Foreword
Some call it personality, others call it narcissism, but on TikTok this week it seems that there has been a strong presence of users showcasing their personalities and experiences into the trend formats. Whether they are joking about their addictions, what they are better than everybody at, or how they look after swimming, talking about oneself has become a large theme throughout the trends this week. As a brand these attitudes may seem odd, and sometimes completely not understandable, so join us as we explore how brands can integrate, and more importantly gain the trust of the community with them!
Audio Based Trends
Most trends are based around sounds, that being said what we mean by audio based trends specifically 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.
I’m an addict
742.6k videos on the sound
This is quite a simple format, where users will start videos with the line reading, “I’m not addicted to anything.” But when the audio begins to say, “hello Mary Jane I’m an addict”, they will present on screen something they are jokingly addicted to. Often users will also add to this a small wipe under their nose to reference addiction in the form of drug usage. These addictions could include shopping, or simply annoying a sibling, but users have infinite ways to customize the trend to things they love doing.
Brand application: Brands will want to joke about being addicted to their own product or service.
Examples:
Better than me
322.7k videos on the sound
Often times, an ex or a general hater will tell a user that another person is prettier than them, and that doesn’t bother the user. However on second attempt, the hater may personalize the criticism to state that another person is better than the user at something essential to their being. In the format, users act nonchalantly at the first comment, and do a double take at the second comment, implying that they are frustrated by the comment. Users are able to personalize the format to include activities, actions, or hobbies that they believe they are the best at.
Brand application: Brands will want customize the format to be offended at the second comment relating to their product or service. For example Chick Fil A wouldn’t get mad at another company being open on Sunday’s, but they would do a double take if someone said another company had better chicken.
Examples:
Why wouldn’t he
19.9k videos on the sound
This audio reads as the title says, “why wouldn’t he,” and the line is used in response to someone criticizing an action. The response is meant to combat the critique of the action. Essentially it means that the action is valid, and that the criticism isn’t. Users are applying this to times in their life when a friend is complaining to them about a peer, and the user agrees with what the peer did, thus the friend is in the wrong.
Brand application: Brands can apply this to times when customers are complaining to a manager about the employee being a problem, when the employee isn’t being an issue.
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.
Who’s the picture going to?
15.9k videos on the sound
In the era of Snapchat, when people are hanging out with their friends they will often send pictures with their friends to the receiver. What coincides with this experience is the common question of a friend asking, “who is this picture going to,” to make sure they look good if the person receiving the photo is important to them. In this trend users replicate that type of scenario and when the sender tells the friend who it’s going to, it cuts back to the friend attempting to look much more attractive.
Brand application: Brands will want to apply the same format to important people within their company. If the photo is being sent to the CEO, or a popular employee, the “friend” should try to look similarly more attractive.
Examples:
Didn’t know he was chill like that
4k videos on the main sound, however trend is spread over multiple audios
This one is definitely on the smaller side but is by far my favorite trend of the week. I didn’t know he was chill like that stems from one viral skit of a guy being frustrated a Tesla parked in his spot, and when he goes up to the person in the Tesla, the driver gives him a quick hang loose hand gesture to which the guy replies “I didn’t know you were chill like that.” The interaction is so pointlessly funny and tons of users have taken the audio to recreate the video with more absurd scenarios. This is content that Gen Z would define as “sh*t posting” which means it’s comedic in it’s stupidity and we love it.
Brand application: If a brand recreated this I think it would break the internet. All a company needs to do is generally replicate the format, throw in an absurd outfit, and call it a day.
Examples:
Filter Based Trends
Filters have risen to prominence over the last year as super fun and easy ways for regular users to create popular videos on the platform. They often create scenery or distort faces to replicate different features or expressions. These are the easiest trends for users to utilize and thus generally have very quick and widespread virality.
Horace filter
32.9k videos on the sound
Spatially aware augmented reality filters are starting to become more and more popular on TikTok, but right now Horace is the one in vogue. Horace is a little dancing alien-like being that users have been grooving with and learning his moves. He does what looks like the Cha Cha slide combined with a box step, but all we can say is that it is definitely jiggy. Unfortunately, Horace is not the most attractive being and thus users have been joking about situations where they are dancing or hanging with someone who isn’t the most alluring. Regardless, users are having a great time dancing with Horace and the simple visual comedy drawn from the filter means it will likely continue to get bigger over the next two weeks.
Brand application: Brands will want to dance with Horace! This one is simple so just have a fun time following the dance and stay clear of commentary on Horace’s looks.
Examples:
Movement Trends
TikTok virality was founded upon the back of Musically, a platform entirely centered around dance trends. Dance trends have been an essential and prominent part of content on the platform ever since its inception. These trends are very simple as they just involve a common audio with a replicable dance or movement applied to it. Brands can utilize these through simple replication form where brand representatives and mascots will do the dance. They are the most fun but also the most simple!
Give me my money
209.2k videos on the sound
If we’re being honest, at this point TikTok users are just trying to come up with new and innovative ways to show off their butt on the platform and this trend is user’s most recent success. With the dance, if you can even call it that, users are banging their fists on the table in a manner that looks like they are demanding money, and then they proceed to turn around and jump up and down on beat so that their butt bounces to the sound. The trend is pretty much as simple as that so don’t take it too seriously.
Brand application: Brands likely won’t want to integrate with this one, unless they have a mascot with a comically large behind (i.e. Gritty) who can take on the trend in a sarcastic manner.
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.
Take her swimming on the first date
63.5k videos on the sound
For millennia there’s been the age old joke to take girls swimming on the first date to see how they look when the makeup washes away. This week, girls on TikTok have taken this popular thought and shown what they look like after swimming. The trend originated from girls showing off that they still looked pretty without the makeup, although in recent days the trend has turned satirical. Many girls are now showing themselves looking goofy with goggles, water wings, and even occasionally full wetsuits. Whether you take her seriously or sarcastically it seems like taking her swimming on the first date is a trend that everyone is hopping on.
Brand application: Brands will want to joke on the satirical side about how brand reps or mascots would look swimming. Hilarity is added to the situation if they are in full work attire while soaking wet.
Examples:
I think.…
134.6k videos on the sound
Have you ever had one of those soul crushing thoughts that you just can’t get off your mind? Well with this trend it seems like TikTokers do as well. The format for this trend starts with users asking the viewer’s thoughts on a common question or decision (i.e. do you like chocolate or vanilla). Yet, in the next line, instead of presenting their opinion on the question stated (i.e. I think chocolate is better) they present their thoughts on an internal struggle (i.e. I think that I won’t ever be able to get over her). The format may go something like, “Do you guys prefer chocolate or vanilla ice cream. Personally, I think I’ll wait on her for the rest of my life until I am physically dead. I think I’d go with chocolate.” This trend is meant to be a relatable self deprecating commentary on different hurdles or dilemmas that we can’t stop thinking about, and in the world of Gen Z humor, it’s absolutely hilarious.
Brand application: This trend should only be utilized from a brand representative or mascot perspective, where they can sarcastically joke about the sound crushing nature of losing the brands product or service from their life.
Examples:
Case Study
Venmo recently has been killing the game on TikTok and today we wanted to highlight one video. Venmo is a unique company in the sense that the functions of the app provide a lot of social interaction and consequences due to its peer to peer nature. So this won’t work for all brands, but Venmo has really capitalized on the hilarity of social interactions with their app. In this video, the user jokes about sending a reminder to their friend about a Venmo request from a while back, yet she still hasn’t payed a few of her other friends back for money she owes them. This is a funny and relatable experience, perfectly targeted at the Gen Z and Millennial audience on TikTok, so the content was not only received well, but had high natural engagement in the comment sections. This is a perfect example of a brand executing on creating content that is natural to the platform, speaks to the lives of the users, and doesn’t feel like they are forcing the product to the users.
Time Capsule - Prior Week Trends Still Growing
Not funny haha, funny weird
154.9k videos on the sound
TikTok trends have often pulled culture from GenZ’s childhood and this is no different. This audio reading “Hmmm funny, not funny haha, funny weird” stems from the popular children’s show, Backyardigans, and has become an extremely funny use case on TikTok this week. Users are applying the line towards their own awkward moments or predicaments from their life. These scenarios are vaguely relatable but draw comedy from being self deprecating, as often seen on the platform and viewers are having a great time consuming this content.
Brand application: Brands will want to replicate the trend with their own predicaments or generally awkward interactions within the company or with customers.
Examples: