Brand Nostalgia

What it measures

A four-item scale measuring the degree to which a consumer perceives a specific brand as evoking nostalgic feelings — through its presence during their childhood, its association with the past, its celebration of historical connection, and its link to youthful memories. Items contain a blank to be filled with the brand name. The scale captures brand-level nostalgia perception as a distinct brand characteristic, applicable to research on heritage brands, retro marketing, and the role of nostalgic associations in brand equity.

Response format

7-point Likert

Scale items

• _____ was around when I was a child.
• _____ reminds me of the past.
• _____ has a strong link to the past, which is still perpetuated and celebrated to this day.
• _____ reminds me of the time when I was young.

Full scale items shown. Always cite the original source when using this scale in research.

Usage notes & scoring

FILL-IN-THE-BLANK FORMAT: Blanks should be replaced with the brand name. Multiple reliability estimates: α = .906 (main study, combined); α = .944 (China pilot) and α = .860 (Japan pilot) — Heinberg, Ozkaya & Taube (2020). VALIDITY: Content validity assessed by expert panel; reliability assessed separately per country using back-translation method. Developed by combining phrases and concepts from existing nostalgia and brand heritage measures; specific sources not identified. Companion to Brand Authenticity (BRAU, ID 2045) from the same study.

Recommended companion scales

Citation

Heinberg, Martin, H. Erkan Ozkaya, and Markus Taube (2020). The influence of global and local iconic brand communications on ad and brand attitude: Moderation by consumer ethnocentrism and need for uniqueness. Journal of International Marketing, 28(2), 22–40.

Keywords