The Don’t Be Boring Guide To Trends
Here’s the strange thing about trends; by doing them you’re becoming part of the crowd. You’re doing the same thing as everyone else. Yet doing a trend well can help you to stand out by showing that you understand the assignment so well you’re able to twist the rules to show off your fresh thinking.
Back in the day calling yourself trendy was the equivalent of saying today that you are authentic. To be trendy was to be part of the crowd rather than standing out and sometimes this feels like a safe place to be. You’re in the eye of the storm and part of something (whatever that may be). Still, let’s not forget that safe can also mean dull and this is one of the really interesting things about engaging with trends, and indeed where you position yourself as a brand.
What makes you stand out?
Of course, you want to emphasise the things that make you stand out. The aspects of your offer that make you different and are why customers choose you over all the other businesses doing what you do. On the other hand, you want to show that you are current, aware of what is happening in your field and beyond – even if you’ve chosen not to be part of it because the things about trends is they look fun but they induce fear. They make us worry that if we’re not part of the cool club doing the latest thing then we look old and out of date.
,Look at social media, a medium that depends upon trends to keep itself fresh and interesting. Whatever people are talking about, some brands are great at responding quickly. Take the Supermarket Lidl. When Moschino’s Celery bag hit the news they produced this amusing footage.
@aldiuk Your move @Moschino, but we do have a whole veg aisle #MoschinoCeleryBag #AldiTikTok #AldiUK #CeleryBag #SedanoBag ♬ original sound - cami ౨ৎ
Now admittedly creating your own version (rip off? homage? you decide) of clothing and accessory trends is an entire genre on social media (see Angelica Hicks for example) but you’ve got to do it right.
Looking in the other direction, you’ve got brands who like to give the impression that they’ve above trends. That such things don’t matter to them, their world-weary online persona has seen it all before and they might just be making it up as they go along. Wendy’s is a key player in this and this tone of voice and content (particularly in replies) has become a trend in itself.
Right now you’re probably either patting yourself on the back for your masterful use of trends or worrying that you’re not doing enough to engage with them. I can hear the panic from here (does LinkedIn have trends I’m missing? Should I have done that demure/mindful thing?).
You’re not immune to trends. You don’t have to be a cool, edgy marketer to get involved with them and you can choose how you participate. Also let me reassure you that many trends at their core are quite conservative. There about people using the same music for their video or saying a particular phrase (remember when it was all about Gen Z writing your marketing script).
You’re trendier than you think
Even content that you don’t think of as a trend is. Think about what you plan to post in January. There’s an excellent chance it will either involve changing things in order to be a new you and have a great year or not changing anything in order to do the same.
Ask yourself why you’re doing that? Do you have something new to say? Is it a topic that you think your audience will all genuinely be interested in? Are you saying something that hasn’t already been said and giving them real value? Or are you doing it because you think you’ll look out of touch if you don’t?
Let’s get back to the celery
Why does it matter for a budget supermarket to jump on a trend related to a high-end fashion brand? Let’s take a moment to consider the agency Rise At Seven has really got this nailed. They understand the link between the media we consume and what we purchase, even when the link doesn’t appear immediately obvious. They understand we’re in a world where people are just as likely to search on TikTok as they are on Google and that all the media we consume (news stories, TV shows and so on) influences what we search for.
Do you want to jump on a social media trend?
Whether you’re feeling inspired or uncertain at this point, here are the questions to ask yourself before you join in with a trend:
Can you respond quickly?
If it’s going to take you a couple of weeks to create the content, then you might want to think twice. Turning up once a trend has passed can be worse than not showing up at all.
If your idea is too good to drop, then can you find a quicker, easier way to make it happen? Sometimes sharing another post with a meaningful comment is more than enough to acknowledge you’re aware of what’s going on.
Is it relevant?
I’m applying the same thinking here as to awareness weeks, days and months. The question is not so much ‘is it relevant?’ but ‘is there a way to make it relevant?’. Recent years have seen collaborations between the most unexpected brands resulting in some amazing mash-ups; consider E.l.f x Liquid Death, Crocs x KFC and AirBnB x Lego.
For me, that shows that you can’t make assumptions about what is relevant to your brand, no matter how big or small you are. However, there is a world of difference between making bold, creative links and shoehorning a concept into a shape that doesn’t work.
Surprise yourself and keep an open mind but don’t mistake awareness dates as an excuse for a content calendar.
What’s in it for you?
What do you want to get out of being part of a trend? Something that will make people laugh? Creative satisfaction? Or are you hoping that hopping on a trend will be a quick fix for drawing attention to your business?
This is why you need to be clear on your brand DNA. Know what your platform is, who you are and what you stand for, and that should make it easier to decide which trends are for you.
Choose wisely. The internet has a long memory.