Grounding Through Escapism

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word escapism? Running away from something? Removing all boundaries? Experiencing something you can only imagine in your wildest dreams? Or maybe none of the above…

How we look at escapism has really flipped over time. At first, escapism was viewed as avoiding reality. If you were really into books or movies and filled your time with them, you were seen as someone who couldn’t handle life.

But then, things changed. Maybe escaping isn’t all bad. Maybe zoning out a bit can actually help. It’s not always running away; sometimes it's just recharging. Making art, blasting music, creating TikTok dances or crafting Labubu outfits are really just about exploring hobbies, right?  People started to see those as healthy ways to let go and just… breathe. 

These days, it's all about where you land on the scale. Is your escape helping or hurting? Doing yoga and reading? 👍 Getting wasted or scrolling endlessly? 👎 In a world where we’re immersed in video games and virtual worlds it’s hard to know what’s good escapism versus bad escapism. During COVID everyone was scrambling to escape—online, in their heads, anywhere. Suddenly, just wanting to be outside felt like a revolution. In the end, it's about how you escape and why. Giving yourself space to escape—however you fulfill that specific need—has become a ritual each of us has integrated into our lives in one form or another. For me, it’s about a drive with no music, no kids chattering, just a chamber of solitude on the highway to wherever—a space between the action of life so-to-speak. For our Reveal* panel the act taking myself out of my regular surroundings or simply getting outside that they’ve ritualized.

People today are finding themselves through exclusivity or nicheness but also through arguably basic means. The mindset isn’t about choosing this over that, it’s about how people are building their own story of “and.” After all, the ritual of escapism is about recognizing our own human needs. And needs change and grow just as we do, through life stage and lifestyle. 

Brands need to meet people there, in that moment of need. Like how SPCSHP anchored Chase on a strategy to champion travel as a way of life through sensorial storytelling, our campaign highlights all the amazing experiences you can have by using the Chase Travel portal to not only book your travel, but feed your inspiration. In that way, Chase not only markets it, but they truly enable needs to be met. Seems like escapism now is really about finding yourself—somewhere else, somewhere free—and ritualizing it.