Social media moves fast, and staying ahead of the trends is key for brand marketers looking to stay relevant.
This week, we’re diving into the top social media moments and emerging conversations shaping the Creator Economy. As the year comes to a close, this week's social media trends have embodied festive flare, community connection, and reflection on the past 12 months.
Take inspiration, or simply use this as a source to keep your finger on the pulse!
Spotify Wrapped day is always highly anticipated by music lovers and dedicated podcast listeners. Spotify users across the world enjoy indulging in sharing their listening habits with their peers and passing light-hearted judgment too. This has become a huge pop-culture moment in that brands, influencers, and agencies are quick to make their own wrapped style recap of the year to become a part of the cultural conversation.
Online supermarket Ocado is a great example of this. The brand leaned into humor and injected a musical element by putting a grocery-themed spin on popular song titles. Their audience was highly engaged in the comments, finding the post relatable.
Away from the Spotify-inspired graphic content, video is a popular way to dive deeper into the wrapped trend – and dating has emerged as a popular focus. Amelia Dimoldenberg, the host of the YouTube dating series ‘Chicken Shop Date’ was quick to post her 2024 dating-wrapped video highlighting the success of her series throughout the year.
Knowing that Spotify Wrapped will drop around the same time each year, brands and creators will often start preparing their take on the trend to align with the launch.
If your brand decides to jump on the trend, it’s important to ensure the information you’re sharing is relevant to your customer. Keep it light-hearted, lean into the consumer preferences you’ve noticed throughout the year, and use it as an opportunity to emphasize your dedication to serving your dedicated followers.
Fun fact: The original Spotify Wrapped concept was developed by an intern on the team – Jewel H. This is a sign to never underestimate junior talent!
We live in a world where Gen Z and Millennials spend much of their time online, and they’ve developed confident, curated versions of themselves in the digital world. However, translating that confidence into real-life social interactions feels ever more daunting as we become more ‘chronically online’.
This cultural nuance has sparked a hilarious TikTok trend where (typically) girlfriends prank their boyfriends by claiming they've signed them up for in-person Christmas caroling. The humor lies in the boyfriends’ often flustered reactions, which resonate with a shared understanding of how intimidating these real-world social experiences can feel.
The trend is easy for TikTok users to recreate on their own partner, parent, or friend, is relatable to many, and serves as a reminder to find joy in lighthearted moments and traditions during the festive season.
Brands, if you want to show up, why not turn the Christmas caroling prank into a reality with your team…
We listen, we don't judge
This trend is another one that plays on sparking a reaction from the people you’re closest with. The general take on ‘we listen, we don’t judge’ sees a couple sitting down and taking turns to reveal an awkward or embarrassing confession that the other person doesn’t know.
Again, this is an easy social media trend for users to get involved with as it simply involves setting up a camera and letting the confessions do the talking. Social media love this one, as similar to the Spotify Wrapped share-ability, it allows us to gain a greater understanding of the behind-the-scenes of our peers or favorite creators.
The camera-flipping video trend doesn’t have an official name, but here’s how it works: It starts with text on the screen as if written by someone who has "taken over" the creator’s account, making a bold or sometimes controversial statement. At this point, the creator’s face isn’t visible. Then, in a surprising twist, the camera flips to reveal that the creator was behind the statement all along!
While this trend has traction, there is an opportunity for brands to get involved, especially during the holiday season, for example posting something along the lines of ‘We heard that [X product] is the only gift your wife needs this year! Her Christmas Day simply won’t be the same without it’.
This is exactly what cosmetic brand Vieve did…
Our client, Battersea, quickly headed to TikTok to jump on the trend and captioning the video ‘Oops, our dogs got hold of our phones’. And we agree with the pup, breaking one treat in half is not the same as having two treats.
Remember, the key to successful trend adoption lies in authenticity by choosing trends that align with your brand's values, resonate with your audience, and enhance your overall messaging.
Want to learn more about your brand can create campaigns around popular social media trends? Reach out to us at hello@digitalvoices.com.
