With a pull that is purely emotional, nostalgia is hot! According to Richard S. Helstein, vice-president for advertising at Kraft Foods, Inc, "Consumers are not in a real experimental time now. They are looking for brands they can depend on -- brands they grew up with." This boom in nostalgia is also being seen in the area of licensing in all markets. We're seeing brand name products being used in everything from figurines to greeting cards to Christmas ornaments to real estate.

Why? Perhaps as we hurdle faster and faster toward the new millennium we seem to be reaching desperately to the past with its quaint ideas of innocence, idealism, and postwar prosperity.

On a stroll through the supermarket you will find packaged goods that look like they belong in another era. And they do! In some markets sales grew by double digits after Coca-Cola recreated a plastic version of its famous contour bottle. Necco wafers in the original frosted paper wrapping, Sun-Maid's raisin girl, Cracker Jack's Sailer Jack and his dog, Bingo, and even the Volkswagon Beetle (the mascot of online Realtors, zipRealty.com) are all returning with a flourish -- increasing sales by as much as 25%.

What does this mean to the REALTOR®? Nostalgic reminiscing can jumpstart the creative thinking process. Take some time to stroll down the grocery store aisles in search of those historic products that you remember from your childhood. Look for everything you can find that brings back fond memories. Remember how much fun is was to get the prize out of the Cracker Jack box? Offer a box to your next prospect, and promise them you will do a Cracker Jack job for them.

Nostalgia and the need to reconnect with positive feelings from the past are an important lesson for the real estate industry. You can use the trend toward nostalgia to create new marketing ideas. Think about ways your products and services of today can bring fond memories back to your customers years from now. Will they remember you, your products, or your services? What is special about you worth remembering? If you can't answer these questions, start thinking about what changes you can implement to make what you do more valuable to those you serve.