A Next Level Hater
January 29th — February 12th
Hey readers! Here’s our hot take: Enough nostalgia marketing! We get it, it’s a safe way to market products. It helps you signal to your desired demographic. But I’m getting tired. I’m not saying no to all nostalgia. For one thing, I welcome the return of serif fonts and it delights me to see those videos of designers making their designs look like old print ads. But it all feels too safe, and too motivated by a desire not to offend* (*the right-wing) with anything new or “woke.” Nostalgia can be fun but the context of its use is important. I think it’s something marketers could do a better job with.
🎵 Top Sounds 🎵
Our curated picks of the top sounds on TikTok
This feels like a sound with a lot of potential lately. Use this to get out your frustration.
A Little Goss 🤭
This sound may have under a hundred posts under it but it’s too fun not to include. There’s just something special about using a sound like this to imply penguins gossip.One Short Day 🥳
Wicked is still all over TikTok. You can use this sound on all kinds of content. A highlight is this usage over Eagles fans on horses.What do you hate to see? Use this sound to tell us.
My Way 🫡
This remix of My Way really sounds like it would be in the trailer of an action-comedy. I’m talking large budget, high flop potential. Use for edits or pair with this meme of Kendrick Lamar.
🔉Sound Highlight 🔉
Mood: 😣
Maybe it’s just my fyp but I feel like Cabaret clips have been all over recently. This line from the end of the musical is particularly suited to the present moment with institutions rolling back on equity and progress.
🌟Trend Highlight 🌟
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Use this CapCut template of Kendrick’s Superbowl half-time performance to express how much of a hater you are.
“I met my younger self for coffee” is the framing for a new trend where creators get to share their growth and hard-learned lessons. It can get a little repetitive though so the trend is ready for someone to throw in a twist.
💫 Post Highlight 💫
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Law firm ads have always been a little wild. It should be no surprise then that so many law firms are adept at producing unhinged TikToks. There’s something so fitting about Hamilton meeting California employment law and it’s a good example of educational content that doesn’t feel like a lesson.
Bonus S/O: This video is from the Philadelphia Eagles.
☕ The Zeitgeist ☕
Hot topics and discourse from across the internet
Poppi’s vending machine marketing gift backfired. Competitor OLIPOP was on the scene to convert the drama into brand support. The situation was a reminder that being labeled ‘out of touch’ is poison in creator marketing but also felt a little tired.
The Duolingo owl is dead— or as dead as a social media bird can be. Cause of death? Cyber truck.
It’s been a big week for pop-culture between the Superbowl, the Grammy’s, and perhaps most iconically— the “Ask An Axolotl” song.
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🥡 The Takeaway 🥡
What marketers are taking away from trends
Audience suggestions are underrated. One of my favorite things as a marketer (and overly online person) is seeing a comment or video suggesting an idea actually get made into content.
The creator Wisdom Kaye (@wisdm8) is particularly good at this— going a step further than stitching and replying to comments by making high production value content from audience suggestions.
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I expect we’ll see a more collaborative and community based approach to social media this year. Platforms have made it clear how much they want to prioritize community and subscriber spaces so it only makes sense for organizations and creators to get closer to their audience and make the content their viewers literally want to see.