Are the 90s back?
If you haven’t already heard, or seen, the 90s are alive in well right here in 2025. If you take a peek into what’s fashionable at the moment, it may look very familiar to you. And if you pay attention to the ads served on your social apps, there is a longing of times past. Surprisingly, Gen Z is leading the charge towards nostalgia marketing.
Nostalgia marketing isn’t just throwback fonts and Tamagotchi cameos though let’s be clear, we thoroughly enjoy those. It’s about summoning emotionally remembered truths, what it felt like not just what it looked like. It’s storytelling that makes people feel like they’re returning to something they’ve missed.
So, what does this mean for your Positive Impact Organization? For us as a web design agency, when we’re working with you as a client we focus on how we want people to feel when they visit your website. The way we structure the storytelling on the homepage down to the color psychology, intention is baked into every aspect to evoke a certain feeling. When your website is paired with a strategy that centers nostalgia marketing, it has the potential to be very effective.
Why Gen Z Feels Nostalgia for a Time They Never Knew
You’d think Gen Z wouldn’t feel nostalgic for a time they didn’t live through, but they do. Deeply. Log on to Instagram or TikTok and you’ll find that #Nostalgia has over 23 million posts. According to a 2024 study by the Blackbaud Institute (“Gen Z at the Table” report), a remarkable 84% of Gen Zers support nonprofit organizations, charities, or causes in some way, and 59% have donated money to charity. With support like that, Gen Z has the power to shape how we market to attract new donors.
Raised on content that loops, remixes, and revives every cultural moment ever digitized, Gen Z has grown up emotionally close to eras they never lived through. They’re not recreating history, they’re curating wistfulness.
The more that we research this trend, it reminds me of times when I was a teenager, longing for the freedom, music, and general revolutionary vibe of the 1960s. I did not live through those times, and yet I was completely enamored with the energy of a time that was about fighting for love instead of war. If you look back into your past, you too may find that in your youth, you pined for a time you never knew.
Tie It Back: Why Narrative Still Matters
In our last blog and IG Live on ethical storytelling, we unpacked how your narrative is your most valuable asset. Nostalgia, used thoughtfully, becomes woven into that narrative. It becomes a bridge your audience can walk that leads them right to your doorstep.
At the end of the day, everyone wants to be seen and feel like they are a part of something bigger than themselves. Communicate to your audience that they can be a part of something bigger with your organization. Build your community, make them feel connected, and watch how it transforms your engagement.