Foreword
WWIII has started over whether there are more doors or wheels in the world, users continue to incorporate heavy sarcasm and self deprecation in the majority of their content, and drama is being stirred more than ever with the trends. This past week on TikTok users are beginning to be more interactive between videos alongside all of the new trend formats but as we move into next week there is no telling how this might adapt. Join us as we explore through the trends and popular culture that surround the app every week, and how you can utilize it to best engage with your audience.
The Trends
#1 Wheels vs doors
Un-trackable but everywhere on TikTok this week
Questions like the chicken or the egg have been debated since the dawn of time but in the recent TikTok era, users have shifted to a new quandary. Creators and viewers are wondering across the platform, whether or not there are more doors or wheels in the world. It’s an interesting question because immediately one thinks about all the cities and skyscrapers that have doors but then they remember that those buildings have rolling office chairs and hot wheels produced 4 billion toy cars in the last few years. There really is no telling what the right answer is but users on the platform have found every way to argue about it nonetheless and the content we are getting from it has never been better.
Examples:
Applicability:
Brands will want to buy into the debate on one side or another, and if the brand can somehow incorporate the doors or wheels used in their workplace that’s even better.
#2 Hidden person
1.0m videos on the sound
This new trend has been a fun way for creators to reveal peers in their videos. Users will present a situation which either should or shouldn’t involve another person, and as the beat shifts, they slowly reveal the friend or peer that was or wasn’t supposed to be there. Essentially there are devious undertones to the reveal as most of the time the person that is revealed causes drama to some extent. Whether they weren’t invited or they’re the wingman that’s going to help the main make plays, you never know until you check out some of the videos down below.
Examples:
Applicability:
Brands will want to reveal brand reps, mascots, managers, or other applicable people depending on the scenario.
For example one brand could joke from an employee perspective, when a customer asks to get the manager and the employee would use the sound to reveal the manager in the same format.
#3 Knife in chest
328.4k videos on the sound
I often have to figure out how to describe certain trends without the slang that surrounds the topics, however for this one we are going to lean into its underlying theme of being “down bad.” Essentially users are showing times in their life when they have been wronged or hurt by another person; whether sarcastically or not. From their users will depict themselves shoving a fake knife into their chest and taking it out, in alignment with the sound. The effect of being stabbed is the effect of being hurt in the worst way and TikTok creators are revealing their tough moments. Et tu Brute, Et tu TikTok.
Examples:
Applicability:
Brands will want to use this format to joke about brand moments when they were either wronged by another brand, or another brand was able to steal some of their business/market share.
#4 What I think vs
372.8k videos on the sound
TikTok introduced a scribble feature a while ago which allows users to draw with their finger while recording and although the feature has infinite use cases, a popular trend has emerged from it. Users, mostly female, are drawing their personal depictions of their bodies and then having another person or significant other draw what they think the user actually looks like. The trend exemplifies how many people diminish themselves compared to how others view them and the format makes puts a fun spin on this with the hilarity of many guys drawing their girls with enlarged attributes to say the least.
Examples:
Applicability:
Brands will want to find brand items or mascots to draw using the filter, the hilarity of a brand rep or product being used instead will provide users the comedic value.
#5 Hard or Hollow
85.2k videos on the sound
A sound depicting a hollow and hard metal surface being hit has recently started to blow up and users have been loving it. The audio signifies that whatever object being hit is either hollow or hard, meaning it is lack luster in the world of the user. Creators have taken this and brought about funny times in their lives when they are unbelievably stupid, forgetting about something important or simply missing attributes.
Examples:
Applicability:
Brands can utilize this sound to signify poor workplace decisions or general times when the brand did not think something through
Additionally brands can utilize this to joke about competitors making stupid decisions.
#6 I’m having a bad bad day
24.7k videos on the sound
From the movie Despicable Me, users have taken the song called Despicable Me and utilized the line “I’m having a bad bad day” to represent some sarcastic and funny scenarios in their life. Often users will reference times when they set themselves up intentionally to complete a task, yet they still don’t want to do it. The majority of the trend is very sarcastic, simply joking about how we complain about very mundane things that we can control.
Examples:
Applicability:
Brands will want to joke about poor brand moments or workplace issues. McDonalds could joke about the ice cream machine being broken, any brand could joke about getting cancelled (even if they weren’t) or any other issue related to the company.
#7 We done found the hoes
10.9k videos on the sound
This trend is small, but we’ve been tracking it since earlier this week when it was at 100 videos simply because it was funny and as it turns out it’s now on a path to blowing up. The sound is a hilarious song with the extraordinarily eloquent line “We done found the hoes” which users have applied to stereotypes which jokingly align with what people consider to be hoes. The proof is in the pudding with this one so check out the examples we have below.
Examples:
Applicability:
Some brands may not want to buy into the poor language used in the sound, yet if they do it will be rewarded by TikTok viewership for integrating with the culture here.
A brand can depict when a certain customer base comes in that they love or which buys from them prolifically as the “hoes” in the trend.
Trends from last week that keep climbing
#8 Wheel of misfortune
103.9k videos on the sound
TikTok users have always been self deprecating, but this trend has originated out of dealing with trauma using humor. One TikTok user started the trend and others found it so funny that they decided to replicate it with their own stories. Humor at the highest level pushes the limits of what is right to joke about and it seems that TikTok users are pioneering it to new heights with trends like these.
Examples:
Applicability:
Brands can joke about poor brand moments that happened in the past. It has to come from a place of pure self deprecation for it to work so many businesses won’t be wanting to utilize this one.
#9 Hey isn’t this easy
197.3k videos on the sound
Users are joking about annoying things that others done either to wrong them or simply be irritating. The creator will phrase how easy it is to not do whichever action someone has done to wrong them. A lot of the time these are vulnerable topics using self deprecation like seen in the first trend that creators often utilize on the platform because it feels real.
Examples:
Applicability:
For this trend brands can utilize it to roast competitors in a joking manner, for example an ice cream place could advertise against McDonalds for always having their ice cream machines broken.
#10 Curtis gtfo
26.3k videos on the sound
In this trend users are reflecting on times when they are talking to someone they are interested in or is important to talk to, when one of their friends or relatives walk in who causes a large distraction. Some videos have been about girls talking to guys when their attractive moms walk in, others have been about friends walking in during another persons exam. There’s a million funny (not literally) scenarios that users are thinking of for this trend so we suggest you check out the examples below.
Examples:
Applicability:
Brands can use this for annoying things that they don’t want going into their establishments, definitely don’t delineate groups of people unless related to competitors. For example Popeyes could say they never want Chick Fil A moving in next door.
Bonus
TikTok is a place where truly any person can go viral and gain a following doing what they love. This week a guy by the name of Luva has blown up for his soccer trick shots and crazy moves. Luva is a very skilled soccer player but with soccer content already saturated on the platform what made him go viral is that he is from a third world country and does his videos in a pretty beat up grass field. It looks as though he does not have much but regardless he puts in the work on his game and people are inspired by his work ethic despite his current situation. His videos have been receiving tens of millions of views over the past few weeks and because of it TikTok may be about to change this guy’s life. Just another great story of the power this platform has to show off talent and do good for the world.