I recently had the pleasure of spending several months leading an Audience Profiling and Consumer Journey Mapping project for a high-profile company that, without naming names, is Walt Disney World’s largest competitor. In doing my research, I came across this wonderful article from The Cut, seeking to determine why there is a certain group of Adults for whom the magic of Disney STILL exists (Disney Adults). This article unearthed for me the concept of a Secondary World- a phrase coined by J.R.R.Tolkien that refers worlds of fantasy and make-believe that exist exclusively within someone’s head. Children are experts at crafting, and even temporarily suspending disbelief enough to “live” in, these worlds. As adults, this ability fades or disappears completely, as we are forced more and more to live in our “primary” world of responsibilities, expectations, and, well, Adulting.
This concept struck and saddened me. I was a master at building and inhabiting Secondary Worlds as a child, even as a young adult. There’s a Sliding Doors version of me that IS a Disney Adult. Or maybe a consistent LARPer. In any case, the actual version of me is now hard-pressed at bedtime to craft even a short story from scratch to appease my toddler son’s desire for constant fresh, original content. And I know that I’m not alone in this feeling of yearning and nostalgia for the ability to tap into the magic of the Secondary World. This desire was reflected in what I heard as I conducted my interviews with different members of the audience groups I identified for the project I was working on. Some had managed to find a way to keep their Secondary World-building abilities sharper than others (i.e. Adult Superfans of a certain Wizarding Universe)- but almost all that I spoke to saw their visit, and the trip around it that they were planning, as a means to reclaim a bit of that magic from childhood. This research led to a ton of newly identified opportunities for the client I was working for- but it also identified for me a few broader truths that I think brands in many categories could benefit from understanding and tapping into. How can we, as adult humans, reclaim our place in the Secondary Worlds we used to inhabit? And are there ways that brands can take us there, if only for a memorable moment?
Children are a Bridge. The disconnect from the Secondary World that I’ve experienced and that was expressed by many of those I interviewed was especially notable for those Adults who are raising children. We just have, frankly, too much other “important shit” to deal with than revisiting the magic worlds of our past. But, we also have a built-in bridge to these secondary worlds, THROUGH our children. A visit to Walt Disney World or Universal Studios is a perfect example of a trip that, for many adults, wouldn’t even be on the radar if our kids weren’t obsessed with these worlds and IP. Disney and Universal are experts at tapping into this cross-over strategy, crafting literal WORLDS for adults to visit with or without their children in tow. Nintendo is another brand that continues to appeal first and foremost to children and teens, with the hopes of bringing their parents along for the ride. LEGO as well, with an entire line of Lego kits built exclusively for the 18+ crowd. Brands with any possibility of cross-over appeal should look for ways to invite parents into a fresh experience by way of their children.
Leverage Nostalgia- but keep it fresh. Nostalgia is famously everywhere these days. The past two Super Bowls were basically a contest for who could cast the most Gen X and Millennial-relevant stars of yesterday to try to recapture the positive feelings associated with that bygone era. And when we have a chance to revisit some of our favorite Secondary Worlds as adults, the sense of nostalgia we experience is a major source of the positive emotions we associate there. It makes us feel safe, taps into our innate positivity bias for the past (AKA the Pollyanna Principle). But, nostalgia can quickly feel stale, or can lead to disappointment if the reality of the nostalgic moment we’ve been presented doesn’t quite live up to our memories. (i.e.- our childhood celebrity crush trying to play the same role they used to with 30 extra years on them.) The key to success, from my perspective, is to tap into nostalgia while recognizing that the world, and your audience, have changed. It’s less about attempting to transport us directly to the past, but rather, helping us believe that the best parts of what we enjoyed in that past still exist today, in a way we can access. Again, Nintendo is a master at this. Almost 40 years after releasing the first Legend of Zelda game in 1986, they are still releasing follow-ups, to rave reviews, like 2023’s Tears of the Kingdom. The music, characters, and broad strokes of Hyrule remain, but the scenarios, gameplay, and graphics have evolved to reflect the world we live in TODAY.
Make it Immersive. The tricky thing about successfully inhabiting a secondary world for adults is that it needs to FEEL REAL. And that is hard to do. A complaint that came up a lot in my research for the brand I was working on was what a “bummer” it was for visitors to the park to have to spend so much time on their phones while they were there, as so many elements of park visitation have moved to apps- line queuing, way-finding, even ordering food and drinks. This deeply detracts from the feeling of immersion that many of them are seeking and also makes it easier for the real world to creep in via texts, emails, social media, etc. If brands have an opportunity to offer a level of true immersion, through as many of the senses as possible, this can help adults achieve the level of suspending their disbelief enough to inhabit the Secondary World they are being offered. Andre 3000 has famously forbidden the use of phones during sets for his recent tour in support of New Blue Sun. According to the New York Times, this rule introduced an “...enforced reverence (that) also removed the sense of time: The sets, both around 90 minutes long, felt boundless.” In a day and age when we can barely get through dinner with our families or friends without spending half the time looking at our phones, if brands can provide an opportunity to escape this proclivity and immerse themselves in something magical, even a short reprieve could inspire huge feelings of affinity and connection.
Make it Digestible. Multiple-day excursions to magical parks built with the exclusive purpose of transporting us into the Secondary Worlds of Disney, Universal, and the likes’ IP are few and far between for most of us. But I think I speak for most adults when I say, we can use a little escape EVERY day. Most of the visitors that I spoke to in my research indicated that there was such a jarring “back to reality” shift in returning home after their trips, that it quickly became hard to connect to the version of themselves that were on that trip, immersed in that world- a feeling we can all surely relate to. I think there’s a huge opportunity for brands to help Adults find some escapism in their every day, in a way that respects and allows room for the reality of their adult lives and routines to continue. Spotify’s recent introduction of “Daylists” are an example of a quick, digestible way for their listeners to be transported to a different musical reality on different days of the week, even during different parts of the day. Less exhaustive and time-intensive to engage with than their famous annual Year in Review, but still customized directly to what they know about the listener- it’s a little bite-sized way of allowing their users to be taken on a journey. Calgon’s famous “Take Me Away” campaign from the late 70's plays on this idea as well, inviting women to make a little time in their every day to escape into a different world, just as long as it takes to bathe themselves. This desire was something we identified as a huge opportunity for the brand I was working with- how can they invite visitors to regain a little bit of that in-park feeling every day once they’ve left the park, hopefully reinforcing their desire to come back again sooner rather than later?
The Secondary World is a world that has been lost to most of us as adults. Here in our Primary (REAL) World, we are faced every day with thousands of decisions, and endless, expanding options in almost every category. We already know that consumers are overwhelmingly tapping into instinct or emotion when they’re making their decisions, even if they don’t realize it. Brands and organizations that can help their audiences regain a lost ability to tap into the Secondary Worlds they used to inhabit may ultimately help them build new emotional connections to the brand itself. And if nothing else, the world, and every individual within it, could always use a little more magic.
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