Appealing to our need for escapism

From 1900 to 1999 the world created a total of 10 exabytes of information. By 2025 it is estimated that 463 exabytes of data will be generated each day. And as a result it will be harder than ever to get someone’s attention.

Cognitive psychologist Herbert Simon sums it up best by saying Information consumes attention, so an abundance of information creates a scarcity of attention. So, brands have to find fresh ways to engage audiences. And they have two choices.

Firstly, they can become the thing that peoples are interested in.

To do this, brands need to behave more like a publisher.

This is something that brands like Red Bull do really well. Capturing their audiences attention by focusing on emerging niches such as adventure sports and gaming.

Or take Dove, one of the most celebrated campaigns of all time who managed to balance both long and short term by digging into the data and what women really thought about beauty. Which led to the creation of a campaign that aimed to make every women feel beautiful by broadening the definition of beauty.

Dove Real Beauty Sketches - Ogilvy Brazil

Or take Gatorade, one of my favourite campaigns of all time. Who back in 2009 decided to engage 30+ men, (a group that don’t exercise regularly) by reuniting players from two 1993 high school teams to replay their rivalry game that ended in a 7-7 tie.

Capturing people’s imaginations by creating stories over 90 days as Gatorade scientists trained and coached these former athletes before televising the game live.

Gatorade replay - TWBA Chiat Day

What these brands are doing is seeking to serve their audience content that they are interested in. By creating imaginative and original stories, knowing that if they can do so, attention will follow.

And by doing so these brands are no longer disrupting audiences by trying to sell at them, they are inviting audiences in, engaging in a conversation and enhancing audiences worlds by offering something new, useful or valuable.

Alternatively, a brand can appeal to our need for escapism.

Escapism is defined as a mental diversion by means of entertainment or recreation, as an "escape" from the perceived unpleasant or banal aspects of daily life.

After the year we have just faced, I could see many more brands taking this approach. And instead of just holding a mirror up to people through short term rational product messages and purpose led campaigns. We could start to see a new wave of content that captures our imaginations like never before.

Content that inspires us, makes us laugh and brings us joy. And in doing so builds positive brand associations again.

After all, is that not why we tune in to watch our favourite sports stars, stream films, listen to music, read books, or play Fortnite. To escape the reality of daily life.

And there have been many great examples over the years of brand that have done this. Making us feel something. Using the power of film to entertain us in original and provocative ways.

Nike Write the Future - W+K

Welcome Home - TBWA Media Arts Lab & Spike Jonze

Barclaycard Waterslide - BBH

Stella Artois Ice Skating Priests - Lowe London

Volkswagen Singing in the Rain - DDB London

Formula E - Uncommon Creative Studio

Hennessy - DDB Paris

Take Out

Right now, the industry is flooded with rational campaigns. With marketers prioritising short-term tactical campaigns rather than longer-term brand building campaigns.

Leading to 89% of advertising not even being noticed or remembered. And only 4% being positively remembered. In fact Marketing effectiveness is at its lowest effectiveness in 25 years.

There has to be a better way to balance both the long term brand building and short term sales.

For me brands have two choices, firstly they can become the thing peoples are interested in. To do this they need to behave more like a publisher and offer something new, useful or valuable as a creative platform. Using content to start a conversation and then keeping audiences hooked with more instalments through the customer journey.

And that’s where content, data and technology can really come together to do deliver real value and growth for brands.

Or they can play to audiences need for escapism, by capturing their imaginations like never before. Playing to the heart not to the head. Which is something the most effective campaigns of all time have managed to do. And then using other parts of the journey to help, educate and invite audiences in.

Whichever approach a brand takes, whichever level of investment they have, for me using emotion could be the most rational decision a brand could ever make.

After all who wants to be in the 89% that isn't even noticed or remembered.