A client recently said to me, “The new gen z addiction is dopamine. Make our next ad all about that.” And they meant it. No poetic exaggeration. No shame in the morally grey zone request.
We ban ads for cocaine, fentanyl, cigarettes, and vapes. But dopamine? That’s a campaign hook. ‘Shop the drop.’ ‘Unbox the moment.’ Brands are openly strategising like chemists, chasing chemical hooks with as much voracity as Big Pharma.
And it works. Nearly 1 in 20 people cross into compulsive buying at some point in their lives, often tangled up with anxiety and depression (PubMed). Online shopping makes it worse: just hovering over an abandoned cart is enough to light up the brain like a slot machine (Cleveland Clinic).
Labubu-diction
What embodies this better than Labubu? That bug-eyed, snaggle-toothed gremlin. A mascot for our collective infantilisation, a chew toy for fashion’s dopamine-addicted consumers. Grown adults rip open blind boxes like toddlers at a candy machine. Why? Because Labubu isn’t style. It’s survival.
At a time when ‘breaking news’ is synonymous with existential dread, Labubu reveals are pure joy. They’re seemingly innocent. Predictably irrational. A throwback to an era when surprises came in cereal boxes, not geopolitical crises.
And, you can justify the purchase, because unlike a Balenciaga coat, a Labubu doesn’t require a bank loan. Swipe. Deliver. Unbox. Squeal. Micro-hit achieved.
My Algorithm, My Dealer
Labubu is just one example of the current industry formula. Drops dressed up as scarcity. Mystery packaging masquerading as joy. Influencer teasers that say nothing but trigger everything. Social feeds designed like Vegas casinos.
The product doesn’t matter; the pulse does. Fashion calls it ‘strategy.’ Neuroscience calls it addiction loops.
Beyond the Next Hit
The same rush fuelling Labubu’s rise will guarantee its crash. Surprise gets boring. Blind boxes stop thrilling.
The appetite for ‘more, more, more’ is not infinite. And when it fades, what’s left? Bain reports a global cooling in fashion and luxe. Personally, I’m tired. Jaded. Ground down by the relentlessness of it all.
So yes, dear client, I can make your next ad about dopamine addiction. Because if we’re living through a global apocalypse, at least maybe we can all get high.