As community-led trends continue to dominate social feeds, global creator agency, Billion Dollar Boy, has partnered with TikTok to bring marketers the industry’s first ever whitepaper on trend-centric marketing, and has conducted new independent research uncovering how brands are participating in these fast-moving cultural moments, how they’re leveraging creators for trend-driven content, and whether these efforts are resonating with consumers.
Billion Dollar Boy’s research, which canvassed the opinions of more than 4,000 consumers, 500 content creators and 500 senior marketers and brand managers across the US and UK, found that 94% of marketers are committing at least one in five of their brand owned social media posts to trends. Additionally, 77% of marketers plan to increase trend-based content over the next 12 months – with US marketers leading this initiative at 85%, followed by UK marketers at 69%.
The survey results suggest that leveraging trend-based content can help brands drive greater impact from their creator partnerships, with 92% of creators reporting better performance compared to their non-trend-based content. The findings are supported by one in five (18%) consumers who say they would be more likely to make a purchase or consider making a purchase as a result of seeing brands publish trend-based social media content, as well as the three quarters (27%) of consumers who say trend-based content increases brand recall.
Specifically, when identifying the key benefits, creators noted that trend-based content:
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Is more likely to drive more new followers (44%)
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Is more likely to have a bigger reach (44%)
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Drives more engagements than non-trend based content (43%)
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Generates more conversions than non-trend based content (36%)
Most brands are capitalising on these benefits, as the research reveals that nine in ten creators (89%) have been approached to make more trend-based content over the past 12 months. Half of those creators (50%) have been approached to create more content around storytelling trends specifically, like the #GirlMath trend, which requires the creator to share a personal anecdote to a pre-determined storytelling format.
Dancing trends, which were popular during the height of the pandemic in 2020, are now less favored, with only 28% of creators being approached to make more content around this type of trend.
The increase in brand-creator partnerships around trends shows that brands are becoming more adept at establishing working relationships with creators that allow for agile and responsive content output around trends. However, capturing a trend at the right moment also presents challenges. The most common challenges brands face when considering participating in social media trends include:
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Short lifespan of trend (29%)
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Brand guidelines (29%)
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Lack of an interpretation of the trend which is authentic to the brand identity (29%)
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Lack of an original or unique interpretation of the trend (26%)
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Lack of creator trust (26%)
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Sourcing and contracting the right creator partner (25%)
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Internal approvals (24%)
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Lack of partner agency trust (22%)
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Legal challenges (20%)
Despite the strong performance of trend-based content, brands and creators are also advised to progress planned increases in trend-based content with caution, as consumer sentiment is only slightly favourable, with three in five (60%) welcoming their involvement compared to two in five (40%) who oppose it. Brands and creators are urged to consider targeting demographics who are more welcoming. The popularity of trend-based content rises among:
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US consumers (66%) vs. UK consumers (52%)
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Younger audiences (79% of 15-34 year olds)
Christopher Douglas, Senior Manager of Strategy at Billion Dollar Boy comments: “Trend-based content is the new goldmine for marketers, capable of boosting visibility and driving sales when executed well. However, brands often struggle to balance engaging with fleeting trends and ensuring long-term success. As brands are increasingly collaborating with creators to participate in trends, the key isn’t just about picking the right trend, it’s also about choosing the right creators to partner with.”
“Creators are trend-savvy, often being the originators themselves, and can seamlessly integrate brands into fast-moving cultural conversations. This strategic selection of creators allows brands to stay relevant and resonate with their audience without the pressure of constantly making quick-turn decisions.”
You can access the Finding Success with TikTok Trends whitepaper here: https://www.billiondollarboy.com/report-tiktok-trends/
