TikTok Trends: Three Perspectives, Longevity & Implications
Written by :
Jack McLaren
Reviewed by :
Georgi Todorov
Publish Date:
November 28, 2024
For businesses, the stakes are high. While all trends may appear equal on the surface, some hold far more value than others. The ability to discern which trends can propel your brand forward is crucial.
In this article, we’ll look into the dynamics of social media trends on TikTok and introduce some new concepts to help businesses effectively identify and leverage them for maximum impact.
Key Takeaways:
Understanding TikTok's Speeds of Culture Methodology can help businesses identify where to engage in trend progression for maximum impact.
Leveraging the Trifecta of Participant Benefit can help businesses identify the likelihood of a trend's success and longevity.
Distinguishing between Superficial and Profound Trends allows businesses to allocate resources effectively and align marketing strategies with business objectives.
Strategic Ad spend involves aligning marketing efforts with the appropriate trend type and focusing on areas that support your business goals.
TikTok’s Speeds of Culture Methodology
To understand how trends evolve on TikTok, it's essential to understand the platform's Speeds of Culture methodology.
This framework categorises trends based on their market position, adoption rate, duration, popularity, and cultural impact.
1. Trend Moments
Definition: Creative prompts that quickly gain traction and buzz through high participation.
Key Concepts: Immediacy, innovation, interest.
Example: A user shares a TikTok showcasing a unique way to use a product, sparking immediate interest and replication.
2. Trend Signals
Definition: Emerging user behaviours or interests revealed through new content patterns.
Example: Multiple creators begin showcasing first-hand experiences with products in their videos, leading to increased audience engagement and a clear connection between consumer value and business value.
Key Concepts: Cultural establishment, user ownership, cross-pollination.
Example: Consumer culture shifts expectations around product advertising, moving towards organic video content for product reviews from highly-manicured adverts.
An analogy to simplify this process:
Present (Trend Moments): A new concept is introduced.
Practice (Trend Signals): Users adopt and engage with the concept.
Produce (Trend Forces): Users take ownership, and the concept becomes ingrained in the culture.
Implications for Businesses
Businesses aiming to capitalise on trends should focus on leading or closely following the leaders during the Present and Practice stages.
This is where opportunities for maximising Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) are most significant.
As trends evolve into Trend Forces, competition intensifies, and concept fatigue may set in, shifting the focus from opportunity to necessity.
For example, consider a retail business with an e-commerce store in 2004 versus one in 2024.
In 2004, adopting e-commerce was an opportunity to gain a competitive edge. By 2024, it's a requirement for survival in the market.
Identifying Trend Longevity: The Trifecta of Participant Benefit
A key factor in the progression of trends on TikTok is what we call the Trifecta of Participant Benefit. S
imply put, for a trend to move from a Trend Moment to a Trend Signal and eventually to a Trend Force, all three key participants of the platform must benefit or foresee the benefit of a new advertising or business concept:
Platforms, such as TikTok, serve as the infrastructure facilitating these interactions and benefits.
A platform doesn’t need to benefit from a trend for it to progress.
Explaining the Concept
For a trend to gain momentum and have a lasting impact, each participant in the trifecta must perceive or realise value from the content:
Organisations benefit from increased brand visibility, customer engagement, and potential sales growth.
Creators gain visibility, grow their audience, and unlock monetisation opportunities.
Audience members receive entertainment, information, and a sense of community.
Practical Example
Imagine a financial services company (organisation) that starts creating short-form video content on TikTok.
Their marketing team (creators) posts videos explaining financial concepts in simple terms.
The audience engages by asking questions in the comments, and the creators respond, fostering authentic engagement.
Audience Benefit: Viewers receive valuable financial information in an accessible format.
Creator Benefit: The marketing team or independent creator builds a following and enhances their online presence.
Organisation Benefit: The company sees increased brand awareness, trust, and potential customer acquisition.
As more users engage, the trend of financial education on TikTok grows, benefiting all participants and moving the trend through TikTok's Speeds of Culture stages.
Implications for Businesses
If any participant in this trifecta is excluded or their benefit is stunted, the trend may stall and not progress to the next stage.
For businesses looking to maximise brand reach, using the trifecta as a strategic litmus test can inform decisions on which trends to engage with and how they should do it.
By analysing whether a trend provides mutual benefits to all participants, businesses can predict the potential impact and longevity of a trend, allowing for better strategic marketing and business decision-making.
Timing and Execution in Trend Matching
Businesses that quickly identify and align with relevant trends can maximise their marketing impact. However, timing is critical:
Early Adoption: Being among the first to engage with a trend can position a brand as innovative and connected with its audience.
Execution: Effective adaptation of a trend to align with brand values and messaging is essential to avoid appearing out of touch or inauthentic.
Key Points and Considerations
Research and Timing: Staying informed about emerging trends allows for timely action.
Audience Alignment: Ensure the trend resonates with your target audience and aligns with your brand identity.
Adding Value: Contribute meaningful content to the trend rather than simply jumping on the bandwagon.
The exception to the rule of trend matching: Newstalgia
As highlighted in TikTok's 2024 Trend Report, Newstalgia is a growing Trend Force that showcases audiences' attraction to creative concepts that blend nostalgia with modern elements. Brands can leverage this by:
Revitalising Creative Concepts: Bringing back previous trends with a new twist.
Adding Value: Offering fresh perspectives on familiar ideas.
Timing: Reintroducing concepts at moments when they resonate most with audiences.
Implications for Businesses
Distinguishing between superficial and profound trends helps businesses allocate resources effectively, ensuring efforts are focused on strategies that offer the greatest potential ROI.
Your Strategy for Advertising Spend
Developing a strategic approach to marketing spend on TikTok should start with aligning your marketing with the types of trends that best suit your business objectives.
Align Marketing Strategy with Trend Type
For Short-term Brand Recognition:
Focus on Superficial Trends that can boost immediate visibility.
Emphasise rapid content creation and trend-spotting.
Leverage a highly competent creative team capable of quick execution.
For Long-term Market Shifts:
Invest in Profound Trends that align with your unique selling propositions.
Emphasise experimentation and the development of multi-channel experiences (search, in-platform, offline, and website).
Commit to consistent content that fosters deeper audience engagement.
Short-term Brand Recognition vs. Long-term Market Shifts
Short-term Focus:
Ideal for campaigns aiming to capitalise on the current buzz.
Requires agility and responsiveness.
May result in spikes in engagement but needs ongoing efforts to sustain interest.
Long-term Focus:
Builds brand equity and customer loyalty over time.
Involves cultivating trends that reflect core brand values.
Can lead to sustained growth and market leadership.
Emphasise Key Areas Based on Goals
Experimentation: Cultivate an environment that encourages trying new ideas and approaches without fear of failure.
Trend-spotting: Regularly monitor TikTok for emerging trends relevant to your industry.
Creative Excellence: Invest in a creative team skilled in producing engaging content that aligns with both trends and brand messaging.
Audience Engagement: Foster authentic interactions with your audience to build community and trust.
Measurement and Analysis: Use analytics to assess the effectiveness of your campaigns and adjust strategies accordingly.
Determining Focus within TikTok’s Speed of Culture Timeline
Identify where your organisation should engage within the trend progression:
Trend Moments: Testing new ideas and generating initial interest (Lifecycle: Days to weeks).
Trend Signals: Monitoring, identifying and piggybacking on growing trends (Lifecycle: Months to a few years).
Trend Forces: Adjust your marketing approach to meet new expectations (Lifecycle: Up to several years).
Next Steps: Partner With a Trusted TikTok Agency
As the landscape of social media continues to evolve, DTC brands must adapt their marketing strategies to effectively engage with audiences on platforms like TikTok.
Given the unique dynamics of TikTok trends and the increasing complexity of content creation, partnering with a specialised TikTok agency like PATTRNS can provide significant advantages.
We’ve built communities for our clients on TikTok with over 600 million views in the last 12 months.
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