnes Arnold-Forster, the author of ‘Nostalgia: A History of a Dangerous Emotion’, writes that “People with nostalgic tendencies feel more loved and protected, have reduced anxiety, are more likely to have secure attachments, and are even supposed to have better social skills”.

And there’s another interesting dimension to Premier League clubs’ nostalgic tendencies which marketers should take note of. Most fans who will wear the Newcastle, Arsenal, Villa, and Everton strips which evoke the past won’t actually have been alive during the periods referenced. This isn’t about harking back to personal youth, or the idea that people believe everything was somehow ‘better’ in the past - it’s more powerful than that. These kits are telling an old, long-running story which modern fans are empowered to be part of. It’s community, tribe, and identity wrapped up in branding. It’s genius, and it truly means something to thousands of football fans across the country. 

Can any brand tap into nostalgia and generate those kinds of connections? Potentially. Marketers should consider the bigger picture of a brand and its story, the roles it has played in peoples’ lives and the moments it’s been part of. 

Done with thoughtful authenticity, nostalgia can spark the kind of long-term connection which becomes hard to break.