By Pratip Biswas ]
"No living organism can continue to exist healthy for a long time under conditions of absolute reality." – Shirley Jackson, The Haunting of Hill House
This quote, taken from one of the most famous horror stories ever written, clearly explains the human relationship to escapism or the desire to be distracted from the problems of everyday life. When life becomes difficult – as is particularly the case today with the ongoing pandemic – people will indulge in their own kinds of escapism.
Does the popularity of escapism have any real business value? Actually already. The need and demand for a good escape into a fantastic world where anything is possible has opened up new opportunities for marketers to establish their brands as heroes.
Just like there are many levels of imagination, there are multiple ways to take advantage of escapism in your marketing.
Humor is the best medicine for the blues. This is why Adobe Marketing Cloud's “Click, Baby, Click” advertisement was so successful. The ad shows an entirely impossible situation – a company that makes business decisions based on a large number of clicks, but has no idea that all of those clicks are from a baby.
The humorous ad represents a real-life scenario that marketers and companies experience every day, but in such a way that the target group does not get distressed, but smiles and understands the problem and solution at hand.
Adding a touch of humor, be it in your web content or in an ad, is a way to encourage your audience to escape reality and makes the process of finding solutions a lot more fun. Because of this, choosing to use humor when interacting with customers can help you make a positive connection.
By Pratip Biswas "No living organism can exist long healthy under conditions of absolute reality." – Shirley Jackson, The Haunting of Hill House This quote comes from one of the most famous horror stories ever written, clearly explains the human relationship to the Escapism, o
There are many examples of fantasy worlds that are the perfect escape sky. J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth and George R. R. Martins Westeros are both worlds that allow audiences to escape into a universe of fantasy and magic.
Bud Lights Dilly Dilly campaign shows a fantasy world similar to the world of GOT. The mix of medieval aesthetics, influenced by one of the greatest sensations in pop culture, and the humor of the nonsensical catchphrase "dilly dilly" went viral and strengthened the Bud Light brand.
While this type of escapism works, it may not be ideal for all brands. In the case of Bud Light, it worked because the brand happens to be the leader in the category. "When the category leader creates more demand, the category leader gets the lion's share of that surge in demand," writes Jeff Haden, editor at Inc. "If you're a smaller player like Sierra Nevada and you create category demand, you're not going to get much of it. When I'm a craft brewer, I get a tiny elevator, but most of the additional demand goes to the category leader. "
By Pratip Biswas "No living organism can exist long healthy under conditions of absolute reality." – Shirley Jackson, The Haunting of Hill House This quote comes from one of the most famous horror stories ever written, clearly explains the human relationship to the Escapism, o
Other items from AllBusiness.com:
If a brand can bring some fun to an audience through a marketing initiative, it can have a huge impact. Take a look at the Volkswagen experience campaign, in which an entire staircase became a working piano. A musical note was played every time commuters stepped on the steps, causing people to unleash their inner artists by going up and down the stairs to make music.
It was an interesting little experiment that not only offered a unique experience, but also gave people a fun break from their daily lives. It is one of the best mixes of escapist and experience marketing to give your audience the chance to escape the boredom of everyday life and enjoy themselves for a few moments.
By Pratip Biswas "No living organism can exist long healthy under conditions of absolute reality." – Shirley Jackson, The Haunting of Hill House This quote comes from one of the most famous horror stories ever written, clearly explains the human relationship to the Escapism, o
We all know the miraculous features of Augmented Reality (AR), but what happens when it is used to deliver the perfect experience and escape into a dream world? One of the best examples of the use of AR comes from Coca-Cola's FIFA World Cup campaign with Xherdan Shaqiri. A large screen with photos of the Swiss football star was set up in front of Zurich's main train station. Fans were allowed to play alongside Shaqiri and take photos with him.
The experiment had around a thousand interactions in two days, proving that providing consumers with experiences that help them accomplish the impossible, even for a few moments, goes a long way in enhancing a brand's image.
By Pratip Biswas "No living organism can exist long healthy under the conditions of absolute reality." – Shirley Jackson, The Haunting of Hill House This quote comes from one of the most famous horror stories ever written, clearly explains the human relationship to the Escapism, o
Businesses exist in a very real and sometimes difficult world. The success of a marketing initiative depends on the extent to which a campaign matches reality. To meet the demands of consumers who want to escape, today's brands need to push the boundaries of the ordinary and not be afraid of bold and new experiences.
RELATED: Using this effective psychological trigger in your marketing can increase sales like crazy.
Contribution by: Pratip Biswas
Pratip Biswas is the founder and CEO of Unified Infotech, a New York-based web design company that was featured in the 2018 Deloitte Technology Fast 500 Asia Pacific Ranking. His company works with corporations, SMBs and startups to improve their efficiency through digital adoption, and helps them discover new opportunities through constant innovation. Pratip also writes regularly about blockchain technology and has been featured in publications such as YourStory and DZone.
Company: Unified Infotech
Website: www.unifiedinfotech.net
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