This week many things have happened on TikTok and we’re here to keep you updated. Boyfriends are being tested to the max, 21 Savage and Drake are on an absolute tear, and honestly nevermind, it’s his loss. As a brand these ongoings may seem odd, if not completely incomprehensible, so join us as we explore how brands can integrate, and gain a grasp about the culture, content, and trends going on in the world of TikTok this week!
Case Study
A few months ago TikTok released a feature which allowed Users to input photos into a slideshow which would automatically swipe to the beat of music. It is a very cool feature because viewers are able to swipe freely through the photo series but if they let it automatically play, it feels more like a video. Recently creators have started to utilize the feature in a new dynamic way; using it to tell stories. These narratives are extremely succinct and use short lines to explain the impotence behind each photo. You can check some examples here and here. It’s a great new method to bring to live a series of photos on TikTok and we think users are going to get even more creative with how they utilize the feature overtime.
Audio Based Trends
Most trends are based around sounds. What we mean specifically by audio based trends are trends that pertain to specific lyrics or wording within sound. This is when the action or meaning behind the trend is correlated with the lines spoken. These are usually the most prolific of trends on TikTok so let’s dive in.
21 can you do something for me
22.5k videos on the sound
This past week rappers Drake and 21 Savage dropped a collaboration album which has instantly taken over the internet. People have been talking for a while now about how Drake has missed with his last two albums but these voices were made quiet over the weekend. The combination of Drake and 21 seems to have created something special and fans are raving about it. On TikTok, users have made a snippet viral from the first song on the album where Drake is calling at 21, telling him, “21 can you do something for me.” The line is said in an extremely funny way as if Drake was flirting with 21, so users have taken to the Tok to dramatize the situation. Creators will dress up in costumes acting as Drake and 21 showing exaggerated body language and interactions between the pairing. It’s a very comical parody that users are loving on the platform.
Brand application: Brands will want to have brand mascots or representatives replicate the scene but additionally provide a premise that relates to their business. For example because the interaction seems flirtatious in a funny way, so brands could joke about their customers interacting with them in the same way since they are so loyal.
Examples:
I’m not meteorologist
12.6k videos on the sound
In the show family guy, there’s an extremely funny line from the character Cleveland that has gone viral this week. The line goes, “Uhhhh I’m no meteorologist but I’m pretty sure it’s raining b*tches.” Users on TikTok have taken this line and used it to sarcastically show themselves have little to no game. Whether it be a screenshot of 20 opened snapchats with no response or getting shut down on tinder, there’s a multitude of ways to show that you aren’t pulling and TikTok users are finding all of them.
Brand application: Brands will likely want to stick away from this one due to the language but if they are willing to deal with that they would want to use imagery of an empty office space or store, showing no employees or customers.
Examples:
Psycho
71.0k videos on the sound
We all have those extremes which we would never go to… unless of course it is warranted by the right circumstances. Whether it is to protect another person close to you or get something that you otherwise wouldn’t be able to achieve, we all have a line we would cross for a good reason. The audio for this trend reads, let me show you how much of a psycho, crazy [person] I can be, and as such users are applying it to circumstances in their life when they would be psycho for good reason.
Brand application: Brands will likely want to stick away from this one due to the language but if they are willing to deal with that they would want to apply this to workplace circumstances when they would go beyond their usual rules to help someone out or protect their kin.
Examples:
You almost got my name
38.5k videos on the sound
With this trend users are telling stories of their experience being recognized in relation to another person. We’ve all been told, hey your X person’s friend or sibling, and it’s an experience that makes it feel as if X person is much more important than yourself. For whatever reason that may be, people are explaining it via text in this trend, and are having a fun time being self deprecating regarding how they are known by others.
Brand application: Brands will want to replicate the sentiment that they are known in relation to another or for a reason in which the beholder doesn’t know their name. For example, a brand like Clif Bar could joke that they are the company that makes bars for hikers, where the subject in the video would not know their actual name.
Examples:
Interactive Trends
This should be somewhat self explanatory but interactive trends are trends that involve users interacting with others to create videos. Often the hilarity or interest generated by working with loved ones or peers creates incredible laughs or simply fun times. Most importantly though, authenticity shows through with interactive trends as most often they are truly authentic.
Boyfriend test
121.4k videos on the sound
If being a good boyfriend wasn’t hard enough, girls on TikTok have taken to testing their boyfriend with this trend. Girls will ask their significant other to film a TikTok with them, but they don’t provide context or instruction of what to do. During the TikTok, the song that plays in the background goes, “tell me that you love me” and the boyfriend is in theory supposed to tell their girlfriend that they love them. With guys being clueless as always are, the pass rate of the test has not been high, but regardless it’s a cute trend that many couples are trying out right now.
Brand application: Brands will want to replicate this between customers and their staff. The interaction will be an incredibly funny and interesting social experiment to see how the customer reacts.
Examples:
Simple Format Trends
This section is a little bit of a catch all for trends that are somewhat nonspecific. They happen on a weekly basis, but with these one generally finds that the trend has a simple audio behind it and creators will utilize a text format on screen to showcase a message. Often these trends tend to be based upon a relatability factor where users will talk about an experience from their own life with extremely relatable undertones that other users can get a good self deprecating laugh at.
I used to be a certified lover girl
314.9k videos on the sound
Keeping in theme with Drake’s new album, many people put together that the titles of albums he has dropped over the last year actually are a secret message. If you put them together, they read, I used to be a “Certified Lover Boy”, but “Honestly Nevermind”, “Her Loss.” Since then, users have turned the whole line into a trend where using a photo series they will show off a photo of them with their ex, and then they will cut to photos of them looking attractive since breaking up with them.
Brand application: Brands will want to replicate this trend if they went through a brand transformation or a breakup with a branch / figure of the brand at one point. For example Papa Johns could replicate this with an initial photo of Papa John, but then cut to photos of delicious pizza and happy people eating it.
Examples:
Time Capsule - Prior Week Trends Still Growing
Going through changes
59.1k videos on the sound
The popular Netflix show, Big Mouth, has become more and more notorious since it’s inception and this week with the release of the show’s new season, part of it’s opening theme song has become a popular trend on the platform. The song opens with the line, “I’m going through changes” referring to the kids in the show going through puberty, yet TikTok users have applied this to their own stories about growing up. Users will utilize text to describe a stark contrast between the kid they once were, and the adult they are today. This contrast often includes more mature topics on the adult side, but it can be utilized in a clean sense as well.
Brand application: Brands will want to use this to showcase differences in the business from when it was in its infancy to where it is at today.
Examples:
Putting on my best show
140.6k videos on the sound
We all have those situations where we have to act a little to get through it in a socially correct manner. Many would call it putting on a show, and that’s exactly what this trend it centered around. Users will display times in their life when they have put on the performance of a lifetime to keep things cordial. These videos are very filled with drama and due to this, alongside the ease of creation, this trend is taking off.
Brand application: Brands will want to joke about times in the workplace when they have to be cordial to customers or even coworkers when it is not the true feelings in play.
Examples: