FANTASY BRANDS: Fleeing to fantasy.

Escapism has long been a selling point for films and books, but now other sectors are getting in on the act as consumers show a growing appetite for brands that can help them break free from the austerity gloom. By Lou Cooper

Escaping from reality has long been a reason to go to the cinema, but could these austere times be driving consumers to seek out even more exciting and immersive experiences? Finding ways to help forget about everyday realities is on the rise.

The top 10 fantasy films took almost #500m at the UK box office in 2009 and 2010, with movies such as Alice in Wonderland, Avatar and Harry Potter pushing Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire down the list.

And it's not just cinema that is benefiting from this depressed climate - a tribe of brands are flourishing at a time when retailers are expecting no sales growth (May's sales forecast is the gloomiest since last June). These are fantasy brands - products that offer surreal or immersive experiences to people who want to be taken out of the everyday or have a bit of magic injected into their lives.

Examples of these include Secret Cinema's film screenings (see A Secret Film Fantasy, page 20), the Twilight film franchise and Disney designing Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella and Snow White-inspired wedding dresses.

Fantasy brands span a range of sectors, from companies that offer extreme, experiential travel, such as internet travel company Black Tomato (see case study, page 21) to ones that organise participatory events or 'pop-up' drinking and dining experiences such as Courvoisier's series of collaborations (see case study, page 22).

And this is a growing trend, according to Vanessa Smith, consumer sponsorship and events manager at Guardian News & Media. Most recently it sponsored Secret Cinema's screening of controversial 1966 film Battle of Algiers in tunnels beneath London's Waterloo station. The venue was transformed into 1950s Algiers complete with art installations, a prison and a cast playing the film's characters. The audience were asked to dress accordingly, the film only being revealed as the opening credits rolled.

"There is a growing appetite for immersive experiences. Fantasy brands fire your imagination, make you feel like part of an exclusive club and give you special access to unique events. They interact with you in creative ways, which transforms consumers into fans," says Smith.

Fantasy has always been popular, but the recession and the resulting economic gloom has sparked a boom in such escapism, particularly in the film and publishing industries.

Vampire-themed book series Twilight has taken more than #48m from 2008 to date, according to Nielsen BookScan. Film versions of the series have been released at a rate of one every year since the recession hit (and there's another one on the way in November), enjoying phenomenal success, which in turn has spread to brands such as Volvo, Burger King and Mattel that have partnered with it.

Volvo cars have featured in all three of the Twilight films - the C30 in the first film and the XC60 in the following two. For the XC60 launch campaign, an ad featuring protagonists from the series ran in cinemas and Twilight's huge online fan community was targeted with competitions to win a car.

Volvo reported increased interest in the XC60 model after the release of the second film New Moon. Customers came to showrooms to photograph their children in the 'Twilight car' and Volvo, once the 'safe' family car, is now perceived as 'cool' by young people.

In the grown-up world of Ann Summers, fantasy wear is a major part of its business and one that demands continual regeneration. It is seeing 10-12% growth year on year for its 'fantasy' range, such as uniforms, and a 40% year on year uplift on its erotic lingerie line. The company is also moving into club wear inspired by celebrities such as Rihanna and Lady Gaga, catering to those looking for fancy dress costumes to go out in.

"Things are pretty gloomy out there and I think they have been for a while now and everyone's a bit bored of it. People are looking for fun. They are also becoming more aware of the things in life that really matter to them - their families - and as part of that, we believe people are investing more in their relationships and nurturing them," says Becki Rowe, marketing general manager for the brand.

Disney has been selling magic and fairytales to audiences since the Twenties, and has partnered with brands such as MAC cosmetics and Dolce & Gabbana, to create fantasy-inspired products.

In March, the company launched a collection of wedding dresses in the UK, inspired by the style and personality of seven Disney princess characters, with designer Alfred Angelo.

"Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Disney blogs exploded with messages from brides eagerly awaiting a chance to try on these styles," says Denise Wash, vice-president of marketing for Alfred Angelo.

The premiere video on YouTube's Disney Living channel, which gave a behind-the-scenes look at the collection and photo shoot, had 80,000 views within the first hour of being posted.

"Storytelling, especially fairytales, is at the heart of Disney's heritage and the products we develop with these stories in mind have proven to be popular among consumers of all ages," explains Marc Low, vice-president of fashion and home at The Walt Disney Company EMEA. "By looking to the Disney Princess characters as inspiration for the designs, we're tapping into nostalgic memories about characters that have long been cherished by consumers."

Video and computer gaming is another area that is capitalising on the growing need by consumers to escape, with games becoming more and more realistic and immersive. Consumers can't be a professional footballer, singer, film star or superhero, but they can pretend to be, as a study by agency Canvas8 points out. The skills required to play are closer to the ones needed in real life - as with Rockband or Singstar - and brands are tapping into narcissism and giving people starring roles.

Growth in the gaming market over the past three years has been aided by iPhone and Android games, which dramatically increased the number of buyers. Indeed, casual games are now bigger than the traditional market in both numbers and value.

Brands that have recognised this growing consumer desire for escapism are reaping the rewards. Rebel Bingo started in 2009 as a clandestine bingo game between friends, in the basement of a church hall. The company now holds regular 'secret' bingo parties for an audience aged 18 to 28, where people attend undercover to play rowdy versions of bingo with audience participation, dancing on tables and drawing on each other with marker pens. The brand now operates in 12 UK cities and has recently expanded to the US and Spain. And at #3 a ticket, it's a cheap escape for consumers. The brand has partnered with Red Stag, a black cherry flavoured Jim Beam whiskey for its UK tour next month.

At the more extreme end of the fantasy genre is adult website and monthly erotic party organiser Killing Kittens, a fantasy brand that founder Emma Sayle claims has grown in direct response to the recession. "In the space of two months, we went from averaging 150 people per party, to 250-300 people. We pretty much doubled our online membership in the three months following the downturn and since then it's just been rising exponentially. We've now got 15,000 online members," she says.

The company's adult parties take place in old mansions in London and various countryside locations. Guests arrive masked for a champagne reception before letting loose amid the candlelit rooms and sweeping staircases. Sayle believes guests like the idea of escaping into an unknown world for a night and forgetting about reality.

Similarly, The Box, a risque Manhattan 'theatre of varieties', featuring sexually explicit cabaret and burlesque shows and stage acts opened a branch in London in February. Tales of debauchery and all manner of oddities abound, but no real information is ever given about what goes on inside. Acts are described as surreal and extreme and apparently include men wearing pig masks chasing half-naked girls with fire.

But pushing the boundaries too far carries a financial risk for brands. The Box in New York lost one of its financial backers, singer- songwriter Moby, when its cabaret acts became more extreme. He reportedly complained: "I like degeneracy, but for The Box you really need to be in the right frame of mind. The things that go on there don't make sense to me."

Similarly, Sayle has found that the adult nature of her brand has put off potential brand partners. "Those that fit with us are high end, luxury lifestyle brands, but given the nature of what we do, they can't be seen to be associated with us, even though our database represents their ideal demographic - 15,000 18- to 45-year-old high flyers," she says. In spite of this the company continues to grow and its website is soon to take a more conventional approach, relaunching in June in a style more akin to an online dating site, while retaining an exclusive area for vetted members that receive party invites. Sayle hopes this more mainstream side will allow the company more access to brand partners.

So jump on the fantasy bandwagon to capture the imagination of your consumers. Just don't push it too far, or it might not be happily ever after for your bottom line.

Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors