5 new TikTok trends that brands can follow

Several of TikTok's biggest trends over the last few weeks have revolved around video templates from the video editing app CapCut. With the app, TikTok users can participate in viral trends on the platform simply by inserting photos or short video clips into pre-existing templates that include a green screen. The hashtag #CapCut has over 3 trillion views on TikTok, demonstrating its massive influence on setting platform trends and determining popular video formats. Even though brands can, in many cases, simply plug content into these CapCut templates, it’s important to understand the context of the overarching trends behind them. And the majority of trends still rely on users putting a creative spin on an audio clip or a general video structure rather than strictly using a template. Here are the latest TikTok trends that brands can incorporate into their content on the platform. Finn Wolfhard snapping Actor Finn Wolfhard is best known for his roles in “Stranger Things” and the horror film series “It”—but, lately, he’s taken TikTok by storm as the face of perhaps the most ubiquitous video template trending on the platform as of writing. The video template features Wolfhard sauntering toward the camera before coming to a stop, snapping and nodding at the camera with a smirk. After user @ur_kitty_.0 used the template on Jan. 13 to time the snap of the actor to a change in the photo behind him—set against a sped-up version of the chorus from Timabaland’s 2007 song “Give It To Me”—thousands of other TikTok users began similarly leveraging the template to illustrate sudden changes. Using the template, users have pointed out seemingly overnight shifts in beauty and fashion trends, while others highlighted how everything, from their interests in music to their skincare routines, has changed, often emphasizing the sudden, “random” nature of the switch with onscreen text. Some users also brought brands into the mix and noted redesigns of brands’ logos, products or stores. Thus far, the template has been featured in thousands of videos, with over 20 million combined views across hashtags such as #FinnWolfhardMeme and #FinnWolfhardSnapping. And brands, too, can harness the video format—whether to poke fun at themselves, as Topgolf did to joke about the sports entertainment company’s tendency to establish new sites near highways, or to showcase their success or growth, as in the case of jewelry brand Kendra Scott demonstrating how the brand’s product offerings have evolved. @kendrascott We’re not just statement earrings anymore 😉 #kendrascott #fyp ♬ original sound - 𖡼𖤣𖥧𖡼𓋼𖤣𖥧𓋼𓍊 Conversely, brands could utilize the template to demonstrate how they haven’t changed by keeping the photo behind Wolfhard the same both before and after he snaps. For example, lifestyle brand Hill House put a cheeky spin on the trend to point out a minor change in the brand’s TikTok icon for the launch of its Valentine’s Day collection. Ad Age Leading Women and Rising Stars Last call for the annual awards Enter here ‘Proof that not everything can be an album cover’ In 2021, the “Album Cover Challenge” swept across TikTok, inviting users to plug their photos and videos into a template and test whether the imagery could potentially function as an album cover. And, over the past few days, this video format has experienced a resurgence—albeit with a new, slightly different CapCut template. In this revival of the trend, TikTok users insert a series of short video clips into the template, and for each clip, the template counts down from five to one before turning a still image from the video into an album cover mock-up. The videos also begin with on-screen text reading “Proof that not everything can be an album cover”—accompanied by a matching text-to-speech voiceover of that statement—before transitioning to the song “Money” by The Drums. Ironically, the trend demonstrates that nearly any image can make for a suitable album cover, whether the user is featuring their most photogenic and aesthetically-pleasing videos or a skateboarding traffic cone. Thousands of viewers are trying out the challenge for themselves, with the hashtag #albumcover receiving nearly 55 million views and over 10,000 new videos within the last seven days, per TikTok data. Because of the subjective nature of what qualifies as an “album cover,” brands can easily participate in this trend using essentially any video content related to their products, mascots, stores or even employees. And several brands already have, from Crate & Barrel to the University of Alabama athletics department. @crateandbarrel Proof that EVERYTHING can be an album cover… 😏 Which album cover is your fave? #albumcover #proofthatnoteverythingcanbeanalbumcover #albumcoverchallenge #albumcovertrend #thankscrateandbarrel ♬ original sound - Oliver ‘One kiss is all it takes’ YouTuber IShowSpeed, who also simply goes by “Speed,” has over 15 million subscribers on the platform—but now, he’s going viral on TikTok. A new CapCut template features a moment from one of Speed’s 2022 YouTube videos, in which he attempted to follow along to a choreographed routine from the “Just Dance” video game series set to the 2018 song “One Kiss” by Calvin Harris and Dua Lipa. In that video, Speed began following the on-screen dancer’s movements, singing along to the lyrics,” One kiss is all it takes,” before seemingly becoming frustrated and kicking over the camera recording him. With the CapCut template swapping the video’s backdrop for a green screen, TikTok users have used Speed’s moment of annoyance to add their own images behind the YouTuber and convey aggravating situations or upsetting ideas. User @cantcutapanini, for example, used the video format to bemoan the difficulty of studying anthropology in college, while user @blacksunday96 lamented the challenge of adding color to a digital sketch. A handful of brands have harnessed the template, too, from skincare brand Paula’s Choice expressing frustration at the idea of not wearing sunscreen daily, to Duolingo jokingly protesting fan art of the brand’s mascot, Duo, that portrays the owl with abs and large arm muscles. @duolingo call me daddy 🥵🥵 #duolingo #languagelearning #DulaPeep #plzdontfireme ♬ original sound - JDM🔰🔱🏎️ This video format is essentially the opposite of the Finn Wolfhard snapping template, and brands can leverage it in a similar way—but to share annoying moments that TikTok users can relate to, rather than lighthearted or celebratory. For example, a makeup brand could plug a video clip of someone accidentally smudging an eye makeup look into the template; or, a coffee brand might use a video of someone spilling their morning drink. Pass, pass, pass … smash On TikTok, the question “smash or pass?” has expanded beyond its original meaning of whether or not a person views another as attractive, with “smash” meaning they would hypothetically have sex with that person, and “pass,” meaning they would not. Today, many TikTok users employ the words “smash” or “pass” to simply indicate things they love or hate—as this latest platform trend demonstrates. On Jan. 22, TikTok user @realtormarketing uploaded a video using an audio clip from one of YouTuber Markiplier’s videos, in which Markiplier says, “Pass, pass, pass,” then pauses before saying, “smash.” Though the audio had existed on TikTok before this, @realtormarketing’s video spurred a revival of the trending sound and drove thousands of other users to join in on the trend and use the format to describe various things they like or dislike—from book genres to brands of soda. In just over two weeks, users have made over 76,000 videos using this specific audio clip, in addition to copies of the same sound. Several brands have also put their own spin on the audio. Both Little Moons Mochi and beauty brand e.l.f. used the video format to promote new products from their brands, for example, while the airline Ryanair nodded to the racy origin of the phrase “smash or pass” and rated direct messages the brand had received on TikTok. @littlemoonsmochi This isn’t a drill!! Brand new VEGAN Little Moons ❤️🫶 tag someone who needs to try this #VeganTikTok #UKVegan @Asda #NewVeganFoods ♬ Pass or Smash - 💜The Simple Touches💜 Other brands can apply the audio in similar ways, from showcasing new or trending products, to positioning themselves as the “smash” option in comparison to rival brands or products, to pointing out an important element of the brand. ‘Sing if you …’ The final CapCut template currently trending on TikTok functions in a similar way to the previous trend, enabling users and brands alike to highlight things they like or dislike in an engaging way. The template features TikTok user @ayame.p singing along to the chorus of Rihanna’s song “Umbrella,” at times going silent and at others passionately belting the lyrics. @ayame.p’s original video, posted last January, involved her dueting another user’s video that had asked users to “sing along if you find them attractive”—with “them” referring to various British actors from the TV series “Doctor Who.” The current CapCut template, though, eliminates that original context, allowing TikTok users to pair @ayame.p’s reactions with various images of their own. Tens of thousands of TikTok users have taken the template to share their thoughts on everything from the outfits Harry Styles wore during his ongoing tour to their opinions on different makeup products. Brands quickly jumped on the trend, as well, with Lululemon setting the template against pictures of several of its products, and the account for the Empire State Building doing the same with various buildings in New York City. @empirestatebldg We are the best of the best #empirestatebuilding #newyork #nyc #rhianna ♬ som original - any The sentiment with this trend is, again, similar to the “smash or pass” audio, and brands follow the lead of the above examples to showcase a series of products or elements of the brand while pitting them against less-desirable alternatives.

5 new TikTok trends that brands can follow

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