If Everyone Else Was Jacking A Trend, Would You?
It gets me every time. I’m scrolling, minding my business, when my heart jumps the second I see a notes-app screenshot from a brand. Except lately (albeit, I wrote this when the trend was actually trending), these aren’t confessions or apologies, but ads. They’re selling us stuff. Ew.
Then there’s the posts that are “mistakes” made by “interns,” the posts where the brand calls me their “bestie,” the posts where I am led to believe that I am seeing something internal, something I shouldn’t as an external public. Aimed at my attention to stop the scroll and sell us stuff. Ew.
I’m not hating the game. Finding creative ways to pitch products is literally my job. But there is something so painfully inauthentic, so ick, about brands jumping on trends just to do it. There’s a difference between brands having a conversation with their audience and brands jumping into a conversation for clout.
To get more perspective, I turned to internet big sis and Sorella Creative founder, Sophie Hunter. Another huge fangirl moment. Her posts and annual social calendars are fabulous and if you’re not following her, wyd??
What are your top-level thoughts on brands/companies jumping in on social trends?
“At their best, brands jumping on trends can feel like they’re part of the internet with us (not just talking at us). It shows cultural awareness, agility, and a genuine understanding of how communities behave online. Buuuut at their worst, it can feel rushed, forced, or like a brand trying on an identity that isn’t theirs. Trends move fast, and not every brand needs to chase every moment. Sometimes the smartest move is sitting it out.”
Social gives brands instant access to engaged audiences. We all know that. We also know “just because you can doesn’t mean you should,” and yes, the classic “would you jump off a bridge just because all your friends are doing it?”
Brand FOMO is real. If they’re not on socials and not “engaging,” they lose, right? But I get the ick when I see a clothing store acting like a college student leaked a mediocre sale in the middle of holiday season. Strip away the trendiness and the “everyone else is doing it” FOMO: it’s ineffective promo. I’ll stop scrolling, sure, but I won’t convert. At best, it’s an inauthentic miss. At worst, it looks scammy. Or late. Or cringe.
We’re all talking directly to our publics. But would you talk to them in the same tone everyone else uses just because everyone else is using it? Sometimes skipping a trend is protecting the relationship.
So I’m taking it back to those school assemblies on cyber safety they made us sit through in the mid-2000s/early-2010s: THINK before you post.
What are some questions brand SMMs should ask themselves before hopping on a trend?
“I always come back to three things:
- Does this make sense/is it relevant for our brand voice and audience?
- Would we still post something like this if the trend wasn’t “performing” right now?
- Are we actually adding anything to the conversation or just echoing what others are doing/saying?
- …Oh and bonus question if you pass the above… can we actually get this turned around quick enough for it to be timely (e.g. content creation, resource, legal sign off etc).”
Not every brand has to be our best friend. I’m perfectly fine with a paper towel brand not calling me “bestie.” Sophie’s point stands: if you’re not adding to the conversation, does it even make sense to post? When brands are bandwagoning and pushing out the same slop, even if it’s engineered to catch the attention of my lizard brain, it’s inauthentic.
Timing also matters. I think often about the meetings, Slack threads, approvals, edits, and sign-offs it takes to get a single post out the door. Momentum can build, stall, or die entirely. There’s no point in jumping off that bridge a full week after your friends did, especially if you hate swimming.
So, let’s get to the bottom of this:
Why do you think brands jumping in on trends sometimes feels inauthentic or cringey?
“Because audiences are way better at spotting when something isn’t genuine than we usually give them credit for. When a brand that’s never been playful suddenly tries Gen-Z humour, or when a serious brand jumps on a meme without context, it can feel kinda jarring. Inauthentic trend-jacking often happens when performance is prioritised over personality. The brands that pull it off best aren’t chasing relevance. They already know who they are.”
Yep. Enough said. Proactive PR matters, but not if it doesn’t fit the client. If you know your brand, you know when to sit out the bridge-jumping.
But honestly, could you look your boss in the eye (or the inbox) and say you’re skipping a trend because it’s cringe? I could, but LVPR has a main pillar of authenticity.
What do you think? What trend do brands butcher the most? Have you ever jumped on a social wave and instantly regretted it? Spill.
Chat soon,
Sarah