Foreword
This past week the festivities of Coachella commenced, the national holiday of 4/20 took place, and TikTok got yet again even more odd. Meme sound remixes continue to perform incredibly well on the platform and viral meme videos continue to take hold as their own independent trends. Whereas last week the platform was dominated heavily by filter formats, this one came down to the memes, just hammering down how we can never tell which direction TikTok will go on a weekly if not daily basis. 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 My money don’t jiggle jiggle
248.2k videos on the sound
I’m going to give readers a far warning with this trend: if you listen to this sound more than once it will be stuck in your head for the next 5-7 business days, so please be careful. It’s no wonder the audio is blowing up as it is almost addicting to listen to. This virality has all originated from a user on TikTok about a week and a half ago putting together this funny song remix which immediately hooked viewers. Since then users have put together videos with multitudes of formats where they dance to the sound or utilize it in some funny way. There’s no one specific direction to take this audio, yet utilizing it in content has been seen platform wide this week.
Examples:
Applicability:
Brands will want to have representatives or mascots replicate the popular dance that has appeared under the audio (first link).
#2 How excited are you
253.4k videos on the sound
Many trend formats have started to replicate the sentiment of a viral clip, with a situation that causes the same feeling from the creator’s life. For example with this trend it is a viral audio of a girl getting extraordinarily excited about the new My Little Pony movie, but TikTok users are using it for different scenarios of excited anticipation in their own lives.
Examples:
Applicability:
Brands will want to align the audio to the excitement about upcoming brand releases, moments or large events.
#3 I like a person
182.8k videos on the sound
The beginning of relationships is always messy but at the same time it is way too fun to talk about. With this trend users have come up with a very simple storytelling format revolving around the complications of these blossoming situationships; and there’s no telling what the ending will be. Users start each video with the premise that they like a boy or a girl, and then cut to details about their own predicament. The videos either turn wholesome with cute couples, or sarcastic with self deprecating commentary about a failed talking stage. Regardless, the videos are incredibly entertaining and is causing the trend to blow up this week.
Applicability:
Brands will want to joke about them either liking a customer in this same form of a relationship or falling in love with their own product.
#4 The one thing about me
43.3k videos on the sound
If you haven’t been able to tell already, users on TikTok are narcissists through and through, and with this trend these lovely people get to talk even more in detail about themselves. Jokes aside, users have created a format where they explain in detail the motivation behind a seemingly unique trait or liking of their’s. They go on in detail about their rationale behind the facet of their personality and the videos usually turn to be quite sarcastic as with much content on the platform.
Examples:
Applicability:
Brands will want to replicate the format joking about their affinity for their own product or service in relation to the user.
#5 Top 5
23.6k videos on the sound
Along the same lines as trend #2, this trend has come from a viral audio where Lil Wayne is breaking down Nardwar’s top 5 rappers. Users have instead applied it to much more menial debates within their own lives or those around them. For example many have jokingly had their kid or dog rate favorite family members, but the possibilities range even wider.
Examples:
Applicability:
Brands can rank different lines of the product under the company
Additionally can rank the bosses’ favorite workers within a certain workspace.
#6 Turn off
13.1k videos on the sound
The metaphor of being “turned off” is as old as the day is young, yet TikTok users have found a funny way to depict it more literally, alongside their own metaphorical situations using it. Creators are presenting actions or lines that either turn them off, or things about themselves that have turned others off. While doing this, they’ll jokingly whisper the line to a running sink only to have the sink actually turn off.
Examples:
Applicability:
Brands will want to represent aspects of their competitors that are “turn offs” for customers.
Trends from last week that keep climbing
#7 Rotoscope
216.2k videos on the filter
With the emergence of trends becoming more and more filter focused, this filter called rotoscope has taken over as one. The filter is exactly as it is named, a rotoscope, or digital simplified outline of users. This one is made even more fun by the faces and sunglasses as options. Users have paired it with this audio, which is a popular EDM remix. In Gen Z terms, the track is very vibey and makes you want get loose, maybe even show off a few cool dance moves. As such users have added the two together and created a new format where they present a situation or time during their lives when they feel on top of the world, or just generally very vibey. An absurd amount of TikTokers are jumping on this trend and it’s one we don’t see slowing down anytime soon.
Examples:
Applicability:
Brands can use this to represent feelings of euphoria related to or caused from brand experiences, or to simply represent the actual brand experience.
#8 The studs go here
50.2k videos on the sound
This trend is very simple but very funny with it’s application. At the start of the video users are positioning the statement, “The two studs go here” while they point their camera at a wall, and then when the beat drops, it cuts to the user and often a friend standing right in front of the wall. This obviously asserts that the users in front of the wall are in fact, “studs” and while the format is very simple, it’s generated some very funny videos to watch.
Examples:
Applicability:
Brands will want to simply have brand reps replicate the same format.
#9 Wavy arms
120.2k videos on the filter
Rotoscope was obviously huge this week, but another filter came onto the scene to compete, and we gotta say, it’s a close battle. This filter incorporates a users face, tracked to one of those massive inflatable tube men which is dancing side to side while mariachi music plays in the background. The effect creates a sense of hilarity and insincerity in a good way. Users have taken this and created a format where they pose a boring, monotonous situation without the filter, with it changing to the filter and the converse of the situation on the beat. Essentially the tube man signifies a level of careless fun or general stupidity in comparison to the originally posed situation.
Examples:
Applicability:
Brands can utilize this trend by positioning their own funny carelessness. For example one could pose the CEO working hard and filling out paperwork in contrast with themselves (a brand manager) simply watching and making TikToks all day.
Bonus
This week TikTok released a format for simply showcasing your product on TikTok, and we wanted to share that with you all for basic brand promotion of a product. This is what brands have seen to do well as far as baseline product showcasing goes and while it’s not the most engaging brand content, this is the formula for initially putting your product out there.
Frame 1:
Select a hook for the beginning of the video (2-3 seconds)
“Here’s exactly how to (include result your product or service solves)”
“You need this (Include your product/service) in your life”
“Three reasons why I use (your product or service")”
Frame 2-3:
Share the top 3 reasons why your product or service is unique (5-8 seconds)
Pro tip: show your product or service being used to have visual context
Frame 4:
End with a strong call to action driving to your profile or bio link (2-3 seconds)