Foreword
This week in the world of TikTok, users are prepping for their game or challenge after facing a breakup, dance trends are making their way back into prominence, and hands are arguing with each other. 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!
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.
Personality
X videos on the sound
We all have those moments in our childhood which were turning points for becoming who we are. Usually these are very genuine and wholesome occurrences like the first time we played our favorite sport, or our introduction to a topic that we focus our life around. TikTok users have taken this and applied it in a more sarcastic sense, describing the moment that became their entire personality. The sound for this goes, “welp this is gonna be my personality for the rest of my life” and is said in a way which asserts that the user is being slightly self deprecating but honest about how they defined a large part of their life.
Brand application: Brands will want to use this for the brand defining moments they had in infancy (i.e. when the Chick Fil A founder had a chicken sandwich for the first time).
Examples:
Cmon you old…
X videos on the sound
Have you ever heard your parents or a loved one tap out from an activity with the excuse that they are too old? Well if that scenario was turned into a TikTok trend this would be it. There’s an audio of two Australian guys going around that reads, “c’mon you old c*nt, we’re going on an adventure… ah f*ck off” which is a comedic representation of trying to pressure somebody into an activity they don’t want to do. Users are applying this to situations where their friends or themselves will be grumpy about doing something, yet they get convinced by an over-zealous separate party.
Brand application: Brands will likely want to stick away from this one due to the language utilized, but if they are comfortable with that this can be applied to times in the business when the younger employees are trying to get their older counterparts to engage in something.
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!
Body cross
X videos on the sound
This new dance trend has taken over the platform recently due to its interesting movement alongside the beat. Users will utilize both of their arms crossing their body and then reversing the move on beat. It creates a very visually interesting look and as such many users have replicated it, and even more have engaged with videos of it. It’s super fun and easy so we expect this to continue to grow into the next few weeks.
Brand application: Dance trends are very simple in the sense that a brand only has to utilize a popular employee or mascot to replicate the moves.
Examples:
You wanna dance baby
X videos on the sound
I think we’ve all caught ourselves dancing around the house while doing mundane activities as long as a good song is playing. This vibe of dancing alone while getting things done can honestly be one of the most fun times to move and users on TikTok have turned it into a trend. With this song, users will dance as they are completing daily activities, thus making the actions more fun and bringing great energy to the environment despite nobody else being around.
Brand application: Dance trends are very simple in the sense that a brand only has to utilize a popular employee or mascot to replicate the moves.
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.
Broke up with them before the…
X videos on the sound
Heartbreaks are often considered the motivation for greatness. The hurt can lead to a new form of energy and resilience to adversity and as such, TikTok users are locking in. With this trend, users are depicting a friend or themselves sitting down mentally preparing for a game or activity with the premise that they have just been broken up with, or cheated on. The idea is to make it look like that person is about to have the game/moment of their lifetime from this preparation. The trend originally started as a more serious thing but has evolved to be extremely sarcastic, with users joking about getting locked in to complete mundane tasks after being heartbroken.
Brand application: Brands will want to have an employee or brand mascot replicate this trend under the premise of them preparing to go to work.
Examples:
Argument
X videos on the sound
Often with an argument between two things, there can be an optimal third option. TikTok users have found it important to point this out, and as such they have created a trend showcasing an argument between two popular contenders, and will then proceed to provide another interesting alternative. Creators will depict each hand talking (like with a sock puppet) with their respective side in text, then cut to themselves in the middle with the other viewpoint. Usually these are very sarcastic but regardless users are having tons of fun with this trend.
Brand application: Brands will want to depict arguments between options relevant to their business (i.e. Chick Fil A would do spicy chicken sandwich vs regular chicken sandwich with a funny third option).
Examples:
Time Capsule - Prior Week Trends Still Growing
Better pizza
56.4k videos on the sound
Growing up we’ve all heard the tagline from the Papa Johns commercials, “Better ingredients, Better pizza, Papa Johns” yet in recent weeks TikTok users have taken this tagline and expanded upon it just a bit. There’s what I’d say is almost a remixed version going around which goes, “Better ingredients, better pizza, better b*tches, better clothes, better money... etc etc.” The joke is that the sound makes this unassuming tagline into a slang filled hype anthem, and users have been applying it to any situation in their life when they are feeling hyped up or as if they are winning in some form.
Brand application: Brands will probably want to stay away from this for vulgarity purposes, but if you’re a cool brand and are willing to utilize this, you should buy into the meme and create a video where you are hyping up an inconsequential element of your product or service to a hyperbolic level.
Examples:
Back and forth
132.2k videos on the sound
This week TikTok has reinvented the staring contest with this trend. Basically users are looking deep into each others eyes (and possibly souls). As the sound changes, the camera gets closer and closer to each person and finally when the beat shifts to the dance tone, the users will show each other doing a little dance where they look down and move their arms back and forth. It’s a very simple format to follow and draws a lot of visual interest from its Wes Anderson style so users have loved it this last week.
Brand application: Brands will want to simply replicate the format with brand representatives in the workplace.
Examples: