Trend Inflation and Cultural Suffocation: Can Brands Jump on Trends Without Squashing Them?

Culture is being suffocated. 

Now, I don’t say this to be hyperbolic, but cultural trends are birthed faster than bunny rabbits and age like milk before they then perish, not even weeks later. Why is this, you ask? Well, let me explain why:

When a brand activates a trend at the right time, in the right way, it’s simply magnificent. The problem is, brands are getting far too efficient at snatching trends from their cultural incubator before they reach natural maturity, dragging them from niche to the mainstream.

With the rise of hyper-niche categorisation or “core-ification” of trends, like ‘Coastal Cowgirl core’ and ‘Grandpa core’, combined with arguably the most fleeting and fragmented media landscape we’ve ever seen, more microtrends are surfacing and with ever-shorter lifecycles. This inadvertently encourages brands to become more reactionary, which disrupts the should-be cyclical exchange between brand and culture. 

From a brand perspective, you might argue that being this reactionary is a good thing. And I would agree… for the most part. Our clients reward us handsomely for awareness and agility, but how fast is fast enough? As with all speed contests, there is a lower limit to how fast things can move, and as it stands, the sizeable share of brand behaviour exhibited means that too many are ending up with dust on their faces from chasing bandwagons in the race to the bottom.

The problem with trend inflation is that the hyperreactivity often erodes authenticity. The general population is far too media literate to have the wool pulled over their eyes with loosely veiled cultural veneers. They live and breathe trends and sniff the inauthenticity out like bloodhounds. 

New data from Amazon ads found that 66% of people want to feel a greater sense of belonging through culture, and 70% say society feels more divided than ever. “As culture evolves more quickly, with countless new viral trends to keep track of, consumers have expressed a desire to slow down and reclaim a sense of belonging.” This screams to me that people are desperate to connect through culture to find their community, and if we, as marketers, are going to continually use the cultural trends they have built to further our brands, the least we could do is ensure that we don’t suck the life out of it. But there’s fat chance of that happening on the current trajectory. If brands keep tearing through the trends people rely on to forge connections, they risk squishing our once-round and multidimensional cultural exchange into a flat, dull disc that only they enjoy passing around. 

Back Market’s CMO, Joy Howard, said it best, “Brands don’t shape culture: culture shapes brands. And the most successful brands understand when those cultural winds shift.” So, before brands overdraw from the cultural cache, let’s find a viable way to jump on trends without squishing the life and soul out of them.  

Brand experiences and events, while heralded for their ability to form deep connections and, thus, long-lasting memories, are a double-edged sword. 

Long-lasting memories are great when they’re positive, but God help you if your brand is remembered for being out of touch, activating trends inauthentically. IF you’re going to play in the cultural game, you need to participate, not just react. Cut the transitory BS and get real by exemplifying all the cultural impact claims that decorate every brand manifesto and website. 

Before embedding a trend into any experience, ask yourself or your team this killer question:

Are you using the trend to participate in culture and genuinely add value to your consumer’s experience?

If you’ve answered “yes”, then consider these next three:

1. Does the trend authentically align with your brand essence?

2. Can the trend help to stimulate emotion for deeper connections with your audience?

3. Can you activate the trend as it matures but before it becomes a meme or dies?

Chasing trends can ruin your experience and erode the cultural equity you’ve built. Let your competitors chase the bandwagon. Know yourself. Remember that authenticity is not trend-driven. 

Bumble, ‘Tennis Core’ – By showing up at multiple tennis moments in the last few months, like the US Open Women’s finals, they have managed to authentically align with Tennis Core under the ‘Game. Set. Match.’ creative approach. They have hosted rooftop tennis parties in NYC, which not only makes the experience more fun but also enables their attendees to break the ice and feel a release of endorphins while they build new connections. 

818 Tequila, 'Cowgirl Core' - Kendall Jenner’s 818 Tequila has done an immaculate job of embodying the Western macro trend and leveraging the smaller offshoot trends, including the Cowgirl aesthetic. You just have to take one look at how they have shown up at Coachella in the last few to see how much this aligns with the brand. The ‘818 Outpost’ encourages everyone to get their cowboy boots on and get wild out west while building deeper connections to the brand.  

TikTok - Building trust through authenticity, cultivating communities through connection, and stimulating emotion are the three key pillars for all our work at Seen Presents. We understand that brands want to join in on the fun, but we don’t want to end up the only ones at the party. And given we’re trusted partners for TikTok we couldn’t possibly not practice what we preach. We have embedded trends in; TikTok Fashion Week, ForYou Summit, End of year celebration and many others. 

Head to our website to read more: https://www.seenpresents.com/work