What is old is new again

Date Issued:: 2010
Summary:: A 'wave of nostalgia' has gripped the US leading to nostalgic fashions, furniture, television programming and even food. The marketing literature suggests that nostalgic-related consumption is the result of an aging population. It has been proposed that the purchase of nostalgic-products and services is an attempt by mature consumers to return psychologically to the ease, certainties and conflict free periods that existed or seemed to exist during their childhood or adolescence. This paper proposes that discontinuity, as argued by Davis (1979), is a better explanation for why people develop a preference for and consume nostalgic goods. Although some insights have been developed, research focused only on mature consumers and is rather limited in offering alternative explanations for the evocation of nostalgic feelings. MANCOVA was the primary method used to test hypotheses. Findings of this study indicate that discontinuity does not necessarily lead to nostalgia and preference for nostalgic products varies.

Title:	What is old is new again: the role of discontinuity in nostalgia-related consumption.	260 views 156 downloads
Name(s):	Rutherford, Jana. College of Business Department of Marketing
Type of Resource:	text
Genre:	Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation
Date Issued:	2010
Publisher:	Florida Atlantic University
Physical Form:	electronic
Extent:	xiii, 113 p. : ill. (some col.)
Language(s):	English
Summary:	A 'wave of nostalgia' has gripped the US leading to nostalgic fashions, furniture, television programming and even food. The marketing literature suggests that nostalgic-related consumption is the result of an aging population. It has been proposed that the purchase of nostalgic-products and services is an attempt by mature consumers to return psychologically to the ease, certainties and conflict free periods that existed or seemed to exist during their childhood or adolescence. This paper proposes that discontinuity, as argued by Davis (1979), is a better explanation for why people develop a preference for and consume nostalgic goods. Although some insights have been developed, research focused only on mature consumers and is rather limited in offering alternative explanations for the evocation of nostalgic feelings. MANCOVA was the primary method used to test hypotheses. Findings of this study indicate that discontinuity does not necessarily lead to nostalgia and preference for nostalgic products varies.
Identifier:	649818815 (oclc), 2683126 (digitool), FADT2683126 (IID), fau:3484 (fedora)
Note(s):	by Jana Rutherford. Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2010. Includes bibliography. Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2010. Mode of access: World Wide Web.
Subject(s):	Consumption (Economics) -- Social aspects Consumer behavior -- United States -- 21st century Commercial products -- Psychological aspects Nostalgia -- Economic aspects Material culture -- United States -- 21st century Popular culture -- United States -- 21st century
Persistent Link to This Record:	http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/2683126
Use and Reproduction:	http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Host Institution:	FAU

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