September has been another big month in the world of social media, and our social team have a lot of news to report on as part of our September newsletter. If you haven’t subscribed to our monthly email yet, what are you waiting for? We include tons of interesting marketing news and content we think you’ll find interesting.
Exploring the Lifespan of Social Media Trends
By Hristina – Social Media Manager
Brat summer, “very cutesy, very demure”, Olympics memes – us social media managers are bombarded with new, ever changing trends and memes every day, and one question keeps plaguing us – do we join in, or do we sit it out?
And there’s unfortunately never a simple answer.
The social media trend/meme cycle is getting shorter and shorter. We see trends come and go every week, the most recent example being the “very cutesy, very demure” meme. The trend was born on TikTok just over 2 weeks ago and it took the internet by storm – it quickly transcended TikTok, taking over all social platforms in its path, even LinkedIn. But that was 2 weeks ago.
Today, if you search “demure” on LinkedIn you’ll be met with marketers proclaiming that “the trend is gone” and “brands looking to jump on it are too late now”.
So does it all boil down to “be quick or be irrelevant”? Some would argue it really does not. It’s commonplace among marketers to condemn brands for jumping on trends at all, regardless of how quick you do it.
The argument is that brands are only adding to the noise, doing what everyone else is doing for the sake of reach and actually not achieving anything.
Some go even further and suggest that as soon as brands start jumping on an internet trend, that’s when the trend dies.
So it seems we as social media managers can simply never win, as Richard Cook, social media manager at Monzo puts it.
My advice? If the trend matches your brand’s tone of voice, values and personality – jump on it. If you’re just ticking a box by recreating the latest meme without even understanding it completely, then you should probably avoid it. And most importantly, if you’re going to do it, then do it quick – trends take less than a few weeks to be considered “cringe” or “dead” so a timely response is key here.
Campaigns That Create Change
By Ligita – Social Media Executive
This is one powerful campaign from Chanel 4 for the Paralympics.
The campaign, titled “Considering What?”, is a bold move to challenge the outdated and often patronising attitudes that Paralympians face.
Too often, when people talk about Paralympians, they use words like ‘brave’ or say things like, “they’re incredible, considering their challenges.”
While these comments might be well-meaning, they can also come across as patronising, focusing more on the athlete’s disability than their incredible talent and skill. For that Channel 4 has done their research and found that 59% of people said they watch the Paralympic Games to “see athletes overcoming their disabilities” whereas just 37% say they watch the Paralympics for “exciting sporting competition”/
So, they came up with the idea of the campaign ”Considering What?” to change that, shifting the focus to the athletes’ abilities and achievements, rather than their disabilities.
Channel 4 is using its platform to spark an important conversation about how we view disability and to remind us that real respect starts with how we talk about it. Channel 4 is not only marketing the Paralympics but is also redefining what it means to be an inclusive brand.
This campaign is a great example of how brands can use their influence to break down stereotypes and create real change. It’s a call to all of us to think more deeply, to speak more thoughtfully through their great marketing!
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