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Back to the Future: Young Consumers Explore the Past With Retro Branding

Wikström, Oscar LU and Hillman, Axel LU (2025) BUSN39 20251
Department of Business Administration
Abstract
This thesis explores how young Swedish consumers interpret retro branding by analyzing their engagement with advertisements through a semiotic lens. Using Pierce's triadic model and Hall's conceptual map, we examined the way young consumers interpret retro branding stimuli in the form of video advertisement. We showed two advertisements from the same brand, FILA, a retro
campaign and a contemporary one. Initially conducting four short-version pilot studies and later 9 in-depth video-elicited, semi-structured interviews. Findings reveal three key insights. First, young consumers struggle to conceptualise retro signals, often reinterpreting them as markers of a separate time period or unrelated geographical locations. Second, retro... (More)
This thesis explores how young Swedish consumers interpret retro branding by analyzing their engagement with advertisements through a semiotic lens. Using Pierce's triadic model and Hall's conceptual map, we examined the way young consumers interpret retro branding stimuli in the form of video advertisement. We showed two advertisements from the same brand, FILA, a retro
campaign and a contemporary one. Initially conducting four short-version pilot studies and later 9 in-depth video-elicited, semi-structured interviews. Findings reveal three key insights. First, young consumers struggle to conceptualise retro signals, often reinterpreting them as markers of a separate time period or unrelated geographical locations. Second, retro aesthetics are frequently
perceived as modern styles or a lifestyle choice, likely influenced by social media's role in blurring temporal boundaries. Lastly, nostalgic sentiment among participants appeared to derive not from historical nostalgia but from personal, unrelated memories. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Wikström, Oscar LU and Hillman, Axel LU
supervisor
organization
course
BUSN39 20251
year
type
H1 - Master's Degree (One Year)
subject
keywords
Retro Branding, Conceptual Map, Semiotics, Marketing, Brand Management
language
Swedish
id
9207152
date added to LUP
2025-06-30 15:41:57
date last changed
2025-06-30 15:41:57
@misc{9207152,
  abstract     = {{This thesis explores how young Swedish consumers interpret retro branding by analyzing their engagement with advertisements through a semiotic lens. Using Pierce's triadic model and Hall's conceptual map, we examined the way young consumers interpret retro branding stimuli in the form of video advertisement. We showed two advertisements from the same brand, FILA, a retro
campaign and a contemporary one. Initially conducting four short-version pilot studies and later 9 in-depth video-elicited, semi-structured interviews. Findings reveal three key insights. First, young consumers struggle to conceptualise retro signals, often reinterpreting them as markers of a separate time period or unrelated geographical locations. Second, retro aesthetics are frequently
perceived as modern styles or a lifestyle choice, likely influenced by social media's role in blurring temporal boundaries. Lastly, nostalgic sentiment among participants appeared to derive not from historical nostalgia but from personal, unrelated memories.}},
  author       = {{Wikström, Oscar and Hillman, Axel}},
  language     = {{swe}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Back to the Future: Young Consumers Explore the Past With Retro Branding}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}