There’s something about nostalgia that just hits differently. It creeps in when a song drifts out of a car window or when you get a taste of something you used to pack in your school lunchbox. For a moment, you’re transported back to when life felt lighter, slower, and less complicated. Instacart spent this summer chasing that exact feeling and turned it into an entire campaign.
This wasn’t just a run of throwback ads or discounts. Instacart staged an all-in, time-warp experience built around childhood summers in the ’90s. The centerpiece? A free New York concert headlined by Third Eye Blind, the same band that soundtracked late-night playlists two decades ago. But the event wasn’t only about live music. The venue doubled as a memory machine, filled with Capri Suns, Dunkaroos, neon lighting, and even a Frosted Tips hair station. It wasn’t just a party, it was the closing scene of a carefully scripted Instacart campaign built to make the brand feel larger than groceries.
Why Instacart leaned into experiences
For years, Instacart sat in a functional lane: a useful app that got your groceries to your door. But utility alone doesn’t cut it anymore. The delivery space is overcrowded, and the real competition isn’t just about who’s faster; it’s about who makes you care.
This summer strategy flipped the narrative. Instead of pushing efficiency, Instacart reminded people of moments they missed. A Harris Poll backed the move: 79% of millennials still think about their childhood summers, and over half admitted they preferred life before smartphones and endless scrolling. That insight shaped the campaign. It gave Instacart permission to build not just a service, but a feeling, an experience that made people stop, look around, and smile.
Building a world, not just a message
Scrolling past ads is muscle memory at this point. But walking into a venue that feels like 1999? That lingers. Instacart created a space where every detail fed into the nostalgia. Guests could sip Capri Suns, get airbrushed T-shirts, shop throwback merch, or snag perks if they were Instacart+ members.
This is where marketing separates into two camps: messaging versus immersion. Most brands stop at the first. Instacart went for the second. It wasn’t about reminding people of the ’90s; it was about letting them live in it again. That’s the same magic that makes a Fortnite collaboration so effective. When you don’t just show someone an idea but actually drop them inside it, the campaign turns into a memory. And memories stick way longer than an ad impression.
Why this strategy works for everyone
You don’t need a Terminal 5 budget to borrow this playbook. Nostalgia works because it’s universal, and every generation carries its own flavor of it. Millennials might light up at Dunkaroos and dial-up tones. Gen Z might feel a pull toward the early TikTok days or their first iPhone. Gen X might lean toward retro gaming nights or the rise of early social platforms.
The trick isn’t staging a New York concert, it’s asking: What do my customers miss, and how can I give that back to them? A coffee shop could spin up a childhood-cereal latte special. A boutique might run a retro shopping night. Even local businesses can create experiences that echo the feeling of a Fortnite collaboration: an event that blends culture, fun, and relevance into something worth remembering.
Balancing emotion with value
The nostalgia-fueled concert was the showstopper, but Instacart didn’t stop there. They matched the emotion with practical value, slashing prices on certain products to their ’90s levels. It was a subtle nod to today’s inflation reality while keeping the mood playful.
That balance matters. Emotion earns attention, but value earns loyalty. Campaigns that go too heavy in one direction either feel hollow or unsustainable. Instacart struck the right note, delivering an experience that hit the heart while easing the wallet. It’s the same balance you see in a great Fortnite collaboration, part fandom thrill, part real-world incentive.
Lessons for entrepreneurs and small brands
It’s easy to assume big campaigns only work for big names. But the lesson here is simpler: a great marketing strategy starts with empathy. You don’t need a headliner band to pull it off. What you need is a deep understanding of your audience’s cultural and emotional touchpoints.
That could mean bringing back a nostalgic menu item, tying a promotion to a local tradition, or curating a theme that makes customers smile. The power of the Instacart campaign wasn’t its size; it was its humanity. It was about giving people a piece of themselves back, wrapped up in a brand interaction. And that’s a strategy any business can scale.
Conclusion: Creating campaigns that last
This summer wasn’t about neon signs or 90s playlists. It was about reminding people that marketing can feel personal again. Instacart built a campaign that people will remember not because it was loud, but because it was meaningful.
That’s the kind of marketing that moves from a fleeting ad impression to a lived experience. It’s what happens when a brand stops delivering only a service and starts delivering memories. And whether it’s a full-on nostalgia play or a Fortnite collaboration that taps into pop culture, the endgame is the same: creating campaigns that last.
FAQ’s
How can brand nostalgia work in digital marketing?
It works by reviving memories and pairing them with real-world value, like flashback pricing, so people feel both an emotional and practical reason to engage.
What makes an experiential campaign stand out online?
It’s when digital storytelling connects with real-life interaction, say, a mix of social content, streaming ads, and an in-person event that ties it together.
Why team up with partners in your marketing story?
Partnerships expand your reach, add cultural credibility, and help make campaigns feel richer, similar to how a Fortnite collaboration instantly widens the audience.