Brand marketing has long hawked the illusion of perfection with flawless models, soft lighting, and “aspirational,” i.e., highly photoshopped beauty. But walk into a store right now, and you’re just as likely to see models with contorted faces and gothic product packaging. Take Elf Beauty’s new “corpse paint” collab with Liquid Death water, which is literally packaged in mini coffins. Brands like Elf, that cater to Gen Z, are intentionally creeping out customers to cut through the noise of an oversaturated market…and it’s working.
The creep-out trend is driven by a greater aesthetic shift away from the pursuit of perfection, which smacks of AI’s veneer. Next gens are moving away from the dated and increasingly unattainable, idealized “filtered look” towards Uncanny Valley, reflecting today’s dystopian elements of the economic and political landscape. Whether it’s Columbia’s social media account for the Grim Reaper or everyone and their mom walking out with Wednesday’s dark lipstick, these looks leverage the psychology of fright to create an indelible memory, both glamorous and otherwise.
That discomfort creates thumb-stopping content. Look at millennial skincare brand The Ordinary’s “Periodic Fable” video, a hack on the “non-scientific” table with actors coated with dystopian facial masks promoting the truth about beauty, not exactly the aspirational look we’re used to from beauty brands. But therein lies its genius. Their truth is a shot of adrenaline that triggers a stronger trust to purchase than the uniform, airbrushed celebrity endorsements. Next gens are informed; they know Kim K isn’t really drinking that diet tea.
The human mind remembers what stands out and, for this most individualistic generation, uniqueness is the top signal. These creepy dabbles into darker tropes are meant to differentiate the brand and delight the cynical, overstimulated consumers they’re meant to target. More mature consumers may be alienated by the same content, although they’re missing the point. Brands that cater to wider age ranges have to walk a fine line: go too dark, you’ll alienate a loyal customer base; be too uniform, and next gens won’t remember your ad at all. The key takeaway? If you want to connect with next gens, go to the dark side and embrace the shadows.
