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Abstract
The concept of disneyization and its elements have recently been emerged in
literature. However how these things help in enhancing the service encounter have
not been studied. The research offers description of different terms like nostalgia,
disneyization and service marketing. An effort has been made to study whether every
individual experiences nostalgia or not and how do they associate themselves with
this concept. Moreover does nostalgia multiplies when people are in group or not.
Key Words
Nostalgia; Disneyization; Service Marketing; Merchandizing; Associations;
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CHAPTER- 1 INTRODUCTION
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1.0 Introduction
This research is about how nostalgia has both, positive and negative connotation and
how people relate to it. Different companies use ads with nostalgic appeal in order to
attract more people. Although a lot of research has been done on nostalgia but
whether people experience nostalgia individually or in groups hasn't been studied in
detail. Moreover how different elements of nostalgia can be used in complimenting
and enriching service encounter has also not been discussed. The relationship
between branding and nostalgia has been studied. Moreover importance of
merchandizing in order to enhance the nostalgic experience has also been discussed.
1.1 Overview of Chapters
Chapter 2 begins by talking about the term `nostalgia' and how was it originated.
This further expands into whether nostalgia has a positive or negative connotation.
Use of nostalgia in advertisements has also been discussed. The concept of self and
how marketing communication influence our self-esteem is discussed. This is
followed by the origin of term disneyization and its dimensions. The last part of this
chapter talks about service marketing and its different elements. At the end of this
chapter I have mentioned my problem statement.
Chapter 3 describes different steps which were used in order to conduct this
research. This chapter further explains definition of research methods used in this
research followed by sampling and data analysis technique.
Chapter 4 begins with the findings of the research. Four themes were deduced by the
responses given by the respondents which were discussed in detail. Each theme was
concluded with an analysis and discussion.
Chapter 5 is basically a discussion of findings which were deduced in the previous
chapter. This chapter also explains recommendations and conclusion by making a
comparison of literature with the findings in chapter 4. This chapter gives
recommendation to service industry particularly restaurants and ultimately ends on
giving reflections on the study
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CHAPTER- 2 RECAP OF PREVIOUS LITERATURE
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2.0 Introduction
This chapter would cover the existing literature on the origin of nostalgia. The effect
of nostalgic ads on the minds of consumer would be studied. The concept of
disneyization and its elements would also be taken into consideration. The chapter
would end by explaining the concept of service marketing and its framework.
2.1 Origin of the Term "Nostalgia"
The term nostalgia was used by Johaness Hofer (1688/1934), who was a physician by
profession in the 17th century. There was a time when people used to think of
nostalgia as a bad omen because they used to relate it with homesickness. In the 17th
and 18th centuries, nostalgia was considered a medical disease among Swiss people.
Main symptoms of this disease were anorexia and weeping which ultimately led to
damages in the brain. Nostalgia was considered as a psychiatric disorder by the
beginning of 20th century. This time around symptoms were slightly different and
they were insomnia and anxiety. By the mid 20th century, nostalgia was considered
as a repressive compulsive disorder with a desire to live in the past. Even at this time,
nostalgia was still equated with homesickness. According to Davis (1979) by the late
20th century, adult participants started viewing nostalgia different from home
sickness. According to Wildshhut, Sedikides, Arndt and Routledge (2006) the main
difference between homesickness and nostalgia is that homesickness usually caters to
place of origin, where is the person from? On the other hand nostalgia caters to a
variety of elements ranging from different persons, important events and places.
According to Wildshut et al (2006), 80% of the British undergraduates were reported
to go through nostalgia atleast once a week.
Nostalgia generally refers to when people want to live in the past and they yearn for
their old days. According to Davis (1979) nostalgia is when people associate their
past with positive vibes and associate present with negative vibes. Nostalgic
consumptions are experienced by different people due to various factors and age is
one of them. According to Davis (1979) nostalgic consumption in Western society is
seen in adolescence. Among privileged classed nostalgic consumptions are seen in
early adulthood as well. Schuman and Scott (1989) did another research in which
they studied the relationship between age and its association towards giving more
importance to historical events. According to this study most of the people who go
through nostalgic feelings are people who are in their teens or early 20s. On the other
hand, according to Holbrook (1993) nostalgia among individuals is prone to people
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of different ages, depending upon different factors, such as their individual character,
their life style etc.
2.2 Nostalgia- Positive or Negative Connotation
According to Sedikides et al (2004) the word nostalgia has a positive as well as
negative connotation. In a study by Wildschut, Sedikides, Arndt and Routledge
(2008), American and British undergraduates were asked to write about their
nostalgic events. How exactly those nostalgic events made them feel and reflected
their lives? When these nostalgic events were analyzed it was revealed that nostalgic
events consisted of both, happy and sad moments of students' lives. Another study by
Wildschut et al was similar to the previously mentioned study. In this study students
were asked to write about their nostalgic events and then rated the element of
happiness and sadness. After rating, it was found out that nostalgic events consist
more of happiness rather than of sadness. On the other hand, when Wildschut et al
(2006) asked participants why exactly they become nostalgic or what triggers
nostalgia? The most common answers were related to negative affect and among this
negative affect, loneliness was the most common factor. People go through mixed
emotions after experiencing nostalgia depending on whether they experienced
nostalgia in a good or bad way (Wildschut et al, 2006).
According to Wildschut, Sedikides, Arndt and Routledge (2008), through nostalgia
people can think about positive perceptions regarding the past which ultimately
facilitate them in incorporating a self- confidence and become successful in their
present life as well. In another study done by Stephan, Wildschut, Sedikides,
Routledge, & Arndt (2008), another advantage of nostalgia is that it induces
motivating emotions among individuals. Going through nostalgia boosts positive
attitude towards life. In addition to that nostalgia fosters creativity among individuals
as well.
2.3 Use of Nostalgia in Advertisements
According to Baker and Kennedy (1994), use of nostalgia in advertisements is
considered to be an effective tool among people. Element of nostalgia in
advertisements help in persuading the relevant and potential buyers and hence can
help in increasing the profitability. According to Brewer and Neisser (1988), when a
person goes through personal nostalgia, he/she actually goes through his past life and
his/her personal memories. On the other hand, according to Halbwachs, 1950;
Meyers, 2001 historical nostalgia is totally different from personal nostalgia. When a
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person goes through historical nostalgia, he/she is drawn upon a world full of fantasy.
According to Muehling and Sprott (2004), nostalgic adverts help customers go
through a thought process. According to Neeb et al (1989), such advertisements
which help in evoking nostalgia result into intention of buying the product and
positive attitude towards the brand. Such brands are not only successful in getting the
attention from their loyal brands but they also end up getting the attention of those
customers who believe in retro branding. Such nostalgic ads reflect positive effects
on the lives and buying behavior of the individuals (Holek and Havlena, 1998).
According to Muehling and Sprott (2004), Kodak is one brand which uses the
element of nostalgia in ads. Kodak makes use of the element of nostalgia in such a
way that viewers are taken back in their memories and cherish their past. According
to Holbrook (1993), in order to differentiate the product/ services from the
competitors, a lot of companies are using nostalgia. Companies create emotional
attachment through nostalgia which in return makes it easier for the companies to
position their product. According to Reisenwitz et al (2004), marketers try to make
the position of their brands stronger through nostalgic appeals. Marketers try to
communicate all the positive values such as security and authenticity in their ads in
order to ensure that they can increase their customer base. Marketers discovered that
nostalgia appeals to a lot of customers of different ages (Pascal, Sprott, Muchling,
2002).
2.4 Nostalgia- Replaceable and Irreplaceable Possessions:
According to Grayson and Shulman (2000), some people are either attached to
replaceable possessions which usually include food, where as some people are
attached to irreplaceable possessions which include family jewels of a specific time
or place. These possessions help in reinforcing the sense of self among individuals.
He also believed that the effect of nostalgia multiplies when you're in a group and the
other people tend to experience it as well. Keeping Pakistani culture in mind, even
people living in Pakistan are attracted to both, replaceable as well as irreplaceable
possessions because such possessions help in creating nostalgic feeling among
people. Also such possessions help them in relating their past with present or future.
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2.4.1 Food as a Nostalgic Brand
According to Belk et al (2003), people tend to yearn for past because of their blissful
childhood times. 75.7% of the nostalgic brands are usually food products, which are
consumed in those childhood times. Nutella is an example of one such brand.
According to Hirsch (1992), people tend to reproduce such events or occasions in
which they accomplished something when they were young. This helps people in re-
experiencing the good moments from their past. According to Firat and Venkatesh
(1993), there are people who are more attracted towards `tradition' nostalgia because
people tend to miss those things which are missing in our post-modern society. The
traditional brands are usually food products which give consumers a guarantee of
authenticity and trust. Keeping Pakistani culture in mind, theory by Belk et al, Firat
and Venkatesh fits for people in Pakistan as well, considering their love for food.
Traditional food of different provinces helps in creating element of nostalgia among
people.
2.4.2 Relationship between Food Consumption and Nostalgia
According to Baker et al (2006), there is an obvious relationship between food
consumption and nostalgia and yet to his surprise, very little research has been done
on it. Similarly according to Loveland et al (2010), very little attention has been
given to nostalgia and how it affects consumer behavior. Nostalgia and food help
people in increasing their feelings of belonging to a particular culture says
Baumeister and Leary (1995). Nostalgia and food makes people remember about the
people in their past and increases their feelings towards a particular social group. In
other words we can say that food helps in stirring up nostalgia and emotions among
individuals.
Rozin et al (1999), states that consumers have become aware of how hazardous bad
food choices can be. Consumers are always a bit indecisive before choosing their
food because a bad food choice can trigger anxiety among them. In order to satisfy
the goal of belongingness, customers end up consuming nostalgic products. Kapferer
(2008), states that consumers know how severely bad food choices can affect their
health so under these circumstances nostalgia can help in assuring that customers will
still come to the restaurants. Keeping in mind what Rozin and Kapferer have said
about nostalgia, some people in Pakistan also prefer going to only those restaurants
where they can consume food and go through nostalgic feelings all over again
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because at least they are sure of one thing that their traditional food will never
disappoint them.
According to Hirsch (1992), when people go through idealized past they experience
different emotions. These emotions are focused on sounds, tastes and odors. These
emotions are experienced at the very moment when people are having nostalgic
experiences. Keeping in mind what Hirsch said in 1992 and Pakistani culture,
consumer in Pakistan not only experience emotions on the basis of sounds, tastes and
odors. It is 2014 now, and people in Pakistan experience emotions on the basis of the
overall environment, including the furniture, cutlery, and lightning and well-trained
front line staff.
2.5 Self Concept
Self-concept basically means how a person evaluates his/ her qualities. Self-concept
is not an easy thing to understand. It consists of different attributes and some of the
attributes are given more importance. Positivity of any persons' self-concept is
known as self-esteem. Self-esteem can be both, high or low. A person with low self-
esteem generally assumes that he/she can never excel in his or her life and doesn't
like to be in the limelight because they have a fear of getting rejected. Sara Lee points
out that people with low self-esteem always believed that they lack self-control;
hence they would always prefer portion controlled food items.
2.5.1 Does the Self Exist
The 1980s were mostly famous as the `Me Decade' since a lot of people were getting
familiar with the self. It was in the 80s when people realized that, every single human
being or every single human life is unique from other people. In Western societies it
is strongly believed that each person has a different or unique nature (Solomen,
1999).
A fantasy, often know as daydreaming is when your consciousness tries to escape
from the problems in real life. A lot of products and services are successful in the
market just because they allow customers' to fantasize. Moreover sometimes people
are concerned or very sensitive about the image they portray to others, which result
into more sensitivity about certain products and consumption behavior. In other
words, consumption behavior of a person helps other people to make judgments
about the social identity of the other person. Different material objects which can
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range from monuments to personal possessions help in forming the identity of the
customer (Michael Solomon, 1999).
2.5.2 How Marketing Communication Influence Our Self-Esteem
When a person is exposed to an ad on TV, then the person automatically starts
comparing himself/ herself with the people in ad. This whole process is known as
social comparison. Self-esteem advertising is basically when you challenge self-
esteem of a common man and show how their products or services can be used as a
remedy. For example Slim Fast is one brand which focuses on British women and
how they can reduce weight. They started an ad campaign in which they asked
British women to lose weight or lose face to other women who were living in
different countries like Spain and Sweden. In other words, by hurting the self-esteem
of people you can force them to use your product or service. Also sometimes when
you're comparing people you end up complimenting the person who is better than the
other person. Moreover marketers target people by employing fantasy appeals. Many
services and products are successful in the market because they increase the
consumers' tendency to fantasize (Michael Solomon, 1999).
2.5.3 Multiple Selves
Each person has different selves just like we have different roles in the society. This
can be explained further with a very simple example that when you're with your
family members, you behave totally differently but when you're with your friends,
your family members might even refuse to recognize you. This further points out that
when you're with your friends you mind end up buying a product which you'd never
buy with your family members. This clearly shows we act differently with different
people. In other words our self has different role identities which are active separately
at any specific time with specific people (Solomon, 1999). Keeping the above
mentioned phenomena in mind, even in Pakistan people play different roles with
different people. People in Pakistan might prefer going to themed restaurants with
nostalgic appeal only with family members and enjoy traditional food.
2.5.4 Self Consciousness
It is the feeling of self-consciousness due to which people become very particular
about what image do they have over other people. The only difference is that some
people are less sensitive however the other people are more sensitive about what
image people have about them (Solomen, 1999). Keeping the concept of self-
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consciousness in mind and relating it with people of Pakistan, people in Pakistan are
always very concerned about their image in front of other people. Hence they prefer
going to restaurants with a nostalgic appeal with their family only because if they ask
their friends to go with them, people might assume that they are not cool enough.
There is a trend in Pakistan that you'd see youngsters in cafes while you'd see
families in a fine dining place with traditional food.
2.6 Disneyization
2.6.1 Origin of the Term `Disneyization'
It is generally thought that the concept of Disneyization came into existence through
McDonaldization. The definition of McDonaldization is: "the process by which the
principles of the fast-food restaurant are coming to dominate more and more sectors
of American society as well as the rest of the world" (Ritzer, 1993). On the other
hand, Disneyization is defined as: "the process by which the principles of the Disney
theme parks are coming to dominate more and more sectors of American society as
well as the rest of the world" (Alan Bryman).
When it comes to criticizing the term, `Disneyization', Frances Clarke Sayers
expressed her concern. She was of the view, that by adding the layers of fantasy,
ignoring the negative aspects of life, we are changing the very definition of life
among children. Disneyization makes them forget about their miserable lives and
they are made to believe that life is a bed of roses. Keeping what Frances Clarke
Sayers mentioned, this criticism holds true for people living in Pakistan. Children are
made to believe in happy endings, not realizing the hardships or hurdles of life.
2.6.2 Types of Disneyization
There are two types of Disneyization; one is structured disneyization and the other
one is transferred disneyization. Structured disneyization deals with different changes
in Disney theme parks, in order to attract more people. Whereas, transferred
disneyization simply means that the basic elements or principles of Disnet theme
parks are transferred to some restaurant or a shopping mall (Bryman, 2004).
2.6.3 Dimensions of Disneyization
2.6.3.1 Theming
There are four dimensions of Disneyization, first being theming. Restaurant industry
has now theme based restaurants. Themes can vary from rock and sport to film
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industry and geography as well. Themes can be cultural as well (Beardsworth and
Bryman, 1999). In Britain, not only restaurants, pubs, bars, hotels, cruise ships and
shopping malls are also increasingly being themed (Ritzer and Liska, 1997).
Gottdiener (1997) further adds that airports and amusement parks are also being
themed.
The main purpose of Disneyland was: "the older generation can recapture the
nostalgia of days gone by, and the younger generation can savour the challenge of the
future" (Mosley, 1986). With the aspect of theming, Disneyland was able to attract
not only children but adults were also keen to visit the place. Theming also helped
Disneyland in distinguishing itself from amusement parks. Unlike in amusement
parks, the main focus was put into the designs of rides. In other words, Disneyland
focused more on theming instead of the thrill factor. Initially there were no roller
coaster rides in Disneyland but eventually when rides were introduced, they were
also themed (Bryman, 2004). Keeping the above mentioned points in minds, even in
Pakistan, theming is gaining importance; a lot of themed restaurants are opening. Not
only that, just like Disneyland, our malls have rides through which they attract not
only children but adults as well.
The concept of theming was not invented by Walt Disney but these theme parks were
used as an example of how theming can be used to attract more customers. There
were many examples of theming before 1955 but it was indeed Disneyland which
caught attention of the consumers and was ultimately a huge success. In other words,
we can say, theming helps in differentiating your services from your competitors. It is
also assumed that theming causes people to yearn for their past and they ultimately
end up buying the product/ service. Theming is not gaining importance just because it
is seen as a weapon to increase the profits but it has also a snowball effect in peoples'
consciousness. (Bryman, 2004)
Shovel explains that even in Israel, holy sights are also increasingly becoming
themed. It is expected that such holy sights tend to speak for themselves and also,
they have a huge significance because of their religious importance. Shovel further
explains the reason behind theming and says that 80% of the people who visit such
places come from Europe and North America. Such people consider theming as one
of the most important elements in tourism. In other words, theming is gaining more
importance because it has become a requirement of consumers and therefore we get
to see more and more theme based parks, restaurants, malls etc. (Bryman, 2004).
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Even in Pakistan we get to see a lot of themed restaurants because they are able to get
the attention of a lot of people due to this very factor.
2.6.3.2 Dedifferentiation of Consumption:
Second dimension of Disneyization is dedifferentiation of consumption. Disney
theme parks have a lot of shops and restaurants. Due to this, a lot of writers are of the
view that the sole purpose of Disney theme parks has been now changed to selling of
different goods and food products. It must also be mentioned that each Disneyland
has now atleast one restaurant and one shop. Even the numbers of hotel have grown
enormously at Disney Land. People who stay in those hotels get many advantages
over those people who don't stay. They can enter the parks earlier, book tables in the
restaurant beforehand. Thus Disney parks are considered to be such parks where one
can shop, eat, visit theme parks and stay in hotels, all under one roof (Bryman, 2004)
Dedifferentiation of consumption can also be seen in malls. At Mall of America,
there is a theme park known as Knott's Camp Snoopy. This park features about 23
rides, with no entrance fee. It has been reported that people took more than 4 million
rides in the first six months (Spellmeyer, 1993).
According to Cohn (1996), the average time spent in a mall is calculated to be 2.6
hours. Bill Dawson (1992), justified dedifferentiation of consumption by simply
saying; "the more need you fulfill, the longer people stay." According to Hamilton
and Harlow (1995), even airports are turning into mini malls where tourists end up
buying stuff for their loved ones. Keeping in mind what Hamilton and Harlow just
said, airports in Pakistan have also turned into mini malls where people can shop for
their loved won and enjoy meals because a lot of restaurants have opened in airports.
2.6.3.3 Merchandizing
Third dimension of Disneyization is merchandizing. According to DeCordova
(1994), merchandising in Disneyland started after the arrival of Mickey's character in
November 1928. Through merchandising the profits started increasing (Klein, 1993).
Some writers have even said that when Disneyland used to design their new cartoon
characters, they used to make sure that they are designing something "cute" which
can be turned into merchandise later on (Bryman, 1995).
Disney has used merchandising in a wide array of things, be it pen, clothing or
watches, toys. The parks are designed in such a way that visitors are inclined to buy
merchandise products. People buy merchandise products so that those products
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remind them of the place later on, they are reminded of their experiences and how
much they really enjoyed. Merchandising has also been used in themed restaurants as
well. Initially themed restaurants had very small merchandise booths but now things
have changed. Selling food items with a license logo has become a very successful
strategy among themed restaurants (Bryman, 2005). Keeping in mind what Bryman
just mentioned, and relating it with the restaurant of Pakistan, even in Pakistan a lot
of restaurants have indulged themselves in merchandizing. Through merchandizing
they are able to create an element of nostalgia because it reminds them of the good
time they had at a specific restaurant.
2.6.3.4 Emotional Labor
Fourth dimension of Disneyization is emotional labor. According to Bryman (1995),
in Disney theme parks, it is made sure that employees interact with their customers
according to the script and instructions, which are given to them. It is due to this sole
reason, that the behavior of employees is considered to be one of those things which
is most liked by the customers. They feel that the staff working in Disney theme
parks is very helpful and friendly. You can see the staff smiling all the time and
converse in their distinctive language (Sorkin, 1992). Keeping in mind what Sorkin
just mentioned, even in Pakistan, people now make sure that they have a friendly
staff. Restaurants like TGIF or McDonalds remind us of some best front-line staff
considering their friendliness.
According to Randy Bright (1987), Walt just wanted those people who were willing
to smile all the time and had a knack for dealing with a large number of people
pleasantly. For this purpose, Disney University was created where people were given
training and taught new vocabulary. It is no surprise that frontline staff can actually
make or break your business. In restaurants, the quality of service is as important as
the quality of the product. Keeping in mind what Randy Bright said, you cannot train
people to behave nicely with your customers. It is something which is known as
inborn talent. Only a few people have the capability of greeting people very nicely
and this is not something which can be taught in the university.
In order to do random checks on employees and respond to the complaints of
customers, CCTV is installed in some restaurants. This helps not only in detecting
shoplifters but through this we can monitor the customer service. One security
manager in a store explained that through CCTV we ensure that our staff is polite and
friendly with the customer (Bryman, 2005). Keeping in mind what Bryman said, even
14
in Pakistan some restaurants have CCTV but they use it to ensure the safety of their
purpose. They should also use these CCTV to keep an eye on the behavior of their
employees.
2.7 Service Marketing
Service marketing is another form of marketing that puts its focus on selling services
only. The marketing approaches for selling a service are totally different from selling
a product. Since services are intangible so while marketing their services, companies
need to make sure that customers are convinced that these services will benefit them.
When you're marketing your services, you must not only emphasize on the
performance but put emphasis on why is your service better than your competitor? In
services, prices don't matter for your consumer if you're providing valuable service
to your customers. Hence it is necessary to fulfill the needs and wants of your
customers. In order to make your company or service memorable, you must brand
your service in such a way that people view it as a reliable service and a quality
provider (Kevin Johnston, Demand media)
Many authors have argued that since we cannot feel, touch or sense services so the
main difference between a product and service is `intangibility' (Bateson 1977; Berry
1980; Lovelock 1981; Rathmell 1966, 1974; Shostack 1977). Another factor which
differentiates services from products is inseparation of production and consumption
(Regan, 1963). Valerie A. Zeithaml points out, in service firms advertising is not as
important as it is in goods firms.
It is a duty of companies to provide their customers with a reason to remain loyal
with them. Companies should focus in creating value for their customers. In order to
create value for customers, companies need to make sure that they are segmenting
their market correctly, they are successful in attracting their customers and they are
delivering their services in an impeccable manner. Firms should also be able to create
close bonds with their customers by providing nostalgic or unique products. This will
help in adding more value to their services. When it comes to service industry getting
the right kind of customers can result into long term profits and continuous growth in
business. In order to make sure that customers are loyal, companies need to pay more
attention towards customer satisfaction. When customers are satisfied then not only
they will become your loyal customers but they will also spread positive word of
mouth about your service (Jochen Wirtz; Essentials of Services Marketing)
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