When you’ve spent a while on-line, you’ve most likely witnessed many cases of trendjacking.
Trendjacking can are available in many varieties. For instance, when individuals are speaking about an occasion like Thanksgiving, a grocery model might invite their customers to share their favourite or worst Thanksgiving reminiscences involving certainly one of its merchandise.
Or when one model is within the information and a competitor makes use of the state of affairs to take a dig at them and make their very own firm look higher.
Injecting your model into trending conversations and occasions that initially had little to do together with your firm is a robust technique for successful over audiences and boosting your publicity.
Nevertheless, there’s a advantageous line between profiting from traits to shine a lightweight in your model, merchandise, and providers and doing or saying one thing that will get your model in hassle.
Hold studying to seek out out:
- How trendjacking can profit your model and find out how to decide which traits to hijack
- Moral methods to take part in trending subjects with out incurring any PR dangers
- The errors to keep away from to maximise the success of your trendjacking methods
Understanding trendjacking
Trendjacking is the artwork of inserting your model into common conversations by creating content material round these subjects or occasions to attach together with your viewers and draw consideration to your services.
Though it feels new, this advertising and marketing technique has been round for a very long time. It’s the identical concept behind manufacturers capitalizing on particular intervals like Mom’s Day, Christmas, and Valentine’s Day to increase consciousness, improve gross sales, and talk your model values.
The one distinction is that whilst you can create seasonal content material upfront, you possibly can’t at all times plan which traits you’re going to hijack forward of time. It is because traits are unpredictable and consistently altering.
That you must be plugged into the information cycle and on-line tradition so you possibly can establish new traits that your model can shortly bounce on earlier than the hype passes and the group strikes on to a brand new obsession.
When performed proper, trendjacking is a potent recipe for:
- massively rising model attain and engagement
- attracting followers
- showcasing authenticity
- driving conversions
- interesting to new market segments,
- getting low cost or free publicity
- humanizing your model
- deepening buyer relationships by storytelling
The traits you jack and the way you leverage them matter an awesome deal. When you make the fallacious strikes, your trendjacking marketing campaign can simply as simply fail, or worse, earn you backlash and harm your model repute.
Crafting a accountable trendjacking technique
The great thing about trendjacking is that you simply don’t should engineer a brand new dialog from scratch and spend hours or weeks attempting to get individuals to care about it.
The dialog is already occurring, your viewers is already captivated with it, you simply have to piggyback on that enthusiasm and tailor it to your corporation.
So how do you employ trendjacking as a neighborhood advertising and marketing tactic responsibly so your model reaps solely the nice advantages and not one of the nasty potential unwanted side effects?
Analysis and analysis: Figuring out related traits on your model
With trendjacking, relevance is extra vital than merely leaping on a scorching matter. Not all traits will work on your model or viewers and forcing it’ll solely confuse and alienate your viewers and make the content material seem unoriginal.
For instance, an HR agency will discover it straightforward to insert itself into conversations about exhibits like Succession, Trade, or The Workplace since they’re based mostly on the company world which its viewers can simply relate to. Nevertheless, it could have a more durable time connecting its model to a trending story about energy outages.
Earlier than making any strikes, take a while to analysis trending subjects and be sure you actually perceive what they’re about. Ask your self whether or not the development you’re contemplating is according to your model picture
- Will your viewers have the appropriate body of reference to decode the message you’re attempting to move alongside by way of the development?
- Will it look like you’re attempting too arduous to power a connection that isn’t?
- Is there tangible worth—suppose web site visits, e-mail signups, social shares, and many others.—to be gained from jacking a selected development?
When you can’t reply these questions positively, stroll away and look ahead to a proper that’s best for you.
Aligning development relevance with model values and messaging
Your trendjacking efforts will fall flat on its face in case you don’t have an attention-grabbing angle so as to add to the dialog. Do not forget that if the subject is trending, it means tons of individuals together with different manufacturers are already speaking about it.
Be artistic. Assume outdoors the field. Embrace your boldest concepts. Put your trademark spin on the meme, problem, or matter. The purpose is to face out whereas mixing in.
For instance, after COVID-19 hit, it was the subject that dominated everybody’s lives, particularly through the lockdown. Uber was capable of keep prime of thoughts and increase buyer belief with its “Thank You For Not Using” marketing campaign, encouraging passengers and drivers to cease the unfold of the virus by staying house.
The content material you create mustn’t solely align with the development, it needs to be constant together with your model’s id, messaging, and tone of voice. In case your communication fashion sometimes drips with humor, your trendjack ought to replicate that as properly besides the development is centered round a tragedy.
Setting boundaries: Realizing when and find out how to interact
Don’t be like Pepsi which acquired international backlash when it tried to advertise its product and generate engagement by hopping on the Black Lives Matter dialog with its “Reside For Now” marketing campaign.
The advert was broadly criticized for trivializing and exploiting the protest in opposition to police brutality. Pepsi ended up pulling the business and issuing an apology.
Until you propose to offend individuals and spoil your repute, it’s good to be aware of your trendjacking method. Your content material shouldn’t be tone-deaf or make mild of significant points.
When you’re undecided you can contribute to a fragile or controversial matter with out coming throughout as insensitive or inappropriate, go away the development alone. It’s higher to not take part than to hitch in and go viral for the fallacious causes.
Finest practices for moral trendjacking
Right here’s find out how to implement a trendjacking technique that helps strengthen your on-line presence, will get you into present conversations, and retains you from turning into a PR cautionary story.
Creating genuine and value-driven content material inside traits
Individuals can at all times inform when a bit of content material feels pressured and insincere. Keep true to who you might be and what audiences have come to like about your model.
Chorus from repeating what everybody else is saying. As an example, if there’s a viral problem or a well-liked meme, think about how your model’s customized t-shirts might play a job in that narrative. May you design a t-shirt that captures the essence of the development in a enjoyable and respectful means? Do one thing completely different together with your messaging that speaks to the development whereas additionally reinforcing your model messaging.
Remember that you’re not restricted to leaping on trending subjects in your {industry} solely. You possibly can reap the benefits of discussions revolving round different industries so long as you could find a real technique to insert your model’s voice.
As an example, when IHOP made the short-lived determination to vary its identify to IHOB, social media erupted with feedback. Many manufacturers trendjacked the information together with Netflix which seized the chance to make a joke about altering its identify to Netflib.
Netflix’s tweet amused audiences, incomes 390K likes and a ton of engagement, proving that you simply don’t should do an excessive amount of together with your trendjacking posts to make them genuine and efficient.
Partaking responsibly: Including worth with out exploiting traits
The important thing to utilizing trendjacking as an moral advertising and marketing technique is to suppose earlier than you interact. It’s a must to be deliberate concerning the subjects you trendjack and what you deliver to the desk.
Discover a means so as to add worth to the subject. This may embrace creating promoting campaigns, organizing a fundraiser, posting humorous commentary on social media, writing weblog posts, or designing infographics to offer additional details about the trending subjects.
Don’t get up one morning and determine to leap on a development about minority teams or social points if you by no means confirmed that you simply cared about these communities or subjects earlier than then. Moderately than getting constructive consideration, your actions could also be seen as tone-deaf or opportunistic.
When you’re going to insert your model into information tales about controversial topics resembling faith, politics, civil rights, and tragic occasions, take a principled stand.
Be ready to stroll your discuss and deal with no matter comes your means because of this as a result of not everybody could be proud of what it’s a must to say.
Monitoring and reacting: Agility in responsibly collaborating in traits
Earlier than you possibly can trendjack, you first have to know what tales are trending. Staying on prime of conversations and breaking information throughout completely different channels will will let you establish rising traits.
So you possibly can react shortly and give you precious and artistic responses to the traits that middle your clients and model story.
A number of the methods you possibly can keep updated on traits are by organising information alerts for model, rivals, and industry-related key phrases and utilizing social listening instruments like Point out, Buzzsumo, Sprout Social, and Google
You too can observe influencer advertising and marketing traits, use information aggregator instruments, observe trending hashtags, and even join mailing providers and lists which might be related to your corporation and viewers.
Your work will not be performed after your trendjacking submit goes dwell. You continue to have to control the viewers’s response to your content material.
If the engagement is constructive, you’ll wish to maintain the excitement going by interacting with the feedback individuals go away you. And in case your stunt appears prefer it’s backfiring, you possibly can shortly pull the plug and take steps to deal with it earlier than it turns into a full-blown PR catastrophe.
Navigating challenges and dangers of trendjacking
Whereas trendjacking holds immense potential for amplifying model visibility and enhancing customer support by exhibiting your viewers that you simply care about them and the issues they’re affected by, it’s not utterly foolproof.
There are dangers it’s good to think about and moral requirements to uphold when jacking a trending narrative to realize publicity for your corporation.
Potential pitfalls: Frequent errors in trendjacking
Listed below are some trendjacking blunders to keep away from if you wish to scale back or escape the hazards of positioning your self as a part of present occasions and tales.
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Aggressively selling your model
Trendjacking is an oblique model promotion tactic. The purpose is to get individuals to note and keep in mind your model due to your contribution to the development.
In case your value-add to the dialog is compelling sufficient, it’ll naturally encourage clients to go to your web site, request a gross sales demo, or purchase from you. You don’t want to make use of the trendjacking submit to straight promote your services or products. Doing so could make your submit appear inauthentic and switch off your viewers.
Generally, manufacturers are so keen to leap on a development earlier than the excitement does out that they don’t take the time to correctly perceive the context behind it. A very good instance of that is the time DiGiorno Pizza hijacked a trending hashtag #WhyIStayed on Twitter.
What the model assumed to be a humorous development was truly a way for survivors of home violence to share their tales and lift consciousness concerning the matter. As you possibly can think about, DiGiorno’s tweet was not properly acquired.
Some occasions and tales don’t name for a humorous or lighthearted spin. Don’t trendjack only for the heck of it. Know your viewers and adapt your messaging to go well with their stance and feelings across the trending topic.
Regardless of how intelligent you suppose your commentary is, don’t share it if there’s an opportunity it’ll be thought of to be in poor style by the bulk.
Mitigating dangers: Disaster administration in trendjacking
When you don’t have a disaster administration technique as a part of your model plan, create one earlier than you embark on a trendjacking marketing campaign. That you must have pointers for coping with any potential backlash which will come up, so that you don’t find yourself scrambling and making the fallacious strikes ought to you end up within the scorching seat.
The way you method a disaster to salvage your model repute will depend upon the particular situation. Some circumstances might require you to take down your trendjack marketing campaign and concern a public assertion, whereas others might name so that you can keep silent and look ahead to the warmth to move.
With a disaster communication plan, you possibly can simply adapt to the state of affairs and take strategic motion to handle public reactions and outcomes.
Profitable trendjacking tales to encourage you
Listed below are some latest examples of moral trendjacking campaigns from real-life manufacturers that made a splash for all the appropriate causes.
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Ikea Water Bottle Rebrand
Supply: Clios
In 2021, Christiano Ronaldo wrecked Coca-Cola’s market worth after he rejected a bottle of Coke and inspired individuals to drink water as an alternative in the midst of a press convention for the Euro Championships soccer event.
The story instantly went viral, inviting feedback and press mentions from throughout the globe. Ikea brilliantly hijacked the development by altering the identify of its line of reusable water bottles to “Christiano” and selling it throughout social media with the hashtag #Euro2020.
When Fb impressed the #10yearschallenge by asking customers to share a photograph of themselves from 10 years in the past vs what they appear to be in 2019, responses poured in from hundreds of thousands of people and types.
UN Girls efficiently leveraged the development to unfold its message and spark conversations about gender equality and girls’s rights. The group made its #10YearChallenge concerning the Oscars and the truth that no feminine director was nominated for the award in 2019, the identical because the 2009 Oscars.
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Budweiser and the Beer Trophy
Supply: Clios
When Qatar introduced that alcohol can be banned from stadiums on the 2022 World Cup, simply two days earlier than the video games had been scheduled to start, it despatched the web right into a spin.
Many soccer and beer lovers had been displeased by this growth, together with Budweiser, the official beverage sponsor for the competitors. At first, Budweiser, reacted by posting a tweet saying, “Effectively, that is awkward,” which it later deleted.
Then it determined to earn some constructive protection from the trending story by saying that the successful nation would get to take house all of Budweiser’s unsold beer together with their trophy.
The marketing campaign, cleverly titled “Carry Dwelling the Bud,” dominated the information cycle proper up until the top of the event.
Supercharge your model visibility with efficient trendjacking
Trendjacking is a high-risk, high-reward digital advertising and marketing tactic. Your capacity to behave shortly and tie your model to breaking information and evolving traits will decide how impactful your trendjacking efforts will likely be.
As lengthy your message aligns with the context of every development and also you’re cautious about what you say, you possibly can increase your search engine optimisation rankings, drive conversions, strengthen model recall, and interact audiences in real-time with out harming your corporation’ picture.
