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Remember the last time you scrolled through TikTok and saw a brand collaboration so bizarre it made you laugh out loud? Maybe it was pickle-flavored soda, or a luxury fashion house selling Crocs encrusted with… something. Welcome to the era of the Playful Extravaganza, where brands are ditching the predictable and embracing the absurd to capture our fleeting attention.
In today’s attention economy, brands are battling for relevance. CBA’s Pulse 2025 report reveals a powerful truth: consumers crave brands that inject joy, humor, and a touch of the unexpected into their experiences.
Unconventional creativity: Daring to defy industry norms and think outside the box.
Emotional resonance: Tapping into positive emotions like joy and humor, while also evoking a sense of nostalgia.
Authentic expression: Unveiling your brand’s unique personality and distinctive voice.
Experiential engagement: Crafting memorable and shareable moments that resonate with your audience.
Disruption of the everyday: Offering a refreshing escape from the ordinary and predictable.
A “playful extravaganza” directly connects to this context: it’s not about instant gratification but about surprising with lightness. The concept of delight—unexpectedly enchanting—emerges as a response. Even brands committed to serious causes like environmental care and inclusivity are now challenged to communicate more authentically, accessibly, and humorously.
This movement isn’t confined to design; it reflects a broader cultural shift shaped by digital entertainment dynamics and the constant expectation of novelty. Generation Z—multicultural, fluid, and curious—naturally navigates between aesthetics, flavors, and categories. Open to the world, they seek the new with enthusiasm but have less patience for overly serious messages or predictable formats.
But here’s the tension: this desire for playfulness is intertwined with the allure of instant gratification, fueled by the dopamine rush of social media likes and the constant stream of new experiences.
Gen Z, the digital natives who have grown up in this dopamine-driven world, are particularly susceptible to this influence. They are constantly bombarded with new trends, flavors, and experiences, leading to a heightened expectation for surprise and difference. This explains the boom in unlikely flavor combinations, bizarre brand collaborations, and the meme-ification of everything. The rapid-fire humor and absurd content that dominate platforms like TikTok are shaping a new generation’s expectations for entertainment and engagement.
This tension requires careful consideration.
Here’s how it translates to ROI, with examples in action:
Beyond these core examples, we see playful strategies driving success across diverse industries. Consider Target’s Fantastical Forest, where immersive in-store and digital experiences turn holiday shopping into a whimsical adventure, complete with peppermint swirl paths, curated gift chalets, and playful product zones, capturing consumer imagination and driving engagement. Nutter Butter’s TikTok account amplifies their playful side and drives brand relevance, while Duolingo, with its quirky owl mascot and playful gamification, demonstrates how to keep users engaged and motivated, driving app usage and promoting language learning in a fun and accessible way.
Even collaborations, like the McDonald’s x Cactus Plant Flea Market Happy Meal for adults or the Nike x Ben & Jerry’s “Chunky Dunky” sneaker, showcase the power of surprise and nostalgia to drive sales and spark conversation.
The challenge for brands is clear: how to embrace fun without falling into the trap of superficiality? How to engage with different facets of the same audience—who, at times, seek purpose and depth, and at others, lightness and escapism?
The answer may lie in moving beyond binary thinking and designing portfolios and experiences that accompany this natural alternation of moods. Between mindfulness and rave, there’s a vast territory to explore. And it’s in this vibrant and unpredictable space that playfulness proves more necessary than ever.
Consider these critical questions:
At CBA, we understand the transformative power of play. We empower brands to unlock their playful potential through:
This article is the second in a series inspired by the insights introduced in our Pulse 2025 report.
Our report offers 9 fundamental insights, illustrated by more than 60 global case studies, to help you create positive impact and identify strategic opportunities for your brand.
This article is the first in a series inspired by the insights introduced in our Pulse 2025 report.
Our report offers 9 fundamental insights, illustrated by more than 60 global case studies, to help you create positive impact and identify strategic opportunities for your brand.
