BRANDS JUMPING ON VIRAL TRENDS - YEA OR NAY AND WHAT'S BEST PRACTICE?
The idea of brands ‘trend jacking’ has been around for as long as roles in the marketing and PR industry existed. A buzzword commonly used in the world of communications; trend jacking is simply the act of capitalising on a current trend in media (both news and across socials) to boost a brand’s publicity and performance.
Despite the tactic being a popular tool, it has stretched far beyond utilising a trending hashtag or creating a static meme about recent news events. Looking to present day, the over-saturation of trends and topics has made it difficult for brands to know when it’s best to trend jack, and if so, how to do it authentically.
Quality over quantity: It might be tempting to leverage trends to fill a content calendar, but sometimes less is more. When in doubt, always question if the trend or topic in question aligns with the brand in some way, or if it’s organic to chime in with two cents. It might be tempting to trend jack everything that goes viral, however it’s simply not feasible and can come across as ingenuine (and tacky)!
Speak about what matters: Relevance does not always equate to reach, and just because a brand is a part of a conversation, does not mean that it will stand out. To ensure a trend jack adds value, comment on what matters and filter out the rest. For example, a company like Durex is encouraged to produce content pertaining to World Sexual Health Awareness Day, whereas it might be strange for entertainment giant Netflix to do the same.
Strike when the iron is hot: It’s not practical for brands to jump on every single trend or viral moment, and some content creation requires more effort than others. Weigh up what’s feasible to take part in, keeping in mind approval timings to make sure content runs live while it’s still trending.
Know your audience: For trend jacking to work, there must be a good sense of understanding around the brand audience to ensure the trend itself may not alienate or confuse people. It can be fun for brands to join in on a current discussion, but it needs to be done right, with the audience always top of mind.
Add a little bit of spice: Most importantly, above all else – have fun with what you’re trying to communicate. Just because it’s trend jacking, doesn’t mean a brand can’t add personal flair!
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