Ideas begin on the periphery before entering the mainstream. Every notion we take for granted today started life in complete obscurity. The Persian cavalry invented high heels in the 10th century to help them ride horses. In the 17th century, King Louis XIV popularized red high heels in Europe as a symbol of power and wealth. By the 1800s, women started wearing high heels as a fashion statement. It took 800 years for high heels to become a global trend. Limited information networks, slow transportation and resistance to foreign ideas stunted cultural exchange. Marco Polo spent three years travelling from Venice to Beijing by ship, horse, camel and foot. In 2025, a message can travel around the world in a matter of seconds.
New ideas spread faster and more widely than at any point in history. The proliferation of information has changed our understanding of what constitutes a trend. A trend used to represent a changing pattern of values, ideas and behaviors. Trends were emergent, transformative and semi-permanent. Like the revival of classical Greek and Roman culture in Renaissance Italy. The blending of African, Latin and European music by African American communities during The Jazz Age in 1920s America. And the rejection of traditional norms and embrace of rock and roll in the 1960s. Each cultural period had unique and competing markers of identity, often lasting for decades.
In contrast, trends are now viewed as fleeting moments, void of cultural meaning. Brands and marketers should apply the Lindy Effect when exploring and analysing culture. The Lindy Effect posits that the longer something has been around, the more likely it is to continue to exist. Around 7.5 million blogs are posted every day. More than 500 hours of video is uploaded to YouTube every minute. And 34 million videos are posted on TikTok every day. Most people are not seeing the same content at the same time. We no longer have a shared cultural frame of reference. The rest of this article explores how we got here and why brands need to escape the TikTokification of cultural trends.
Fleeting Memes
Andy Warhol famously said: “In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes.” The same premise can be applied to social media trends. All trends go through five key stages: introduction, rise, peak, decline and obsolescence. The stages haven’t changed, but the volume has increased, and the speed has accelerated. We end up confusing social media fads for cultural trends. These fleeting memes have such a short life expectancy that they’re often hard to recall once they disappear from the spotlight. In the words of the Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu: “The flame that burns twice as bright burns half as long.”
Remember when the Stanley cup went viral? The 110-year-old brand became a must-have accessory for young people. The company’s revenue jumped from $75 million in 2022 to $750 million in 2024. But now, the brand is experiencing backlash for being the latest symbol of overconsumption. How about Barbie-mania? For a month, everything was Barbie pink, with brands trying to capitalize on the hype around the movie. But very quickly, Barbie-mania gave way to Brat Summer, a trend which was adopted by Kamala Harris’ campaign. Marketing departments often seed such moments—with paid influencers—but micro-trends usually take on a life of their own when early adopters share and remix the content on social media.
Micro-trends are always changing. What was hot last week is irrelevant the following week. The transient nature of micro-trends makes it impossible for brands to keep on top of the latest memes. The short window to capitalize results in much effort with little return. With every micro-trend comes an equally strong backlash against the so-called trend. Brands and marketers need to differentiate between fleeting fads and cultural trends. The difference resembles Sigmund Freud’s Iceberg Model, where the tip of the iceberg—in this case, social media fads – represents 10% of the equation despite being the most visible and easily accessible. The remaining 90% of culture is under the surface.
The sea of sameness
The proliferation of information and the micro-trend cycle has forced brands to submit to the all-knowing, all-powerful social media algorithm. Sameness has replaced originality. Each brand, irrespective of its history, audience and category, jumps on the same micro-trends in the hope of appearing culturally relevant and attracting a new generation of fans.
A quick scroll on social media will reveal hundreds of social media managers commenting under the same trending videos for clout. No doubt, a handful of challenger brands might benefit from the first-mover advantage, but the rest will simply fade into the For You Page (FYP) like a finely blended soup with no distinct flavor or texture. Except for a handful of brands with unique personalities like Duolingo, Ryanair and Scrub Daddy—most brands have no right play in the space. The unsolicited brand invasion of social spaces accelerates the death of micro-trends. Killing the vibe for young people and online communities. Like a random stranger trying to interrupt a conversation among friends.
The new approach by brands highlights the fragmentation of media and the decentralization of culture. Historically, brands had the power to set the agenda and get people to embrace new trends. Now, most brands are servants of the algorithm, randomly commenting on trending videos in the hope of being part of the conversation.
Build your own platform
Brands are desperate to jump on the next micro-trend, but most have nothing original to share. The purpose of a brand is to be distinctive and memorable, standing out from the competition. Being distinctive makes it easier for people to think of your brand in a buying situation. Chasing micro-trends and shouting into the social media abyss is a losing game with diminishing returns.
Brands can actively contribute to society without leeching off cultural moments and discourse. The first step is having a unique brand platform and something to share with the world. This creates the foundations for community collaboration and long-term cultural programmes that add real value to people. The difference between fleeting fads and cultural trends is almost impossible to detect through desktop research. Brands and agencies need to partner with cultural insiders who are shaping the future in mutually beneficial and non-extractive ways. The most iconic brands don’t chase trends; they embrace the future and empower cultural movements.