Nokia 3310 nostalgia overshadows iPhone and Samsung 

It’s the most over hyped tech story of the decade so no wonder that the re-launch of the retro Nokia 3310 has boosted consumer engagement and sales potential for the mobile phone brand. At least that’s the result of a recently published poll. 

According to a survey by Harris 24, the handset’s launch at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this week prompted a significant peak in consumer engagement with the brand, as half (50%) of consumers say they have read or heard about Nokia in the past week, .

The study, which aimed to uncover the impact of Nokia’s use of nostalgia on brand engagement, revealed that the 3310 campaign overshadowed customer perception of other mobile brands during the same period.

Just two-fifths (42%) of respondents remembered having seen or read about Samsung in the same time period, while only a third (35%) claimed to have seen or read about iPhone.

Google was next in line with only 16% visibility and all other mobile brands – Sony, BlackBerry, LG and Microsoft – achieved even lower results. Meanwhile, awareness of Nokia rose to almost two-thirds (60%) for consumers who had previously owned a 3310.

Most significantly for Nokia, over a quarter (27%) of recipients said they would be more likely to purchase a Nokia phone as a direct result of the campaign, a figure that rises to over a third (37%) among the key millennial demographic (18-34 year olds).

In addition to comparing brand engagement with the mobile frontrunners, the survey examined how aware consumers are of Nokia’s full new range of smartphones. Just a quarter (26%) of consumers remembered seeing messaging that other Nokia smartphones would be launched, although this increased to a third (33%) among 18-34 year olds.

Says Alberto Pirisinu, Research Manager, TMTE, Harris Interactive: “It is clear to see that nostalgia has significant power over consumers, with impressive numbers of individuals engaging with the campaign, and over a quarter saying they would be more likely to purchase a Nokia phone following the 3310 announcement.”

He adds: “What will be interesting to see is whether the brand can maintain the same level of consumer engagement once the initial novelty of the announcement has worn off, and if the impact will stretch to Nokia’s other new models going on sale.”

This survey was conceived, designed, fielded and analysed within a 24-hour period, using Harris 24. To find out more, visit: http://harris-interactive.co.uk/solutions/harris-24/