TikTok has become a pillar of brand marketing strategies. The short-form video app has been the source of new influencers, user-generated content, and, of course, trends. The app’s algorithm makes popular content flourish—from viral dances to challenges to food dishes.
We’ve rounded up our top five TikTok trends from 2021.
Applebee’s got a new jingle earlier this year thanks to country music singer Walker Hayes. The song “Fancy Like” name-drops Applebee’s as the location for a date night. The song even calls out menu items like the Bourbon Street Steak and an Oreo milkshake. Applebee’s ran with the song, airing a campaign that also featured a dance challenge. The restaurant chain’s commercial featured TikToks of people dancing to the catchy song. (Hayes’ 15-year-old daughter choreographed the dance.) The dance challenge was a hit - #fancylike has over 745 million views on TikTok.
Emily Mariko is a long-time content creator who quickly built a following on TikTok thanks to her viral salmon bowl. Mariko’s videos are very simple, often of her cooking in her kitchen. One dish that caught viewers' attention involves cooked salmon, rice and a microwave trick where Mariko places an ice cube in her rice to reheat it, but the ice cube doesn’t melt. She then mashes together the salmon and rice, tops the dish with Kewpie mayo and Sriracha, and eats it with nori and avocado. The bowl became a TikTok food trend, with other influencers recreating and putting their own spins on Mariko's dish, including Lizzo’s vegan version.
As sorority rush got underway this summer one school, in particular, garnered national attention thanks to some clever outfits that fascinated users (both college-age and perhaps a bit older). The University of Alabama was trending on TikTok with the hashtag #bamrushtok. In the "outfit of the day" videos, sorority hopefuls are shown in their dorm rooms naming the brands they are wearing for the day. Brands like Kendra Scott, Steve Madden, Lilly Pulitzer, Asos, and Amazon were brought into the movement and were given an up-close look at how their customers were styling their products.
Emily Zugay, a 24-year-old graphic designer, is at the center of one of the biggest inside jokes on TikTok. Earlier this year, Zugay organically made a series of deadpan-humor videos where she “redesigned” some of the biggest brands' logos, including Amazon, Apple, and even TikTok itself. Brands and fans loved it, with some companies changing their TikTok profile picture to her design. Other companies were eager to get in on the action, posting in the videos' comments section offering up their own logos as redesign fodder. Traditional rebrands are a huge lift, costing time, money, and legal effort. But Zugay’s cavalier redesigns of brand logos gave companies a perfect opportunity to show that they are capable of leaning into the joke, and rolling with the tone of TikTok.
Is it a bones day or a no bones day? That is the central question for viewers who tune into Jonathan Graziano’s TikTok. Graziano, a social media manager, regularly checks to see if Noodle, his 13-year old pug, has “bones,” meaning he stays sitting up once roused from his wrinkly slumber, or “no bones,” where he slumps back into his bed. The little pug has amassed 4.6 million followers on TikTok.
To be clear, a “no bones” day doesn’t inherently mean that viewers will have a bad day. In “no bones” videos, Graziano often encourages viewers to take it easy on themselves, wear soft clothes, or pass on going out plans. On the other hand, a “bones” day is a day to still treat yourself or do your best—try something new, do well on a presentation, buy the more expensive pashmina.
Even brands are in on the furry forecaster, including Taco Bell, the Seattle Seahawks and NBC’s The Voice.
