Why Brands Need to Stay Sharp on Social Media
Social media moves fast. One day, everyone’s obsessed with a TikTok trend. The next, it’s ancient history. For brands, this rapid pace isn’t just a challenge - it’s an opportunity. But if you snooze, you lose, and there’s nothing more awkward than a brand jumping on a trend when it’s faded into irrelevance.
So, how do you stay ahead? The answer is simple: act quickly, put your own spin on things and keep it entertaining. In this article, we’ll dive into why reacting to trends matters, how good brands get it right and how Cubaka can help your brand stay relevant.
Why Timing is Everything
Social media trends can be fleeting. Unless they become an evergreen format, they’re everywhere on your feed one moment and gone the next. If your brand isn’t quick to react, you risk being left behind or, worse, looking outdated.
Take the recent ‘HomeGoods’ trend started by TikTok creator Aubrey Gavello. It’s simple: someone asks for a bizarrely specific item (“Do you have a tiny porcelain giraffe playing the banjo?”), and their assistant magics up the perfect thing. It’s quirky, relatable, and hilariously spot-on for shoppers.
Brands that jumped on this trend while it was fresh saw success. For example, Reformation didn’t just copy the trend - they made it their own. Instead of random homeware, they collaborated with Aubrey and used the format to showcase their clothing. Their take was funny, relevant, and totally aligned with their brand voice.
The result? A playful post that resonated with their audience, saw huge engagement and kept them top of mind.
Why Virality Matters
Virality isn’t just about the numbers - it’s about making your audience feel something. Whether it’s humour, nostalgia, or surprise, the emotional connection is what makes people share your content.
When a brand successfully goes viral, it:
Increases Visibility: Your content reaches new audiences, often far beyond your usual followers.
Builds Community: People rally around relatable or entertaining content, creating a sense of belonging.
Drives Conversations: Viral moments often spill over into press coverage, amplifying your message even further.
By understanding what resonates with their audience, brands can create shareable content that sparks engagement and keeps them in the cultural conversation.
The Cringe Factor: Why Late is Too Late
Nothing screams “cringe” like a brand hopping on a trend weeks after it’s fizzled out. Social media users won’t hesitate to call out attempts that feel forced or way too late to the party.
Being reactive isn’t just to keep up appearances; it’s to show your audience you understand them and their culture. When brands are too slow, they don’t just miss the moment. They commit the cardinal sin of social – being out of touch.
But there’s another side to this: being fast doesn’t mean cutting corners. Reacting without fully understanding a trend or its context can be disastrous, and brands have been called out for getting it wrong.
Take Bioré for example. The brand was quick to jump on the popular trend of skincare and storytelling, partnering with influencer Cecille Max-Brown in 2023.
In the now-deleted video, Max-Brown referenced surviving a school shooting during a skincare routine featuring Bioré products, sparking backlash for suggesting skincare could help with trauma and exploiting personal struggles for marketing.
Being reactive is essential, but so is doing your homework.
How to React Quickly and Get It Right
Jumping on trends isn’t just about speed. It’s about knowing what works for your brand. Here’s how to nail it:
Keep Your Finger on the Pulse
Trends don’t wait, so your brand needs to monitor platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter in real time.Stay True to Your Voice
Not every trend will fit your brand, and that’s fine. The key is picking the ones that feel appropriate and authentic.Make It Yours
Copying a trend won’t get you noticed - adding your unique twist will. Think about how you can use the trend to showcase your brand’s personality.Engage With Your Audience
The conversation doesn’t stop once you’ve posted. Jump into the comments, reply to fans and keep the momentum going.Learn From the Hits (and the Misses)
Every trend offers a chance to refine your strategy. Analyse what worked, what didn’t and use those insights to improve your future content.
Stay Ahead With Cubaka
Keeping up with social media trends doesn’t have to be a headache. We help brands spot opportunities, create engaging content and stay culturally relevant. Whether it’s identifying the next viral moment or crafting your clever twist for it, we’ve got you covered.
Staying on top of trends can feel overwhelming, but we make it easy. Social monitoring is invariably biased towards the user, showing content suited to their own tastes and interests. This is why we do things differently.
We take the time to train social media algorithms by immersing ourselves in the same digital spaces as your audience, gaining an unbiased view of their culture, community and what’s trending. Our unique approach makes sure we’re tuned into your audience’s world, so you don’t have to rely on guesswork or risk missing key moments.
When the next viral trend rolls around, we make sure your brand isn’t just part of the conversation – it leads it.
Ready to make your brand the talk of the timeline? Let’s chat.