Trends and brand relevance—4 ways marketers can grow by connecting culture and consumers

Gen Z Voices explores the Gen Z perspective on marketing, technology, social media and the future of the ad industry. Submit your essays here. What’s the difference between Barbiecore and the kind of seismic shift that could reframe your entire business? Not every brand understands the importance of being “on trend,” and some struggle to grasp what trends mean to business. Trends aren’t just something to hop on, but a dynamic to understand as a key to future growth. Being able to identify and act on changing attitudes and consumer behaviors helps brands maintain cultural relevancy. No one wants to be the next cautionary tale of a brand failing to read the signs of the times, as did Blockbuster, Kodak or X. So how can businesses identify and use trends to their advantage? First, identify what kind of trend is in front of you: aesthetic, category, sociocultural or demographic. Aesthetic trends Let’s start with the fastest-moving shifts. Viral moments focused on commercial innovation or design can be characterized as aesthetic trends. Ad Age Gen Z Contributor Column We welcome Gen Zers to submit fresh takes exploring Gen Z within the ad industry Learn more here This doesn’t mean jumping on the latest meme. It’s more about speaking the language of a given platform and following its norms. When your brand can leverage an aesthetic trend well, it shows you’re socially savvy. Take McDonald’s Grimace Shake trend. As most aesthetic trends or viral movements go, this one moved fast. When the brand brought back its retro character Grimace, he—and his birthday shake—took over TikTok. Instead of leaning into its newfound virality or making its own video to add to the hype, McDonald’s gave a subtle, approving head nod to the viral creations. It had the keen awareness that being “in on the joke” was more relevant than glomming onto it. It let creators do their thing, responding in a way that respected the social platform. Reacting to an aesthetic trend in this way shows your brand is paying attention. It signals that you’re native to the channel and can keep up with consumers and the distinct vernacular that exists across social media. Category trends Some trends can transform how your brand communicates and shows up in the world. Does the trend feel specific to an industry? Does it inform future communication, product or innovation? Then it’s a category trend. In the auto industry, for example, there have always been distinct narratives associated with brands. BMW has been built on performance, Ford will always be tough, and Volvo is synonymous with safety. Check out the latest Ad Age events and award programs Recognizing a growing desire for luxury experiences and increased competition in the category, Volvo launched the “Overseas Delivery Tourist.” Customers design their custom car, are flown to Sweden and can see their cars’ final journey on assembly lines. They then receive a temporary European driving permit, can drive cross-country at their leisure before the retailer ships the car to their home. Volvo didn’t have to overhaul its positioning, nor did it have to step away from its core equity of safety. Within the modern context, Volvo simply recognized that safety is the new luxury. The key is that Volvo is still about safety, but safety has been reframed as a new offering—in this case, as a luxury. Sociocultural trends Understanding sociocultural trends—those that speak to consumer behavior—is also crucial. The growing sense of distrust for big businesses among younger consumers is a perfect example. It’s colored where they spend their dollars, how much they spend and the brands they interact with. An articulation of this is the increase in popularity of private labels and name-brand dupes. Consumers are increasingly opting into lower priced store brands, with some even touting knockoffs as better and more relevant than originals. By simply recognizing the shift, a brand can respond in ways that feel thoughtful and relevant. Consider Lululemon. Having caught wind that its leggings were the latest product to be duped, it launched a response strategy. It hosted a “Dupe Swap,” encouraging consumers to trade their knockoffs for the original. Said Chief Brand Officer Nikki Neuburger, “It felt like a fun way to step into a cultural conversation.” Awareness and transparency of this type of consumer shift can change the dialogue around your brand. It allows you to take charge when the cultural conversations changes direction. Demographic trends In addition to understanding its customer demographics, brands should ask interesting and unique questions such as, “Who’s my accidental audience?” or “What is my brand’s geek factor?” to uncover untapped consumers. For example, one might consider the social media choice of Gen X to be almost exclusively Facebook. However, nearly 30% of TikTok users are made up of Gen Xers. Today, with virtually unlimited access to all kinds of data and information, we can see all kinds of nuance. Overlapping audiences, unlikely consumers and greater depths of insight than could ever be represented by traditional marketing models are far more accessible. Ultimately, the most important point is that trends aren’t about predicting the future, they’re about being prepared for it. Recalibrating your understanding of trends can help you prepare for inevitable shifting attitudes and plan for years to come. This doesn’t mean that brands should try to make something of any and every trend they see. Somewhere between the bandwagon and being mired in your history is a sweet spot where brands exercise their activation muscle and learn how to connect with culture. To make the most of these shifts, you need to understand what’s at the core of your brand—where you have equity and where you can meaningfully play. Also, appreciate the distinction between the latest meme and an opportunity to shift business direction and you’ll be able to claim relevance for years to come. Check out the latest Ad Age events and award programs

Trends and brand relevance—4 ways marketers can grow by connecting culture and consumers

Featured Stories