Wake up, play some Avicii on your iPhone 5 and pair your Normal People Scare Me jumper with your high-top Converse, it’s finally 2016! Before you style your dip-dyed hair into space buns and take a selfie with the Snapchat dog filter to send Streaks to your friends, let’s talk about this sudden resurgence in nostalgia for 2016.
Looking ahead or looking back?
The start of a new year normally gets us looking to the future, asking what we can achieve and how we can prepare for the year ahead. This year, however, you might have noticed the flood of photos reminiscing about 2016. This trend is rooted in deep nostalgia and proves how effective nostalgia marketing can be.
2016 was the year that Pokémon Go blew up, Beyoncé released Lemonade, and Instagram launched its popular Stories feature.
Nostalgia-driven trends
The widespread romanticisation of 2016 showcases how powerful an emotion nostalgia is in 2026. Millennials specifically are yearning for easier times, where skinny jeans weren’t scathed, our feeds weren’t covered in AI Slop, and we didn’t have to worry about how we presented ourselves online- it wasn’t performative.
In 2016, posts were viewed in chronological order, there were far fewer ads, and people shared simple content, as opposed to the hyper-curated nature of the content we see on our feeds today. People weren’t trying to brand themselves with what they put out; for many, it felt raw and authentic.
This wave of nostalgia has proven especially effective in marketing, with Kylie Jenner’s Lip Kit revival proving incredibly successful among the same consumer base that ate it up in 2016. Content with the Rio De Janeiro filter is back, and songs from the era are trending again. Spotify stats show a 71% increase in “2016” playlists compared to 2024. While this trend is still new, we expect to see more brands hop onto this and capitalise on this feeling of longing for the past.
Are we viewing through rose-tinted glasses?
This yearning for simpler times is especially effective in marketing. Nostalgia is a psychological concept that can be actively used to stimulate engagement, trust, and purchase intent, which is especially effective among Gen Z consumers.
Nostalgia taps into shared experiences and positive memories that audiences collectively experience. It is especially powerful as it has the habit of emphasising the positive, despite it not being all sunshine and rainbows. Brands can and have successfully leveraged it to foster and unearth these feelings of longing, and in 2026, we expect to see more brands utilising these feelings in their marketing.
Do you want to leverage current trends in marketing to be seen by new audiences, or maybe you’re unsure about where to start? Reach out to us, and we can help!
