July 25, 2024 
From unicorns to astronauts and everything inbetween, fantasy flavours have exploded onto the scene in recent times and provide an imaginative way for consumers to express their personal values.
As cited in Innova’s top five flavour trends for the year 2024, fantasy flavours fall within the broader ‘Indulge in Imagination’ trend. With fantasy flavours continually evolving, Bakels take a deep dive into what is driving the trend and what is next for this adventurous and creative theme.
Fantasy flavours have been gaining traction for the past few years, a good model being the Starbucks Frappuccino, exciting adults and children since 2017. Interest in these flavours has displayed a steady increase in popularity over the last 20 years, accordingly to Google Trends(1). With most searches relating to this flavour in food and drink coming from USA, Singapore, Ireland, Malaysia and New Zealand, it seems to be capturing the imagination of consumers all over the world.
WHAT’S DRIVING THE TREND?
Consumers are getting increasingly adventurous and are looking for diversion as well as creative outlets. This is particularly true for younger generations.
When Innova(2) asked consumers across 11 global market which flavour aspects had the most impact on their food and beverage choices, one-third said they were drawn to flavours that were new, unique or different.
Food is not merely sustenance for the body but also nourishment for the soul. The mental stresses and emotional strains provoked by the cost-of-living crisis are taking their toll on consumers. While eating may not solve problems consumers have, for many it does however provide some much-needed moments of enjoyment. When asked what motivates them to treat themselves with food and beverage, 37% crave something to boost their mood, while 26% want relief from the stresses of life and 20% seek something which keeps them entertained.
Image: Adobe Stock
WHICH PERSONAL VALUES MAKE CONSUMERS MORE RECEPTIVE TO FANTASY FLAVOURS?
To an appreciable degree, consumption choices reflect the values held by shoppers, and brands/bakery businesses adept at tapping into these values are well positioned to win in this space.
Flavours – sometimes even just the idea of them – are capable of triggering powerful emotions, and these have a much greater bearing on our personal values than on our rational selves would admit.
Fantasy flavours are invented for the very purpose of transcending conventional boundaries, which enable consumers to elevate their emotions beyond the everyday and into a parallel place. There are particular personal values which play well within the fantasy flavours theme. As you would expect, there are differences between markets and generations.
In the Innova Lifestyle and Attitudes Survey 2024(3), when consumers were asked which is important to them, one in four said quality, one in five said a positive mindset and one in ten said creativity, inclusivity and adventure.
WHAT ARE THE MOST POPULAR FANTASY FLAVOURS?
Fantasy flavours is an extremely broad canvas, with the possibilties infinite, which is exactly why this flavour category is almost future-proof!
From 2019-2023, Innova captured over 3000 food and beverage products which quoted fantasy flavour in some way.
Rainbow led the way with one-quarter of these launches, followed by unicorn (one in ten) and then Island. Space-themed flavours is another popular mention.
Let’s take a look at some interesting examples of fantasy flavours from around the world(4).
Flamingo Cake (United Kingdom, August 2023) – Flamin-go wild with fabulous layers of madeira sponge filled with plum and raspberry jam fully covered in yummy vanilla flavour frosting, meringue pieces and edible decorations.
Frucht Bar Organic Wondrous Dream Cookies (Czech Republic, April 2024) – Unicorn, mermaid, butterfly, fairy and rainbow-shaped organic shortbread cookies with spelt, apple and blueberry.
Oreo Space Dunk Chocolate Sandwich Cookies (United States, February 2024) – Signature chocolate waver sandwich cookies filled with two layers of cosmic-flavoured crème with popping candy.
WHAT’S NEXT FOR FANTASY FLAVOURS?
We are set to see an evolution of fantasy flavours, with a shift towards leveraging local fantasy flavours such as folk tale characters, ancient gods and an array of other supernatural beings. Well-known landmarks, local weather phenomena, festivities and cultural practices can all serve to inspire fantasy flavours relevant to specific locales and could certainly become an international hit.
Gaming, also referred to as Esports, is another hothouse for fantasy flavours that warrants a much greater level of exploitation than it currently enjoys.
We are likely to see targeting of specific demographics, by focussing in on what they are most likely to respond to, based on their values. This is interesting to highlight the differences between older and younger generations. For instance, creativity is valued one and a half times more by generation Z compared to boomers(3).
