Historical nostalgia

Historical nostalgia has become big business in recent years. It can be experienced through recreations of past periods in ‘living museums’ or other consumer attractions, such as York’s Jorvik Viking Centre or Shropshire’s Blist Hill Victorian Town, located near the home of the first iron bridge. The marketing communications materials for such attractions often play on the notion of being able to ‘experience’ these periods from history.

Many organisations also celebrate their histories through corporate museums and attractions, such as Cadbury World, Hershey’s Chocolate World and World of Coca-Cola. Others, such as Harrods and Fortnum and Masons, retain archivists to catalogue and preserve their history, which is often celebrated in their marketing communications.