Capri Suns, Super Soakers, stretchy choker necklaces… in its new summer campaign, Instacart is reminding consumers about the best parts of the ‘90s – especially grocery prices. Called “Summer Like It’s 1999, With Prices From 1999,” the campaign was rolled out late last month to promote the app’s discounted summer pricing on certain foods that were popular in the 1990s.

“Summer Like It’s 1999”

According to Marketing Dive, “79% of U.S. consumers who grew up in the ’90s often positively reflect on summers from their childhood” – a fact which Instacart is making the most of. As part of the campaign, Instacart recently released a new video ad titled: “90s Are Back.” In the ad, a young millennial brings home some of her favorite ‘90s snacks and is inspired to show her Alpha-Gen friend what the perfect ‘90s summer looks like.

Executive creative director at Instacart, Taylor Erin, commented:

“We saw an opportunity to deliver fun and nostalgia through the brands that defined the era. With our ‘Summer Like It’s 1999’ campaign, we wanted every detail, from the butterfly clips and the fish-eye lens to the Third Eye Blind soundtrack, to help people relive those memories.”

The power of nostalgia marketing

Everyone loves a good throwback, and marketers are no exception. According to Forbes, “…tapping into fond memories can be an invaluable tactic, especially for engaging millennials.” This “nostalgia marketing” can involve a variety of tactics – from reviving memorable campaigns of the past, to using old songs to underscore advertisements. The idea is to channel the positive emotions of high moments in people’s lives and tie them to the product being sold, with the underlying promise that if you buy the product now, you can experience those past feelings once more. Forbes also related that the key to maintaining relevancy while channeling nostalgia is to “create an emotional hook using nostalgia while also offering something new.”

Instacart isn’t the only brand leaning into nostalgia this summer. Coca-Cola recently revived its “Share a Coke” campaign, Old Navy produced an ’80s-inspired advertisement featuring Lindsey Lohan, and McDonald’s announced its intent to bring back snack wraps – a 2000s customer favorite – with a launch page that is reminiscent of an old desktop screen. For many businesses, tapping into nostalgia is often an effective tactic for reaching specific age groups.