The Power of Nostalgia: What Polaroid and Pokémon Understand About Modern Consumers
There is something fascinating about the things we keep. A photo inside an old book. A toy from childhood. A game you haven’t played in years. A handwritten message you no longer have any practical use for but find it hard to get rid of. All of these items may not hold any monetary value at all.
Yet, they possess other form of importance in life. They remind people of times and experiences in life, of the people they met and places they visited. This is the absolute magic of nostalgia. It does not just make us recall the past. It makes the past real enough to interact with.
This is exactly what makes the joint project by Polaroid and Pokémon more interesting than the launch of a new limited-edition product. After all, these brands are very different, however, what they do both is build psychological and cultural brands, which give us an opportunity to relate to the past.
As Pokémon marks its 30th anniversary, the two have combined their popular worlds and come out with a collaboration consisting of nine limited-edition products, including three Pokémon-themed instant cameras derived from Polaroid’s existing Go Generation 3 and Now Generation 3 technology, with custom-designed film and accessories.
The designs feature Pikachu, Sylveon, and Poké Ball, and make the cameras and camera supplies not only usable but also collectible. According to Polaroid, it is its largest licensing collaboration thus far. On the surface, it is a fun collaboration between a camera manufacturer and a famous entertainment series.
However, when we take a closer look at it, we may see that it represents something much bigger in today’s consumer world, with people surrounded by technology but still seeking something personal.
Nostalgia Has Changed
Nostalgia used to be something linked with the older generations. Hearing an old song would make a person think about the moment he listened to it first. Seeing an old picture could take a person back to some other time. A well-known brand could remind a person of his childhood.
Today, nostalgia evolves in a different way. It becomes faster. A brand born in the 90s becomes trendy again despite the fact many people that did not exist back then are already fans of what was once popular. Characters of one’s childhood can become an adult fashion trend. Old video game consoles become collectible exhibits. Film cameras become popular devices again in an era of powerful digital cameras that fit a pocket.
The past ceases to be just a certain time in the past. Rather, in recent years, it happens to become what allows people to exist in the present. Pokémon is a great illustration of this. It appeared in Japan in 1996 and now is celebrated for three decades. What is remarkable here is that the anniversary is not just a memorial but rather a call to participate in it. It has to give them a reason to love it again. That is where nostalgia becomes commercially powerful.
Pokémon Does Not Sell the Past. It Keeps Updating It.
Memories can be influential but they also have their limitations. If a brand only reproduces what it had 30 years ago, it risks becoming a relic.
However, Pokémon has been lucky enough not to fall into this hole. Although people have not forgotten who those little creatures are, ways in which they communicate with them have changed. The company produces different forms of entertainment using games, cards, cartoons, merchandise, and digital experiences and brings Pokémon into different spheres of people’s lives.
The 30th anniversary is just one of the examples of that approach. Pokémon has been creating opportunities for fans to celebrate an event instead of asking them just to repeat the history. This is a great lesson for every brand.
Nostalgia is better combined with participation because nostalgia itself is not enough. People instead of merely remembering what they liked 30 years ago should be given an opportunity to live their experience again.
The same goes for collaboration with Polaroid. A person who grew up playing Pokémon can now meet his or her heroes on a camera. A kid will learn about them through another item.
And Then There Is Polaroid
The role of Polaroid in this case seems to be almost opposite to that of Pokémon’s. Pokémon has shown with consistency how it has made itself relevant over the years through different means of engagement.
Polaroid, conversely, represents an outdated technology that no longer has a place in the modern world of photography as we know it thanks to the advent of smartphones. Photography has become an effortless activity thanks to smartphones, and no one finds it necessary to make hard copies of photographs anymore due to the rise of online storage. Additionally, social media has changed the way we share photographs with other people today.
However, Polaroid keeps on being of importance. The reason for that is not that instant photos are somehow better than phone-based photos.
The Past Is Not Always Behind Us
Perhaps this is the reason that nostalgia has become such a significant power in modern consumer culture. Although people continue to advance faster than ever before, they still yearn for reminders of where they came from. A photograph has value because someone was there. A childhood character has value because of how someone felt about it with excitement. A collectible has value because of its history. Sometimes, a small object can keep an entire chapter of a person’s life.
This is what makes the Polaroid and Pokemon collaboration more than just a collection of cameras and accessories. It is a meeting of two brands that share the significant human insight: people do not just want to experience moments; people want to save them.