Psychology of escapistic marketing in restless times

Why Aritzia Open the cafe In your flagship store in Toronto? Why Burberry turned from fashion photography to film ads Make viewers to dreams similar to dreams? And why Simons, the remaining department store, Canada, Turning on art and interactive technologies in your retail spaces?

The answer is in trends known as escapist marketing. In the era marked by Economic uncertaintyclimate fear, Geopolitical tensions AND Constant digital fatigueBrands turn to fantasy, stories and emotionally engaging design to sell products to consumers.

Escapist marketing is a strategy that creates emotionally engaging experiences that lend a hand consumers temporarily escape from reality, often through fantasy, nostalgia or an idealized lifestyle. It affects the desire for relief from stress or monotony, offering imagination or aspiration narratives.

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Escapist marketing is gaining popularity in Canada, because consumers attract brands that cause imagination and emotional commitment. According to 2024 Council Council Council of CanadaBuyers from the Z generation prefer brands that offer an emotional relationship, purpose and creativity.

Inaugural A great Index of the Canadian brandWhich one of us (Eugene Y. Chan) helped to develop, discovered that brands perceived as adventures, truthful and inventive obtained the highest in general public privilege. These are the features expressed by fantastic story story.

As marketing professors and researchers, we studied how and why this approach works and we discovered that it is based on psychology.

Fantasy growth in branding

While the brands have long used aspiration in their marketingToday’s strategies seem clearly different. It was focused on luxury and exclusivity to escapism itself and is becoming more and more apparent in the industries.

Consider Coca-Cola “Real Magic” campaignFor example, which uses images generated by AI to create capricious dream paper. Or the latest Apple ADVERTISING “Mother of Nature”which transfers a corporate report on the support of the brand of environmental and social problems as a film about a high concept with Octavia Spencer.

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In London Gucci’s “Gucci Cosmos” series He invites visitors to the surreal world of time travel history.

All these marketing campaigns are designed Emotional experiences for consumers. This means that emotional reactions consumers during interaction with the brand, product or service affect their attitudes, memories and future decision making. These emotions deepen their commitment and strengthen the loyalty to the brand.

Because consumers still feel fired and overflowed, fantasy in the form of escapism offers them mental relief. Studies show that engaging experiences – whether through entertainment, retail environments or a story about the brand – can distract from stressors AND Promote emotional regeneration. By providing a momentary break from reality, marketing -based fantasy becomes a deep psychological need for comfort and cognitive release.

Why it works: psychology of escapism

To understand why escapist marketing is so effective, it helps to look at the psychology behind him.

One explanation comes Construction level theoryFrames that examine how psychological shaping thinking. When something is felt far in time, space or acquaintance, we tend to think about it more abstractly.

Surreal or fantastic branding increases this distance, transferring consumer concentration from immediate utility to emotional resonance, identity and imagination.

While escapist marketing is a wider strategy that aims to lend a hand consumers mentally separate from reality, surreal or fantastic branding is one specific tactic that uses dreams, imagination of visualization and narratives to achieve this goal.

Not all escapistic marketing is surreal, but surreal branding often serves as a powerful form of escapism through the transport of consumers to an alternative world.

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Our research confirms this. In one study, we examined how the concave visual project – where advertising elements curb inwards – Draws viewers into images, increases the feeling of immersion and improves the withdrawal of messages and persuasion. This is probably why dreams similar to dreams often apply fluids, sweeping or distorted images.

Another factor is anthropomorphism: a tendency to attribute human features to objects or environments. We discovered this in our research on the target brand People are more emotionally related to places or products It seems to be reviving. These discoveries lend a hand explain why fantastic branding resonates so strongly with consumers, especially in times of stress.

Escapism is also naturally connected with luxurious branding, where Emotional desire often exceeds the functional need. IN Last study with our colleagues from the researchWe found that luxury brands were evaluated more positively when their positioning seemed abstract or raised. Fantasy increases this effect, allowing consumers to feel both prosperous and transported.

Escapism is not a free pass

There is a tiny border between significant escapism and an empty spectacle. If the fantastic narrative of the brand is disconnected from its operation or seems to mask unethical practices, consumers notice quickly.

Rinsing greenIN AI abuse Or ADVERTISING It can easily go back to companies.

When consumers perceive the brand as inauthentic – whether by misleading sustainable development claims, excessive rely on artificial intelligence or insensitive messages – it can erosion trust, cause public criticism and lead to brand avoidance.

Studies show that such errors often cause reputational damage and reduced customer loyalty, especially among consumers based on values ​​or socially aware

At this point, the concept of radical honesty is crossed with escapism. The most effective marketing campaigns combine creativity with transparency. They tell ingenious stories, while recognizing real problems such as carbon dioxide emissions, work practices and social justice issues.

Brands like Patagonia – and Collective room In Canada, it operates in combination with McDonalds – we managed to hit this balance, combining emotionally influential advertising campaigns with obligations to ethical and sustainable practices.

Consumers want experiences that resonate

In times of economic stress and cultural fatigue, Canadians are looking for experiences that resonate with them. After performing carefully and based on psychology and authenticity, escapist marketing can react to consumers’ desire to feel something deeper, even because of something as miniature as a 30-second advertisement.

So the next time you smile at a surreal commercial or remain in a carefully selected retail space, understand that a tiny moment of the miracle is a strategic choice supported by research.

But although an engaging story can be captivated by the audience, consumers are becoming more and more recognizing what seems true. The future of escapistic marketing can involve combining digital and physical realities. Tools such as augmented and virtual reality It can allow brands to create even more addictive fantasies.

Imagine Ordering coffee from a character generated by AI or in Metaverse Cafe brand. Although this may seem futuristic and witty, many consumers feel restless when the brands rely too much on artificial interactions, fearing the loss of authenticity. This tension emphasizes the growing division between technological and human novelty, consumers still want.

As the technology evolutions, there will also be consumption of expectations regarding emotional, imagination. The next chapter of the fantasy brand can not only offer us an escape, but can re -define the way we experience trade itself.