Welcome the Era of the Daydream Brand

Sunday's Poolsuite x Yahoo party at SXSW 2024 highlighted a trend in branding that's been building for some time

High above the hustle and bustle of South by Southwest 2024, Sunday's Poolsuite x Yahoo rooftop party transported revelers to an alternate reality: a luxurious 90's beachside getaway. The signage was Microsoft Paint-esque, the TVs played old spring break videos and the tropical, electronic dance music called party-goers from the pool to the dance floor. The party turned the retro, beachy brand world that attracted Poolsuite’s cult following into a real-world oasis.?

Poolsuite, and its subsidiary Vacation sunscreen, are the poster children for a new wave of brands that behave as if they exist in an alternate universe. When purchasing Vacation's "leisure-enhancing sunscreen," shoppers aren't just fighting UV rays, they're buying a one-way ticket to a branded fantasy world.

Brands reflect the times and in recent years, it's been hard to ignore a palpable tone of impending doom. We're still COVID shell-shocked, anxious about how to weigh in on global events on social media, busy battling inflation, and dreading election years. In response to this collective anxiety a new type of brand has emerged: the Daydream Brand. Going beyond aspirational marketing or the simple rush of buying something new, these brands take retail therapy to the next level. Their promise to customers: a quick and easy way to access their desired state of mind.

Daydream brands sell vibes first and products second, filling our algorithms and supermarkets with nostalgic aesthetics, surrealist art, and imaginary worlds. Makeup brands like Starface transport us from subway cars to outer space. Non-alcoholic beverage companies like Kin Euphorics and Recess invite us into blissful dream-worlds with calming gradients and surreal CGI graphics. Ruby Hibiscus Water cans take us on an intergalactic journey.

Shifting (and losing) our focus

The first consumer brands were created to promise consistency in quality. Their goal was simple: to gain trust and differentiate from their competitors. In an early global economy, all you needed was a logo mark, a memorable tagline, and sometimes a brand mascot.

These simple, product-centric brands later evolved into lifestyle brands, which allowed us to curate and express our own identities through the products we consume. Logos became symbols that transcended the products they represented. Buying these brands signaled that we were members of a subculture that shared our values, style, and aesthetic. Everything from fashion to food became a status symbol, a sign that you were part of an in-crowd.

Where does this leave us today? Our isolation during the pandemic forced us to sit with ourselves and look inward. Our Gucci bags sat in our closets, and our outward appearances took a back seat to our mental health. Did this lay the foundation for brands to focus less on how we look to others...and more on how we actually feel?

This new era is seeing a repositioning of brands from status symbols to a means for exploring our emotions and innermost desires. Daydream Brands exist to captivate our curiosity, ignite our imagination, and unlock the escape that we desperately crave in these uncertain, post-pandemic times.?

What does it take to build a daydream?

To be a Daydream Brand is to reject reality. Taking the idea of the "brand world" to the next level, they build their identity within an alternate universe. Their websites act as portals to an imaginary time and place, and the brand voice feels like a character from their fantasy world.?

Successful Daydream Brands must commit entirely to these games of make-believe. The discerning customers these brands attract appreciate the clean break from reality and seek skillful world-building, where every detail and corner is considered and colored in.?

Daydreams go mainstream

The daydream movement began at the fringes, with disruptors and trendy startups leading the charge. But now, the establishment has taken notice, embracing escapism even in small ways. Even brands without an apparent daydream angle are playing into the trend through campaigns, sub-brands, and beyond.

McDonald's birthday party for Grimace campaign takes us back in time to nostalgic Mcdonaldland. Don Julio's Rosado launch campaign transports us to a surreal pink party. In entertainment, Barbie repackages our childhood daydreams into a complex imaginary world complete with governments and neighborhoods.?

Ultimately, all Daydream Brands (and the campaigns or SXSW parties they've inspired) tap into our fundamental desire to regain some control in an uncertain world, even if that control is pressing a pause button. They invite consumers to curate their emotional state just as they would decorate their homes or build wardrobes.?

As more brands embrace their delightfully irrational and imaginative side, will those firmly rooted in the real world begin to feel dull and corporate in contrast? Whether through long-term dreamlike brand building or short-lived emotion-driven campaigns, the brands that embrace this trend with full conviction offer today's consumers something new and valuable: a communal experience of suspending disbelief, which just might result in lasting brand relevance.?

Welcome to the era of the Daydream Brand, where weird and wildly imaginative creative is king.?