On average, YouTubers upload 20 million videos each day, while Instagram users place 66,000 visuals on that platform every minute.
A vast majority of that content slips by with little fanfare. But every once in a while, something breaks through the barrage of vacation photos and dance clips to go absolutely viral. You know some of them well: the mannequin challenge, sea shanties, “This Barbie is…”
Cultural moments like these hit the algorithm just right, ricochet across the globe, and leave people rushing to get in on the trend.
Brands can tap into these events—a tactic called trendjacking— to capture the attention of new people and expand their circle of influence at an incredible scale. But not all viral trends are created equal. Some can damage your brand just as quickly.
Let’s dig into the phenomenon of trendjacking, how to leverage it for business growth, and when it’s best to proceed with caution.
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What is trendjacking?
Trendjacking is the act of capitalizing on a viral cultural moment. And the practice can take several forms. If your brand…
- Reshares a trending meme (Think: “One does not simply…”)
- Taps your team to recreate a viral dance or performance challenge (Think: Gangnam Style)
- Participates in a challenge for charity (Think: the Ice Bucket Challenge)
- Creates its own version of a trending GPT image (Think: the Studio Ghibli image trend)
- Shares content related to a trending phrase (Think: “Very demure, very mindful”)
…or otherwise creates content that is based on an “of the moment” internet craze, congratulations, you’re trendjacking.
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You may also try your hand at trendjacking’s close cousin, newsjacking.
While trendjacking trades in cultural cachet, newsjacking is the art of engaging with a viral news moment. Of course, there’s a bit of a gray area between the two tactics. For example, commenting on the Sydney Sweeney “good jeans/genes” ad campaign is a bit of both. But the crucial component in either practice is the timeliness of the content and commentary.
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Why try trendjacking?
On the internet, attention is currency. So, finding creative ways to draw attention to your brand can pay dividends. That’s why many brands want to work trendjacking into their social media strategy.
Done right, trendjacking can help you:
- Get greater reach without creating your own virality: You ride the wave of a broader cultural moment.
- Prove your cultural bona fides: Businesses in trend-based industries (fashion, beauty, wellness, etc.) get bonus points for cultural fluency. Engaging with a viral fad signals you know what’s up.
- Show off your personality: Tap into a trend that has a cheeky link to your brand, and you prove your wit. Few things make a brand more attractive than a good sense of humor.
- Drive traffic: If your contribution to the trend takes off, you boost traffic to your social pages and website. Hello, new group of leads to nurture!
- Build brand awareness: Even if those new followers aren’t ready to buy, it’s never bad to have more eyeballs on your brand. They might buy from you in six months, or their friends might want to buy today.
8 trendjacking dos and don’ts (with examples)
Just because trendjacking can produce wins for your brand doesn’t mean it’s always the right choice.
Some trends are too risqué for a brand to take a chance on. Others simply aren’t the right fit for your brand. And some businesses aren’t positioned to move quickly enough to make the most of a viral moment.
If you’ve sat on the sidelines before or you’ve gotten involved without much success, these dos and don’ts can help you assess future trendjacking opportunities and leverage them more effectively.
Trendjacking dos
Want to get better at identifying worthy trendjacking moments and capitalizing on the ones with real promise? Start here.
1. Do target trends relevant to your industry
When you see a trend and think you might want to participate, start by asking yourself, “Does this make sense with my brand’s focus?” If the answer is yes, you can proceed to further evaluation. If the answer is no, save yourself some time and stop right here.
Not sure what this looks like in practice? Let’s explore the question for some hypothetical brands using the sea shanty trend as an example.
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In early 2021, COVID was still restricting our lives significantly. Perhaps because being trapped at home for 11 months straight felt a little like taking a long journey across the ocean, a 19th-century sea shanty went completely viral on TikTok. What started as duets on the original video soon blossomed into sea shanty versions of contemporary songs. (Smash Mouth’s All Star as a sea shanty? Yes, that really happened.)
Imagine you’re leading marketing for your business at this time. You see the sea shanty trend taking off and think to yourself, “Should we get in on this?”
Scenario 1: You run a local CPA firm. Your brand has nothing to do with the ocean. You do not need to get involved in the sea shanty trend.
Scenario 2: You operate a restaurant with seafood on the menu. Sure, you can consider this trend. (This example was inspired by Arby’s, which found success creating a sea shanty TikTok about its fish sandwich.)
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2. Do ask if this trend matters to your target audience
Once you’ve assessed a trend’s relevance for your industry, go a little deeper. Will your target audience care if you post something about it?
Think about your audience’s demographics, psychographics, and general demeanor. Will they get the reference? And if they understand it, will they care that you’re engaging with it?
To continue with the sea shanty example, Arby’s passed this test, too. Its target audience, according to an interview with its VP of brand and corporate communications, is younger consumers (aged 18-34) who “love to have fun.”
An irreverent, purposefully cringe TikTok video? That’s a perfect fit for this audience.
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3. Do use related hashtags
Trendjacking is all about capitalizing on a viral moment to expand your reach. Adding relevant hashtags to your content can boost your distribution and position your brand alongside fellow trendjackers.
On its fish sandwich video, Arby’s added some strategic hashtags employed on other trending sea shanty videos.
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4. Do be creative
A viral trend goes stale quickly because it is, by definition, repetitive. There are only so many sea shanty videos a TikToker can watch before their eyes glaze over.
That’s why creativity is essential for brands trying trendjacking. What unique spin can you put on the trend, and how can it help your content stand out from the others?
This is also an opportunity to show off your brand’s personality. Don’t be afraid to take a creative risk within the framework of the trend.
Trendjacking don’ts
If you’ve tried trendjacking in the past with little success, these don’ts might be holding you back. Avoid these common mistakes to get further with your viral-inspired content.
5. Don’t chase bad trends
Some trends aren’t a good fit for your brand. But other trends aren’t a good fit for any brand. Avoid these types of trends at all costs:
- Mean or offensive trends: Consumers don’t like brands that punch down or are unnecessarily crass. If getting in on the trend means being petty or gross, don’t do it. *The exception here is brands with an edgy voice. Adult Swim, you can participate!
- Confusing trends: If your marketing team doesn’t understand the trend, don’t do it. That means the trend is either: 1) Inscrutable to everyone (in which case, why bother?), or 2) Potentially hazardous. You may be missing a nefarious meaning that resonates on some dark side of the web.
- Hollow trends: This one can be hard to gauge—who’d have thought we’d all still know the mannequin challenge nearly a decade later? But if a trend feels particularly vapid or fleeting, take a pass.
DiGiorno had to eat its words after jumping on the wrong viral trend.
6. Don’t trendjack too often
Chasing every last trend is exhausting for your team. You have limited bandwidth, so think carefully before leaping at a trendjacking opportunity.
Not only that, if your brand participates too regularly in viral moments, you become a one-trick pony. Give your team the breathing room to create meaningful content and your audience the space to be surprised and delighted when you do engage in a trend.
7. Don’t take forever to post
Viral trends move fast. A new meme, GIF, or challenge may only last a week or so before it reaches peak saturation and completely sputters out. If you think of trendjacking as existing on a bell curve, you want to get your content out before the peak.
If your internal approval process means it will take weeks to get your trendjacking content published, sit this one out.
And if you work in a highly regulated industry where compliance and legal often need to opine on your marketing output, create a fast-track approval process for trend-related posts in advance. Then, when the right trend comes along, you’ve already created a pathway for your team to get content out quickly.
8. Don’t assume success
As you try trendjacking, always keep track of your content’s results. Which trendjacking posts move the needle for your brand in meaningful ways (reshares, new follows, great consumer feedback, media mentions), and which fall flat?
As you continue to play with trendjacking, you’ll see patterns emerge. Identifying the elements of a trending moment that resonate with your audience can help you further refine your trendjacking strategy and drive greater social media success.
Try trendjacking for a big boost in brand awareness
When done successfully, trendjacking is a proven tactic for gaining a ton of attention, especially on social media.
As you think through your first trend hijacking adventure, remember these dos and don’ts:
- Do target trends relevant to your industry
- Do ask if this trend matters to your target audience
- Do use relatable hashtags
- Do be creative
- Don’t chase bad trends
- Don’t trendjack too often
- Don’t take forever to post
- Don’t assume success
