Date of Award

Spring 2018

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science (BS)

Advisor(s)

Yuliya Komarova

Second Advisor

Genevieve O'Connor

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether posting or sharing existing posts about nostalgic brands, versus non-nostalgic brands, on social media enhances Millennial’s sense of connectedness to their peers. Design/methodology/approach – This paper uses an experiment to empirically test the hypothesized relationships between sharing nostalgic content on social media and an enhanced sense of connectedness to peers among the Millennial generation. The data was collected from a sample of 71 college students from the Fordham University Research Subject Pool who participated in exchange for course credit. Findings – Exposure to a nostalgic (vs. non-nostalgic) brand increased the likelihood that a Millennial would share a post about that brand on social media, as well as enhanced their sense of connectedness to their peers to a greater extent. Furthermore, the data confirmed that the positive effect of nostalgic (vs. not) brands on one’s sense of connectedness to peers was fully explained by the greater likelihood of sharing posts about the brand on social media. Research limitations/implications – The present research used TV shows as a way to manipulate nostalgic or contemporary brand encounters. Future research should test if the results hold in different consumption contexts by using alternative manipulations of nostalgic and contemporary brand exposure. Practical implications – This research provides empirical evidence to support the validity of using social media shares as a valuable metric to gauge the effectiveness of a social media campaign for a nostalgic brand when marketing to Millennials. Social implications – The findings of the present research also indicate that brands serve an important social purpose when they are used by consumers as a way to re-experience positive emotions and as a segue to (re)connect with others. Originality/value – The findings of this research extend prior knowledge of the role of nostalgia in consumer-brand relationships by (1) investigating the unique effects of nostalgic brands on social media behavior and (2) demonstrating an important down-the-stream social benefit to Millennial consumers.

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