What do Michael Cera, giant tubes of Maybelline mascara, and the U.S. Open have in common? It’s not the setup to a Saturday Night Live punchline – they’re all connected by the use of trends in the digital marketing space. Trends refer to popular subjects, ideas, or posts/videos that live short life cycles online – and they’re actually really great tools to employ for those looking to get their accounts noticed.
What are social trends in business?
When the shift to social networks began, marketing teams had to reposition themselves to form deeper connections with online communities present in the digital landscape. This meant understanding the language spoken on social media networks, and the style of video content best consumed by their target audiences on each respective platform.
What makes social trends interesting is not the regurgitation of concepts seen somewhere else, but rather the unique take of the content creators behind them in relation to their industry or niche. When used correctly, social media trends showcase the voice of a business in often humorous, nostalgic, or sentimental ways.
Which social media platform is most popular for business?
So, you’ve determined that your brand should go digital. The next question is where, and what kind of content creation to expect. The social media landscape can be tricky to navigate because each platform caters to different audiences (and by extension, audience expectations).
Brands tend to go wrong when they pour their energy into platforms that don’t help them showcase their personalities or products and/or services in the best way possible, which can rub potential customers the wrong way and alienate them before they get a chance to try your brand out.
There are a multitude of social media channels to choose from, so here’s an overview of the top 4 platforms best for brand use to help you choose where your brand will live (and thrive) digitally.
TikTok
When you think of trends, it’s likely you thought of this platform. TikTok seemingly introduces a fresh half-dozen trends on users’ For You Pages every day, but it’s not as random of an occurrence as it may seem. When important events occur or are en route (looking at you, Reputation T.V.), trends are inspired within seconds. A
nd it makes sense – as of 2024, 60% of TikTok’s users are members of Gen Z. According to a study conducted by Microsoft, the attention spans of this age range are at a mere 8 seconds, making TikTok’s natively short-form video content easy to consume. Gen Z also values authentic content and unorthodox humor, which puts interesting twists on trends within this social platform and allows brands to not take themselves too seriously.
TikTok has recently grown more popular as a go-to search engine for younger generations while also working on positioning itself as the social commerce hub through TikTok Shop.
YouTube
When Google fails, the answer is almost always “YouTube it.” From assembling Ikea furniture to figuring out what that weird blinking light on your car is (and how to stop it), YouTube is a platform that perfectly merges entertainment with educational content. Because it is recognized as such, brands should take a unique approach to their posts there.
Audiences on YouTube are in search of experts in long-form video format, so it’s imperative that brands take on a role of authority and establish their voice as the leader of their respective industries there. In fact, YouTube Shorts are having a moment of popularity — and a great starting point in addition to the landscape-mode long-form content YouTube is known for.
There’s a reason you see more “elevated” brands on Instagram – because Instagram is not interested in chaotic humor and authenticity on the level TikTok is. Of course, there’s room to land a joke or show the behind-the-scenes of your brand, but Instagram appreciates high-level editing, polished shots, and perfection over the blooper reels.
If you ask us, Instagram almost feels like a redirection from existing social media platforms – it’s harder to garner new followings on this platform, but much easier if people are prompted to do so from your other platforms (TikTok, YouTube, X, etc.). If you’re looking for a place for your content to live on, Instagram is your friend.
Don’t feel limited to repurposing blog posts in static post format – your social media marketing strategy here can be a healthy mix of short-form content via Instagram Reels, photos, and Instagram Stories, giving you a variety of ways to customize user experiences.
X (Twitter)
Similarly to TikTok, X is an incredibly reactive space. Whenever there are current events to react or relate to, you can be sure X is buzzing with responses. This makes it a great outlet for brands to take advantage of trends and really display their personalities while doing so.
Typing out a quick thought is also far less time-consuming than crafting a script, filming a video, and putting it through several rounds of edits, which can be appealing to brands – and to consumers, who don’t always want to put the effort into creating a video reply and would much rather hit retweet or comment.
What are the social media trends in 2024?
Want to give your target customers the most engaging experience possible? Here are a few social
trend examples and why they work, along with an explanation of each main point:
1. Mascots
These are personifications of brand logos in life-sized suits. Brands with mascots have the unique advantage of using their mascot to participate in trends instead of getting involved themselves. Because the nature of mascots is relatively silly (think of any sporting event you’ve seen recently), brands that use them generally have a lighter, more fun approach to social media trends.
- Vikings – even Taylor Swift isn’t impervious to mascot shenanigans! The Vikings team created a staged stunt in response to social media users (and Swifties) making jokes about Blondie being rolled into her gigs disguised as equipment boxes.
- Duolingo, Scrub Daddy, and the Teletubbies – perhaps the collaboration of the century, these much-beloved social media stars held a convention (or rather, an intervention) for mascots, making light of how present they are in the social media strategy of a brand.
2. Duets/Stitches
One of the highlights of social media networks is that brands can build social media communities through co-creation. These consist of those already loyal to your brand or looking to try it, and they’re willing to do the work for you via user-generated content or by mentioning your brand in their social media posts.
While not a “new” trend, using stitches or duets is a great marketing tool that has stood the test of time. They allow your brand to react or add on to whatever people are saying about you while also creating dialogue with an audience. People enjoy being included in conversations, not getting talked at – so it’s important to show your brand is open to chatting with its viewers!
- Whole Foods – a cult favorite Whole Foods treat is their Chantilly cake, and when a certain reality show slandered the dessert, fans of the cake were understandably upset. So much so, it caught Whole Foods’ attention, and elicited a response (from the Chantilly cake itself)!
- Revlon – when a wife found a lip liner from Revlon that didn’t belong to her, she made the story public and garnered attention. Of course, it reached Revlon, who posted a humorous stitch reply claiming the lip liner (and requesting their ski pants back).
3. Influencer/Celebrity Marketing
Of all the marketing strategies for social media trends, influencer marketing might be the hardest to nail because of creator/brand fit. If the celebrity or influencer is clearly the wrong voice to speak on behalf of or in tandem with a brand, it shows.
It doesn’t matter if you choose to work with micro-influencers or names like Jennifer Coolidge (we’re still upset about there being no “Dirty Pillows” restock in sight) – curating the right people that align perfectly with your brand is the secret to collaborative success with your content strategy.
- Michael Cera(Ve) – through the use of another popular TikTok influencer (@haleyybaylee) rumors recently spread that Michael Cera might be the founder of the beloved skincare brand, CeraVe, because of name similarity. Well, that and he was caught signing bottles of product in a drugstore and sending out PR boxes with his face on them to other influencers. When the Super Bowl aired the CeraVe ad, it came to the night that Cera was not, in fact, the founder – but part of an elaborate marketing campaign that 100% succeeded!
- E.L.F. Judge Beauty – this is how you pick a star-studded cast of celebs. Because Gen Z is a primary target audience of E.L.F., they had to choose names recognizable to that demographic, as well as personalities they’d find interesting. Whether it’s relating to social media influencers like Benito Skinner’s antics as the court intern, showcasing pop star Meghan Trainor, or choosing the real Judge Judy to parody herself as Judge Beauty, this campaign caters to everyone’s interests while staying relevant and fast-paced.
4. Unhinged Marketing
Gen Z are the most active users on social media, so it comes as no surprise that their humor inevitably bleeds into trends. And that humor is… unique. Because each day’s trending short-form video content is different, it allows for brands to tap into a never-ending cycle of inspiration. Smart “unhinged” brands prioritize entertainment over selling to create hyper-personalized content for their audiences, and a smart social media team will put their own spin on the latest trend.
That’s not to say that every brand can get away with creating social media content in this format. However, you might be familiar with the “silence, brand” phenomenon, where companies hop on the wrong platforms and participate in trends that align poorly with their messages – so choose trends at your own risk when planning your social strategy.
- Drumstick – would you believe us if we told you most TikTok users associate Drumstick ice cream with a werewolf? And with cats. And zebras. The list goes on, but you get the gist. Drumstick tapped into a very niche part of TikTok to provide a personalized experience for its viewers that purposefully elicits mixed responses and encourages them to engage with their posts. This makes their audience want to share content put out by their team, pushing the reach for their social media videos further out.
- US Open – though similar in tone to Drumstick, the US Open is put in a unique position to promote athletes and events instead of producing social media ads for tangible products. By combing through trends featured in creators’ personal content, they’re able to spin the trends into part of their digital marketing strategy by merging their brand with things their audience finds funny.
5. CGI
A recent trend that’s growing in popularity is the use of CGI in ads. Social media trends are ephemeral by nature, The role of social media marketers includes creating content to inspire and/or shock, which is exactly what these CGI ads do.
- Maybelline – this use of CGI was incredibly clever because it had just the right amount of realism mixed in with it. This marketing stunt actually seems like a plausible thing to have done in real life, but is just whimsical enough to make you question its reality. This isn’t the only example of giant products we’ve seen either (check out the L’Oreal Car and other examples here), and we see no sign of this trend coming to a halt anytime soon!
- Spider-Man 2 – to promote the upcoming Spider-Man 2, a bus was seemingly saved by Paris’ friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. Except there was no bus, and certainly nothing in need of saving. The rendered event looked so real it caused speculation over its authenticity and was lauded as a masterclass in marketing.
6. The Latest and Greatest (Trends)
Pop culture, viral songs, and silly pieces of audio are all integral parts of the social media trend cycle. In fact, most of the examples you see here cannot exist and succeed without abiding by them.
These trends include everything from the Mean Girls musical remake to everyone’s favorite “we’re (abc), of course we (xyz)” and even the jazz standard “Somethin Stupid.” When applicable in a way that speaks authentically to a brand, social media managers can spin them into something unique to the company.
- Urban Tandoor – when Emerald Fennell’s vision for Saltburn was released, it inspired a wave of social media trends, including the (re) popularization of Sophie Ellis-Baxtor’s “Murder on the Dancefloor.” TikTok-famous restaurant Urban Tandoor gained popularity for creating witty parodies to pop culture moments using nothing but staff members and a few costume pieces – and Saltburn gave them the perfect opportunity to continue their work, catering to both the Saltburn curious and the diehard Barry Keoghan fans.
- North Italia – in case social media hasn’t told you, we will: the North Sea is terrifying. But the memes that have come out of the recent online fascination with it are anything but. Most mock the seriousness of the nightmare-inducing life at sea (and creatures found there). With a single nautical-inspired drink, North Italia was able to hop on the trend and make light of it too!
7. Face of the Company
Mascots aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, and therefore aren’t applicable in every situation. For instance, some brands may not have a silly little logo to create a character with (or in some brands’ cases, a physical product to mascot-ize).
That means leaning on what already exists – actual employees of the company. Using real people as the face of the brand on social media can help drive some of the human nuances home that are sometimes lost with mascot suits and really ensure a unique perspective from each individual.
- Kev Kennedy – of all the law figures in the world, Kev Kennedy might be the most instantly recognizable (second of course to Duolingo’s Legal Steve). Kev’s wardrobe attracts attention instantly – with brightly colored suits and his signature ring collection, it’s really hard to mistake him for anyone else. Kev’s character is synonymous with the image the firm wants to convey – a company that can take a joke, but also take care of you.
- Empire State Building – you’d think in a city occupied by millions, it would be hard to pick out individuals. That’s not the case with one of NYC’s most famous historical buildings. A team of 3 Gen Zers act as both social media marketers and tour guides, becoming so recognizable that when one is off-camera for the day, the comments flood with concern for their whereabouts!
8. Short Form
Though this video format can be seen on most social media platforms, it’s probably the most important – mainly because each of the above trend examples tie into it. TikTok became the blueprint for many platforms (such as Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts), which included its signature short-form content.
Attention spans are shorter than ever – previously lasting from minutes to seconds. As younger demographics come of age and join social media platforms in droves, the key to brand success on these platforms will be to infuse the above examples with videos no longer than a minute.
Putting it together
In 2024, social marketing is a crucial element for brands to firmly understand and implement. One of the hardest parts of marketing is ideation, and trends help take some of the guesswork out of putting together a standout idea. The ability to truly understand what trends you can lean into as a brand comes from social listening and keeping your ear to the ground, close to your community in order to join the conversation in a meaningful way.
Not only that, but the virality of these trends helps encourage whatever algorithm you’re working with to push out your content, ensuring more eyes on your products and/or services. Whether you don a mascot suit and dance to Taylor Swift’s latest hit or pour countless hours into a clever CGI ad that makes people’s heads spin is up to you.
Looking for someone to wear the silly mask or fine-tune that trend for your brand? We’re at your service! Contact us today to jumpstart your brand’s social media journey, and check us out on our socials to get a taste of where your brand can go!
