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How This Video-Rental-Store Became the Custodian of Nostalgia

This video, detailing the story of video-store 20th Century Flicks, encapsulates the brand’s nostalgic identity and highlights how this identity has developed over time. This mini-documentary does this by (1) developing a deep and broad awareness of the brands personality, (2) distinguishing between this brand and others similar, (3) detailing what this brand means to the consumer, and (4) highlighting the unique relationship between the brand and the broader community. 

 https://vimeo.com/393154444

(1) I believe this mini-documentary develops a deep and broad awareness of brand personality because it describes where the video store fits in the (now virtually non-existent) industry. It details the video-rental-store culture of the past, and explains how 20th Century Flicks found success in that era. For me, nothing quite characterised my primary school sleepovers like take-away, too much soft-drink, and renting a movie. This mini-documentary perfectly encapsulates where this brand was positioned in that period, and in doing so, creates a storyscape which allows the audience to imagine, as I did, the history of the store and the consumption experience (Arnould & Hampton, 2012). 

(2) In my opinion, this mini-documentary distinguishes 20th Century Flicks from other video-rental-stores in that it is run for passion, not for profit. In detailing the fall of the video rental industry, the mini-documentary creates a story of a lopsided battle against the global streaming service giants, which, despite the acknowledged superior value of streaming, leaves the audience cheering for the underdog. Ironically, it is 20th Century Flick’s rejection of profit-seeking which allowed it to survive when other video-rental-stores didn’t.

















(3) I think that this mini-documentary thoroughly explains what 20th Century Flicks means to the customer. At 3:43, a co-owner explains that the person-to-person interaction is what customers find most valuable. For me, this brings me back to my childhood experience discussing movies with the store staff. Evidence of the importance of personal interaction is noted in other industries, studies conducted in the ‘curtain retail industry’ demonstrates that personal interaction is positively associated with customer loyalty to staff (Yuen & Chan, 2010). 

(4) What stands out the most to me about this mini-documentary is how it captures the cult-following and intense brand loyalty of 20th Century Flicks. This is described at 6:07, with references to media stories detailing the miraculous existence of this store against great adversity. This contributes to the preexisting emotional connection people have to the video-rental-store, and transforms the connection people have away from the value they derive through product use, towards supporting the preservation of a culturally significant collection. 

In conclusion, 20th Century Flicks have become the custodians of a period which espouses nostalgia in many loyal customers, the video-rental-store has transcended the status of a novelty store through the value they create in their cinema. The question is, how long can 20th Century Flicks rely on the strong marketing power of nostalgia? When generations pass and the passion for the past dies, will this project have the means to preserve their incredible collection?



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