When nostalgia works: how temporal perspective shapes the effectiveness of nostalgic advertising

Purpose Nostalgic advertising holds strategic implications for the development of the hospitality and tourism sector. According to self-congruity theory, this research aims to examine the interplay of advertising appeal and temporal perspective on advertising effectiveness. Design/methodology/approach Evidence from three studies, using diverse temporal perspective manipulations across the context of restaurant, hotel and tourist destination, demonstrates that the congruence between advertising appeal (nostalgic vs non-nostalgic) and temporal perspective (cyclical vs linear) generates better advertising effectiveness, as mediated by different temporal selves. Findings The results show that for tourists with a cyclical temporal perspective, nostalgic advertising exerts stronger advertising effectiveness via increasing desire to connect with the past. Whereas for tourists with a linear temporal perspective, non-nostalgic advertising exerts stronger advertising effectiveness by increasing desire to connect with the future. Practical implications This research contributes to the literature on temporal perspective and nostalgic tourism. It offers practical insights for marketers into crafting targeted nostalgic advertising strategies by activating temporal perspectives with appropriate thematic and sensory cues. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this research is the first to simultaneously explore the impact of nostalgic advertising and temporal perspective on advertising effectiveness, providing a novel explanation for previous contradictory findings on nostalgic advertising.