Kantar's new research into the rise of "treatonomics" captures something important: people are trading big, distant milestones (like buying a house) for small, immediate pleasures. Those tiny celebrations, or "inchstones," are everything from a takeaway coffee to a nostalgic impulse buy, even within the context of trying to save for something bigger. They deliver quick emotional payoff when longer-term ambitions feel uncertain or remote.
36% of people say they'd take on short-term debt to afford something that makes them happy now. That's not thriftless hedonism: it's a playbook for how audiences want to feel, every day, in a volatile economy
At the same time, social media has transformed from somewhere to connect, gather news and shop, into an entertainment ecosystem where people go to escape, laugh, and feel seen. YouTube's CEO said at the most recent Cannes Lions that 'creators are the new Hollywood' - and he wasn't wrong.
I think these two phenomenons are symbiotic. Both are indicative of a consumer seeking instant gratification, low friction rewards and emotional regulation in an uncertain world.
Why the connection matters
People reaching for small treats are often trying to manage overwhelm, boredom and the anxiety of long-term goals that feel out of reach. Those small purchases create micro-rituals that offer control, comfort and a momentary uplift. Social media supplies the context, the currency and the canvas for those micro-joys.
A purchase becomes content when it is filmed, joked about, memed or reviewed. The result is a loop: inchstones prompt social sharing, social feeds inspire new inchstones, and creators and brands amplify the cycle. Surely, we've all seen the meteoric rise of Labubus this year?
The treatonomics mindset also informs how brands can cater content to suit the whims and needs of the current audience in a cost-of-living doomscape. People want entertainment and escape - there's not a brand who can't deliver that in a way that still works for them.
Four creative routes that work in this landscape
- Gamification and micro-rewards: Game mechanics turn routine interactions into tiny victories. Tap to pause, quests inside social stories, progressive content reveals, unlocks and Easter eggs deliver a hit of fun in the feed. For consumers motivated by small pleasures, these mechanics create repeatable moments of satisfaction that are easy to facilitate on social. A recent post we created for Continental Tyres is a nice example of how gamification can work in-feed.
- Humour and topical riffs: Fast, funny responses to cultural moments turn content into a communal event. When brands join conversations with wit and timing, they don't interrupt the entertainment; they become part of it. Humour lowers the barrier to sharing and encourages user-generated riffs that multiply reach. We saw this ten-fold last year, that brands that treated social as a stage for convivial mischief scored attention and shareability, not by hard-sell tactics but by being culturally fluent and funny. The Cannes Lions-winning social campaign from Nutter Butter is the poster child for the success of this 'unhinged' genre.
- Creators parodying themselves: Creators are increasingly self-aware and self-parodic - they lean into tropes, exaggerate their own formats, and invite brands into the joke. Meme formats (breathy voiceovers, deliberate cringe, parody ads) and creator-led satire give brands a low-friction route into authenticity: partner with the creator's comic lens and you get content that feels earned, not manufactured. It's less about polish and more about permission to be ridiculous together and I think it's going to be increasingly in-demand as an answer to the AI-sheen.
Partnering with creators - and indeed, building your own - who can satirise themselves gives brands a ticket into the joke rather than a seat in the audience. Just look at Curry's and their 2025-defining approach to EGC.
- Nostalgic throwbacks: 2025 saw Jellycat double its annual profit, driven by the rise in adults buying soft toys (side note - it's become a ritual that there's always a Jellycat in a 'team social' gift at Citypress). Their playful fish n chip shop experience in Selfridges also spoke to a growing demand for moments of joy, lightness and hands-on nostalgia in and increasingly doom and gloom, disconnected world.
Play with an early 00s aesthetics and audio, bring back visual symbols from our childhood (talent, brands or icons) and create hands-on experiences people want to show on camera. Can't wait to see more creative in this space and can we please bring back toys in cereal as part of this...🙏
The treatonomics generation isn't just buying more small things for a quick dopamine hit. They are living in micro-moments that social media turns into culture. If brands want to be part of those moments, they must build for entertainment, invite playfulness, and let creators and audiences finish the joke.