Gen-Z's Are Making Money By Selling Nostalgia

Linking past memories with your brand can be a smart marketing move

Esther Uwanah Edet
2 min readJul 22, 2022
A model smiles through a shower of c
Photo by Samantha Hurley on Burst

I had this brilliant idea recently to start selling scented candles. I got so excited about it and made tons of research.

From my research, I found out that the best-selling scented candles are those that give people a sense of nostalgia.

There are small businesses that are super successful by creating scents that remind people of the past!

It’s not just the scented candle business though, you can see this trend in every business.

So why this new obsession with nostalgia?

Short answer...the pandemic.

long answer… well let’s not get into the long answer and start talking about inflation and the economic situation, we’ll be here all day.

When people feel troubled by the present, they try to find comfort in the past. Brands that have recognized this are cashing out, and they are mainly gen-z brands.

We can see this in the huge fandom surrounding shows like Euphoria and Stranger Things, fashion trends like low-rise jeans, flare jeans, and the recent boom in thrift clothing.

They have turned it into “aesthetics”, and millennials are accusing them of “appropriating” a style they do not understand.

The best part is that Nostalgia is priceless. People are willing to spend tons of cash on items that remind them of the past.

I find this unsurprising for a generation that grew up in the digital age. Most Gen-Z’s do not know what life was before smartphones.

With how fake a lot of things are these days, it’s not surprising the thirst people have for authenticity and honesty, which is something they relate the past to.

Most of them are nostalgic for a decade when they did not even exist.

The times when there were no perfectly curated Instagram feeds, instant messaging… the internet.

They see this digital age as a monster with sharp claws they are trying to escape from.

From what I’ve seen and by personal observation, it’s not surprising for a generation to feel like the decade before them was better. I also want to go back to the 80s.

Well, it’s easy to romanticize something you have not experienced, and who doesn’t want a beautiful handwritten letter that took two months to get to you.

I want one!

I guess with the rising price of literally everything, it only makes sense to let our jeans hang a little lower.

If you want to see more articles from me, you are free to go through my page, check out the vibe, and follow me if you want.

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Esther Uwanah Edet

Top writer in feminism. A young adult trying to figure out life, I write on social issues, feminism, and my life. Get in contact: estheredetu@gmail.com.