Nostalgia sells; nostalgia with a twist can be a smash

By MICHELLE CHAPMAN
AP Business Writer

Nostalgia sells and marketers know it, having used the brands of yesteryear fully aware that consumers will willingly open their wallets to scratch that sentimental itch. That winning formula is being tweaked increasingly to create hybrids, however, products that possess the same heartfelt recognition, with a twist. Companies have recognized that they can win over consumers nostalgic for the past and, at the same time, win over new generations with a tweak, and sometimes a major overhaul.