Classic vs. Modern Disney adaptations: examining the power of nostalgia in marketing
(A2020-63458)

AUTHORS

Akos Varga, Corvinus University of Budapest; Aliz Sebestyén, Corvinus University of Budapest; Norbert Griszbacher, Corvinus University of Budapest

KEYWORDS

neuromarketing; nostalgia; IAT

ABSTRACT

Nostalgia has a significant influence on consumer behavior. The recent strengthening approach of Disney to reproduce their classic successes in modern adaptations (e.g. Lion King and Aladdin in 2019) stands in the focus of our research. This paper reports an exploratory study that sought to determine if the implicit association test (IAT; Greenwald et al., 1998), a method for assessing strengths of automatic associations, can be applied to measure consumer attitudes. The aim of this paper is to examine the power of nostalgia marketing strategy of Disney by implicit associations test (IAT) and explicit measures (survey): by using visual stimuli to evaluate consumer reflection and elicitation of nostalgia. The analysis revealed a significant correlation between IAT-measured implicit attitudes and explicit measures of attitudes and behavior toward classic and modern (our target) categories.