Nostalgia: a wistful or excessively sentimental yearning for a return to or of some past period or irrecoverable condition. A feeling of missing something from the past and craving for what has already ended a long time ago is neither a new feeling nor a trend. That is, people nowadays still yearn for the culture of the past. This is a retrospect vibe. Y2K fashion items and music, LP, Pokémon Bread, and TV programs that are motivated by the past trend are some examples of what is going on. But why do we retrospect and crave things from the past? Why do we now feel such enthusiasm for things that are retro marketed? Does this mean we are going backwards rather than forwards? Using these types of feelings and trends as a method of marketing is called “RetroMarketing,” and it is currently the most prominent trend in South Korea.

The Meaning of “Retro” and its Background

When we think of the word “retro,” the first thing that comes to mind would be things that already existed as trends in the past. That is correct. The word retro comes from the word “retrospect,” which implies we remember and reminisce on past events. “Although it seems like a new trend, we always have been romanticizing the past. It is like human nature of missing something that has already finished,” says Lee Woong-hee, a professor in the School of Business at Hanyang University (HYU). “We, humans get tired of modern things because we feel that the world is becoming more complicated while most things appear and disappear so quickly. The whole world is so fast, and thus, we feel safe and comfortable by looking for things we already know,” says professor Lee.

Another professor at the same department, Han Min-joo added, “The world is complicated and our memories from the past are simple. When we feel unrest about the future, the past always has been our comfort place. It is like a never changing truth.”

Various Faces of “Retro”

1. Music

In popular music, the retro trend is deeply related to highly developed technology. This is because the retro phenomenon emerges as modern people listen to music from the past that was reproduced and played infinitely through digital technology. Thus, ironically, current musicians are often competing with musicians from the past rather than the present. Remake songs are also a new trend and a way to satisfy a wide range of genre tastes. Moreover, people still listen to music on vinyl because it has different advantages, such as the unique quality of its sound. Professor Lee added, “All the time, there is more than one aspect for each product. Every product has different advantages and so do these direct consumers’ choices.”

2. The Past: A Special Vibe

Retro trends have not only affected the music industry. Cyworld, a homepage that works similar to blogs, also returned in April 2022. It has topped the popularity of the app market social sector and has surpassed three million installations in just a month. People have also started to buy old cameras. Although their smartphones have high-end digital cameras, they can never replicate the special vibes that film cameras have. When it comes to locations, retro-sentimental restaurants and pubs are also on trend right now. Euljiro, dubbed as ‘Hip-jiro,’ where the past and the present vibes coexist- is one of these examples. The place is visited by Generation MZ.

3. Fashion

In the fashion industry, retro means reinterpreting past fashion to suit our modern taste. There is also a famous saying, “Fashion is cyclical.” If you turn on the TV right now, it will not be difficult to find celebrities wearing fashion items from the 80s and 90s. Swimsuits, scrunchies, and wide pants were trendy fashion items 40 years ago and now they are again.

4. Marketing

Finally, there is “Retro Marketing.” “Retro Marketing is a very lucrative advertising strategy from a company’s point of view,” states professor Lee. “Since it is possible to inform consumers of the brand in anticipation of memories or nostalgia, it can be expected to have a great effect at a considerably low cost. Though, it is not the only reason for being a lucrative marketing method.” Hyun Hyo-won, a professor in the School of Business at HYU added, “Retro-Marketing appeals to the emotions of consumers by interpreting them followed by the tastes and needs of modern people, and thus, a retro product like Pokémon bread is a content that can encompass generations from teenagers to those in their 30s and 40s.”

Implications and Prospects of the Trend of Retro

1. Implications

The retro trend is everywhere including the arts, movies, and TV programs. The reason why this retro phenomenon is so widely found is the problem of alienation. In the era of smart media, where two-way communication is possible anytime and anywhere, modern people are ironically becoming more marginalized, feeling lonelier and more isolated than ever. Professor Han says, “As we feel lonelier and lonelier, there is an actual psychological tendency to seek the old as a reaction to the anxiety caused by adapting to the changes of the times moving too quickly.” Professor Han brings up more interesting findings on consumer psychology. “Consumers even feel nostalgia for retro products that never existed in their generation. This phenomenon is called: ‘communal nostalgia.’ It means that they feel comfortable about products that perhaps their mother or grandmother had used.” For instance, there is a product we already talked about: vinyl. Generation MZ nowadays never listened to vinyl records when they were little, but still, they like to play music and listen to old pop songs on vinyl. They even collect records and reminisce about old vibes from the past and become fans of old pop stars. Communal nostalgia is connected to our current environment. People feel confused about our fast[1]changing societies, and they find a comfortable place in the past by believing that things from the past are reliable and believable. Romanticizing the past, a past which we never experienced, is of great appeal to many these days.

2. The Future of the Past

While we are savoring the past, there are also concerns. What if nothing new appears in the near future? What if we just keep repeating and reusing the past? What if no more innovation is created? What if we run out of new ideas? Professor Lee says there is no need to worry as it is a human nature to retrospect the past all the time. “Retro Marketing” is just a method of marketing and companies are not foolish enough to only bring up the same method. Again, retro is not a new thing. It is like an unchanging truth that is in our comfort zone. However, if we just keep missing the past and do not think about the changing future, the consumers, as well as the people in this society, will feel tired of it. Professor Han added, “There is a saying called ageless.” Interest in retro is one of these sayings as well as the phenomena of agelessness. For example, as the Silver generation is interested in IT products, Generation MZ does not just dismiss old products or services as flat or cliché. Instead, they accept them as new with precious values. “I think these social phenomena and open-minded consumers have become the foundation for retro marketing to succeed. It can gain continuous popularity in that it breaks down the walls between generations. Moreover, it acts as a medium between the younger and older generations in addition to reminding us not to lose sight of the positive and universal emotions that make us human.”

Then, What is Next?

Wondering about what happens after the retro trend? “In the 2000s, there was a retro trend of missing the 1980s, and in the 1980s, people missed the 60s,” says professor Lee. Do you feel nostalgia? Well, let’s read the definition of it again. Nostalgia is a wistful or excessively sentimental yearning for a return to or of some past period or irrecoverable condition. A feeling of missing something from the past and craving for the things that already ended a long time ago is not a new feeling nor a trend. Maybe it is simply a tradition or a way of life rather than a trend or a marketing method. As humans, we will always remember what we did before and will keep moving forward.