Why flavour trends turn to nostalgia during times of crisis

Sit down with me for long enough (though my son would claim ‘long enough’ is actually a pretty short window) and I’ll eventually pull out one of my favourite stories from my time in the food marketing trenches. This is about how, in 2007, Kraft Blue Block Cheese (now Bega Dairylea) saved my career.

At the time, I was a senior brand manager, passionately hustling in the ‘yellow cheese’ category at Kraft. Not my weirdest gig, by the way – I’ve also been the ‘wet dog’ Strategy leader, but that’s a story for another day. Then the Global Financial Crisis struck, and suddenly the world was melting around us. Costs were soaring, the future was uncertain, and we were all scrambling to keep the factory humming and sales moving.

But amid the chaos, I noticed something strange: a spike in Kraft Blue Block sales. You know the product – it’s that block of shelf-stable, tinfoil-wrapped processed cheese, a true classic that’s been around since 1926. We hadn’t touched the packaging or shelf positioning, and price-wise it was no cheaper than refrigerated cheese. At the time, my theory was that during times of crisis, consumers reach for products that serve as a link to safer, simpler times and the comfort that this nostalgia brings.

It was just a theory back then, but my colleague here at T garage, Dr Hedieh Karachi, PhD, has since confirmed this with her extensive research on nostalgia as a brand strategy during economic downturns. Her findings underscore that nostalgia is a potent marketing tool in times of crisis. (If you’re interested, her findings are definitely worth a read.)

Today, during the cost-of-living crisis, nostalgia marketing is everywhere. We can see this in the rise in retro home-cooked meals: think Chicken Kievs, Fondue night, Apricot Chicken, and even the occasional Fish Pie – though I’ll admit, my mother’s recipe was so famously bad it could make you swear off fish for good. We’re also seeing cuts like liver fry and offal making a comeback.

As food and product developers, I’m sure you know that nostalgia isn’t just about ingredients, it’s a blend of flavours, textures, and memories.

Look at the return of products like Toobs, the recent run of Smith’s tomato sauce-flavoured chips, or Cadbury’s 200 Years campaign, which consumers have called out as particularly compelling in our recent research.

Of course, each generation has its own nostalgic food touchstones (younger generations might crave DunaRoos or Pop Rocks, just as much as the generation before reached for Kraft cheese cubes and olives).

What Dr Karachi’s research underscores for food developers is that there are practical ways to leverage nostalgia to meet consumers. It’s about designing products that don’t just feed but soothe - a strategy that taps into comfort, connection, and memory, all of which consumers crave in uncertain times.

Some tips she’s developed include:

• Reviving Classic Products: Reintroducing popular products from the past can tap into consumers' nostalgic feelings. Just as Coca-Cola brought back its classic formula and Arnott’s reintroduced the original Shapes, reviving successful past products can help reconnect with audiences.
• Highlight Brand Heritage: Emphasising a brand’s history and heritage in marketing campaigns can strengthen emotional bonds with consumers. This approach is particularly effective when people seek reassurance and comfort from brands that evoke positive memories.
• Balance Innovation with Tradition: While nostalgia can drive loyalty, maintaining relevance through innovation is also crucial. Combining new features with nostalgic elements can appeal to both new and loyal customers, balancing tradition with modernity.

  

• Create Nostalgic Experiences: Marketing campaigns that evoke positive past experiences can resonate deeply with consumers. Consider throwback promotions, nostalgic packaging, or events that celebrate a brand’s history to effectively engage audiences.

So, if you’re looking for the indicators of flavour trends. Then through times of crises, it’s a good bet that people are going to be looking for the comfort of flavours and trends from the past.

If you’d like to keep across more trends, we update weekly, follow myself or T garage, on LinkedIn. Or check out our past studies here.