Dr. Altaf Merchant is an Ismaili from Seattle (originally from Yuvan Jamatkhana, Mumbai). He is a professor of marketing at the University of Washington, Tacoma. His research has received the Great Mind Award from the Advertising Research Foundation.
University of Washington Tacoma/John Burkhardt: Pepsi sells soda with Bob Dylan tunes. Disney urges you to “remember the magic.” Old Navy jogs your memory with 80’s pop. We all know nostalgia sells. But why?
It may be common knowledge, but how these ads impact the public is not commonly understood. Now, a new research project led by UW Tacoma professor Altaf Merchant is helping advertisers understand the complex effects of nostalgia on consumers – and helping them tailor their ads to improve sales.
In March, Merchant’s paper, published in the Journal of Advertising Research, earned a Great Mind Award from the Advertising Research Foundation.
Ismailimail 