Foreword
Big things are happening on this week with users not showing their next move, calculating their wrongdoings, and bringing wholesome trends back to the platform. This past seven days on TikTok users are beginning to be more interactive with the new trend formats focused on engaging, 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 Don’t let ‘em know your next move
86.2k videos on the sound
The world is a dangerous place, so why would TikTok users let others know where they are going next? This is the question that has driven users to contemplate how they can throw others off the scent of what they are trying to accomplish. From this they are creating videos with a series of actions and each action is always misleading to the next. Check out examples below for the clarification about what exactly creators are doing, but users on the platform are finding a lot of joy within the joke of acting like they are going to one thing, and then completely shifting directions to another.
Examples:
Applicability:
Brands will want to replicate the trend but with brand jobs and responsibilities, so effectively doing this trend in a brands workspace is perfect.
#2 Calculation
261.8k videos on the sound
This trend replicates some popular comical sounds stemming from of cartoons of the past. The audio depicts a bunch of buttons on a calculator being pressed, thus signifying that the user is trying to solve a problem. Within the format users will put on screen funny dilemmas or confusing scenarios. These are often sarcastic or self deprecating to an extent, as the joke lies in how trivial the confusion is. Check out examples below
Examples:
Applicability:
Brands will have to get creative with different facets of their business that are confusing or inherently menial to deal with.
#3 It’s really not that deep
284.3k videos on the sound
People are dramatic,
It’s been popular slang for a while to say something “isn’t that deep” if someone is placing too much value in it. It essentially shuts down another persons argument by effectively calling them overdramatic. On TikTok, some creator took this line and turned it into a song, which is now a viral audio on the platform. Users are taking the sound and associating it with examples from their lives about when people have been extremely annoying about a topic that is not necessary to take as seriously.
Examples:
Applicability:
Brands could here joke about trivial customer complaints, laughing about how some of their issues truly aren’t “that deep”
#4 Split screen scan
89.6k videos on the sound
TikTok has released yet another new filter this week which users have picked up into virality. This filter allows users to freeze themselves in place across two parts of the frame, and a trend format has appeared from this. Essentially users position: “finding the person who…” followed by an action they do to themselves. For example a creator could remark, “Finding the person who spends all my money on sneakers” and show themselves sneaking up on their doppelgänger within the video.
Examples:
Applicability:
Brands here will want to associate self inflicted issues with this trend. For example Chick Fil A could say, “sneaking up on the person that makes good chicken not available on Sundays.
#5 Must’ve been an angel by my side
60.8k videos on the sound
Wholesome trends are back with these viral videos on TikTok and users are reflecting on times in their lives when they’ve been blessed in one way or another. Users are looking back on genuine good experiences, often related to relationships, in addition to the usual funny experiences. The audio depicts that “there must’ve been an angel by [their] side” once again hammering down the theme that they are blessed in some manner. Most of these are very genuine with a bit of humor mixed in so we highly suggest you check out the nuances below.
Examples:
Applicability:
Brands here will want
#6 Colby jack
31.6k videos on the sound
This trend has stemmed from a meme audio going viral and users making different use cases for it. The viral sound depicts a user getting overly excited about colby jack cheese for little to no reason. The sound is just generally hilarious and as such users have started to apply it directly to their own lives. Creators are taking examples of times when they become overly excited for something coming into their lives and then lip syncing along with the audio to create the humorous effect.
Examples:
Applicability:
Brands will want to associate the trend with customers getting their products and the excessive happiness it brings them.
Trends from last week that keep climbing
#1 I wanna ride
422.3k videos on the sound
It is truly a struggle every week to translate TikTok culture into a business newsletter while maintaining professional tones. Most weeks using clever whit we are able to circumvent this issue. However, this trend unfortunately may be the straw that breaks the camels back. With these viral videos, users are asserting that they “want to ride” referring the fact that they want to have adult relations with another person. There I said it. Wow. Way to rip the bandaid off, I apologize to all unassuming eyes that read that. Regardless, with this trend users are presenting facets of personality and appearance that they find attractive in other people, and under the qualification that another person possesses these merits, they would want to ride. Now we will note that the other party does need to give consent, but assuming that is the case, this trend is a great way to put out your preferences!
Examples:
Applicability:
This trend has actually become so socially acceptable that brands can utilize it to talk about qualities in customers that they love.
For example Canes could make a TikTok joking about wanting to ride customers that buy the Caniac Combo (their largest craziest portion)
#2 He’s probably talking to other girls
121.1k videos on the sound
This trend has been a hilarious way for girls to be self deprecating about this common insecurity as well as a way to joke more sarcastically about the situation. The video premise is that the guy they like is probably talking to other girls, yet there is usually a caveat. Either the girls the guy is talking to aren’t as cool/pretty/desirable as the creator, or they are actually talking to other girls to a greater extent. All the videos are lightly self deprecating and users have had a great time joking about their past experiences of relationship struggle.
Examples:
Applicability:
Brands will want to joke about customers “talking” to other brands instead of the relationship angle.
Bonus
JBL this week has come out with one of the more creative and absolutely hilarious marketing campaigns we’ve seen on the platform in a while. This campaign is two parts, as it comprises an influencer post as well as JBL’s own brand account. To start, they had Doja Cat create a video of her with one of their speakers, trying to pronounce JBL as if it were a word. She sounds like she is saying “jibull” and because it’s Doja and so out of the blue, it’s funny. This video alone went crazy viral, but whether organized or not their brand manager duetted that video with content which makes both videos that much better. Effectively the brand manager was acting if she was holding Doja’s real script for the commercial, only to go into a panic when she starts mumbling “jibull.” Even TikTok users have remarked in the comments about how amazing this marketing idea was, but this is just yet another example of how you can harness the insincere nature of TikTok for your brand.