0

2

TABLE OF CONTENT

INTRODUCTION 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 4

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK DATA COLLECTION ANALYSIS

FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 5-9

Ageing effect Difference between genders Past childhood experience Event repetition frequency in the past Time lag duration of event last encountered

CONCLUSION 10-11

Recommendations

BUSINESS STRATEGY CARD 12

3

INTRODUCTION

The intention of carrying out this research is to better understand the relevance of emotional appeals specifically nostalgic sentiments when used in advertising, with five different factors in context with the general Malaysian population. This research would be a contribution by empirically identifying what the determinants that influence the level of nostalgic sentiment sensitivity among consumers in a nostalgically driven advertisement are.

In an applied and managerial perspective, this research is the answer towards firms' advertisements in getting noticed by consumers; as it stands out from the crowd of competitors by highly differentiating itself from others; and has the ability to leave a deep impact in its advertising messages by deploying emotional appeals in the advertisements.

Subsequently, in the quest of producing a more effective advertisement, this research

gives the correct picture for advertising and marketing strategist in accurately identifying to whom their nostalgic advertising initiative is most relevant to specifically in the Malaysian perspective; thus understanding these determinants or factors of nostalgic sentiment sensitivity in consumers will ultimately amplify the effectiveness of the firm’s advertisements in penetrating deep in consumer’s hearts and minds; thus leading them to have a positive preference towards the brand and driving purchase intentions of a product or service being advertised.

This ultimately fills the gap in the applied perspective as mentioned before. Also, by

knowing these determinants or factors, advertisers will get a future lead in what to improve, what to boost or even what to avoid in their advertising campaigns that are nostalgically driven.

Being equipped with this knowledge would bring forth a multitude of benefits such as an increased level on the firms advertising’s level of effectiveness, help in saving the firm’s advertising expenditures on some unnecessary factors that can be avoided or even increase the amount of initiatives on certain factors that record low levels of nostalgic sensitivity; thus by an increased focus of initiative and commitment on these specific elements which are deemed having more priority for improvement than that of elements that have naturally high levels of nostalgic sentiment sensitivity, possibly resulting in a successful advertising campaign.

7

Past childhood experience

The correlations between both past childhood experience and nostalgia sentiment sensitivity were positive in direction and had strong correlation strengths. The analysis also proved that past childhood experience has significant influence over the sensitivity towards nostalgia sentiment.

Past literature has noted the influence of past childhood experience and its role towards nostalgia sensitivity predispositions. As emphasized repeatedly, nostalgia works as an adaptive mechanism in times of transition or disruption; leading towards individuals facing higher amounts of changes in their life being more sensitive in experiencing nostalgic sentiments.

The mechanism of nostalgia works as nostalgic reminiscence that helps protect identity continuity of a person by reminding themselves of one’s own facade of their past, enabling them to assess personal changes over time and helps a person to remain connected to others

Positive memories of childhood make up a strong foundation for optimism in the later years of adulthood. A happy childhood soothes the personality of a person and the effect is carried on throughout the entire life of a person; thus many of whom experiencing happy growing up years were more susceptible and sensitive towards emotional appeals particularly that are used in advertisements mainly because of a strong desire by them to relieve the joyful memories and experience of the days that had gone by; this is in line with the fundamental definition of nostalgia itself which is a yearning to return home to the past.

The urge in reliving the past within the present happens to be of many ways a driving force in human behavior; many of these events happen constantly in our daily routines subconsciously signifying the strong influence of where childhood plays a part in. Supporting that individual with happier childhood memories was more likely to have greater sensitivity to personal nostalgia. Childhood experience is closely associated to nostalgia as they invoke a strong phase of innocence as a fraction of the self that a person is motivated to form in memory.

Elevated urges in recreating and reliving the past within present lives, high amounts of social connectedness, and high discontinuities in present life causes individuals who face high degree of change frequently leaning back to nostalgia in measuring their personal changes over time and protecting identity continuity by constantly reminding themselves of their blissful remembered past. Past childhood experience definitely has a major impact over the sensitivity level of a person. It is proven that Past Childhood Experience Frequency does have a positive relationship with nostalgia sentiment sensitivity; recording significant correlations.

Sensitivity

Not so happy

Sensitivity

Happy

Nostalgic Driven Advertisement