Are You Trending?

At the end of February, the world was besieged by yet another trend:?Wordle.

Much like the name suggests, it's a word puzzle, extremely simple in execution. The objective is to guess a 5-letter word and your first ‘clue’ only starts after your first guess. No additional hints… No additional lives… Basically, no-frills.

Yet its popularity is now a worldwide phenomenon with?brands getting in on the action.?In this issue, we explore past and present trends and share advice on?#trendjacking.?

Wordle or Worldle or Nerdle?

With Wordle sweeping the internet, it wasn’t long before localised versions of the game and new takes on the theme appeared. There is Worldle for geography lovers and Nerdle for maths fans and even Taylordle, for Taylor Swift fans. Now brands are trendjacking the craze. See what LEGO did?here

Create your own Avatar!

People in the US, Canada, and Mexico can now create?3D versions of themselves on Instagram. We think it’s safe to say that with Meta being the parent company, the metaverse is quickly becoming a new reality.?

Why not get ahead of them and think about how creating your own avatars can help your brand win new fans? distillery can help!

And, if the metaverse fascinates you, read our founder Steve Wheen’s latest article in?New Digital Age, where he talks about how the metaverse could offer brands emotional connectivity at scale.

In summary...

Trendjacking is not something brands should take on lightly. Before you jump on the bandwagon, here are three important rules to keep in mind:

1. Be bold, but also beware: When looking to leverage big moments, it is always recommended to err on the side of caution. A prime example of what-not-to-do is the Pepsi x Kendall Jenner faux pas. No explanation needed on where this ad flopped while trying to be “woke”.
2. Be original: Sounds counterintuitive since you’re basically “stealing” a moment or idea, but while it’s expected by the audiences, the point of this is to still make it all about YOUR brand.
3. Be picky: Just because something is trending doesn’t mean you’re completely missing out by not participating. Ask yourself if this is the right trend for your brand, and identify what message you want to put behind it. If you find yourself having a hard time to think of one, then it’s probably not the trend for you.

We know it’s not easy to get these things right the first time, so if you’d ever like to have a chat to see if you’re headed in the right direction, or get a team to help execute an idea, we’re here for you. Get in touch here.

Happy trending,

P.S. The distillery team is growing! Follow us on LinkedIn to see our new?roles?across EMEA and APAC.

You can learn more about Diversity type here, brand purpose here, listen to our podcast here and get a coffee on us here.