Wes Anderson trend on TikTok or how social media reaches for the stars
Laurent Fran?ois
Managing Partner, 180 (TBWA, Omnicom) | Luxury | Brand Strategy | Digital & Social Media Communications
The latest TikTok trend proves that when it comes to poetry and liveness, users are capable of enchanting the mundane and the everyday.
Transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary is sometimes one of the small pleasures of social media. Wes Anderson, whose creative universe is recognizable among thousands, has also become a phenomenon on TikTok, with over 806 million views (!) around a trend bearing his name.
The principle: make short video capsules based on a sentence in the form of an injunction, "please don't act like you're in a Wes Anderson film."
Where the trend becomes interesting is when it is applied to universes far from entertainment, and which still hit the hearts of viewers. My favorite video is that of Valeria Shashenok, a young Ukrainian who has attracted millions of followers on TikTok by documenting her daily life under Russian bombs. A humorous tone to denounce a horrible situation.
The ingredients are certainly known, but the alchemy around this Wes Anderson trend is quite spectacular:
émile Zola, the famous French author of Germinal, already expressed in a letter to Henry Céard in 1885 his obsession with seeking to "leap into the stars through the trampoline of exact observation." In other words, gradually bringing the reader towards the sensory world without detaching from reality. A feeling that is very difficult to explain and that we experience in certain moments of grace. It is undoubtedly in this tradition that these millions of small videos made from TikTok templates and which never seem to stop being reinvented fit.
领英推荐
But why Wes Anderson and not another director? This is where fan communities give weight to an idea. The Wes Anderson Palettes Tumblr account has been running online for years, revealing the different colors of iconic scenes.
Or Accidentally Wes Anderson on Instagram, an account followed by almost 2 million people that showcases places in the world that resemble the director's universe.
These communities gather around a mission, delimited in its expression or format (submit a photo, study the colour grading and colour codes of an image, adapt a TikTok template to make a video) and in its purpose (connect with other Wes Anderson fans, surprise people, etc.). This creative leap from daily life is what first makes people understand and then adhere; to then try to bring their own contributions. Georges Perec in Radioscopie spoke about the importance of the "background noise of life." And that ultimately we do not take the time to see the beauty and the exceptional in what is quietly humming.
"When a subway train runs, people are almost hostile little entities. If the subway stops, if there is an incident, if something tears through the daily routine, then people will start talking to each other." Georges Perec
These are good learnings for brands trying to reach a certain level of fame in social networks. At the end, the extraordinary can happen through a simple lens, a simple value proposal, not only made to hook people but to make them expect something for them. It's the "Ta-dum" of Netflix we're aiming for: the little something brought to a non-captive audience, with no big patience, which can immediately endeavours a tension, a crave.
Long live the praise of the ordinary.
Cultural Marketer & Global Branding
1 年Great article and insights! My favorite is the one from the creator in Indonesia.
Consultante stratégies d'influence(s) social media - En Public(s) - corporate - BtoB - intérêt général - ESS Lyon - Paris
1 年?? Voilà une trend que je kiffe ;)
Global Communications Director; Founder; Board Member; Writer
1 年Memes normally depict micro-trends. But when an entire aesthetic is memed it reveals a mega-trend or cultural sentiment. For me, the adoption of Wes Anderson’s absurdist gaze reveals the sentiment of fear, restlessness, existentialism, nihilism and complacency. Its virality, however, brings a sense of hope in our shared humanity. And yes, Laurent Fran?ois you’re right, that’s pretty poetic :)
Management Educator, Coach, Innovator, Author
1 年Wow! What an insightful read! I often encourage students to identify and transfer creative patterns across unrelated domains and this is such a great example of the practice. Thanks for this and all your abundant thought-provoking posts!
Deputy Managing Director @Mogul, TBWA\Group
1 年Air Baltic did it and it's good ! -> https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cra0BGeorc5/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link