Should brands hold fire before posting their take on the latest social media trends?
In a fast-moving digital landscape, trend-driven content can boost visibility -but it also carries risks.
A third of consumers think it’s embarrassing when brands jump onto trends, according to the 2025 Sprout Social Index. Morning Consult has also reported that social media users would generally like to see brands hop on internet trends less often.
But brands shouldn’t adopt a blanket policy of staying out of social media culture either. What they need to do is stop reacting for the sake of reacting. In Sprout’s Social Index, authenticity and relatability are the traits that consumers value most from brands.
Many brands are cultivating a persona or voice for their brand online. Just like every trend can’t resonate with a real human, brands should be filtering for the trends that genuinely fit their identity.
It’s not only authentic, but it reduces the volume of unimaginative same-execution content that fatigues consumers in the first place.
By Jack Stratten, Head of Trends at retail trends agency Insider Trends.
