Thanks so much for sharing, this is absolutely fascinating! I have also been seeing this theme increasingly show up in very unlikely briefs. Concept bureau wrote about this through a slightly different lens but rooted in similar observations around the rising sense of nihilism / hopelessness and how consumers are responding by focusing on what they can control - themselves (i.e personal growth / self mastery). They referred to it as ‘conspicuous commitment’ being the next status symbol, a move away from values, experiences, and commodities). Like what you’ve said about performance, this is just another performance - the performance of ‘doing the work’. https://conceptbureau.com/conspicuous-commitment-is-the-next-era-of-status/
Your comments around fantasy and magic take this thinking one step further - people are really looking for that escape from reality, and rather than focusing on purpose, maybe brands should be rethinking where they prioritise their marketing efforts
Thanks so much for sharing, this is absolutely fascinating! I have also been seeing this theme increasingly show up in very unlikely briefs. Concept bureau wrote about this through a slightly different lens but rooted in similar observations around the rising sense of nihilism / hopelessness and how consumers are responding by focusing on what they can control - themselves (i.e personal growth / self mastery). They referred to it as ‘conspicuous commitment’ being the next status symbol, a move away from values, experiences, and commodities). Like what you’ve said about performance, this is just another performance - the performance of ‘doing the work’. https://conceptbureau.com/conspicuous-commitment-is-the-next-era-of-status/
Your comments around fantasy and magic take this thinking one step further - people are really looking for that escape from reality, and rather than focusing on purpose, maybe brands should be rethinking where they prioritise their marketing efforts
Hey Rach! Thanks so much for the comments, will definitely check out that reference.