Since marketing trends usually come and go with no indication of how long they will remain popular, it can be difficult to decide which trends to embrace and which to ignore. Making this decision requires careful evaluation of the trend's impact on your audience, business goals, and budget, as well as the potential duration of the trend.
Below, 15 Forbes board members explore some of the key points to consider when deciding whether a brand should adopt a particular marketing direction. By considering these factors, companies can decide whether to follow this trend and, if so, how to incorporate it into their existing marketing strategy.
1. Decide if it is a good fit for your brand
The decision to adopt or ignore a marketing trend often comes down to whether it makes sense for your brand. It's about your brand personality, your voice, your target audience, your values, and more. Marketing trends come and go, just as fashion trends always come and go. So don't be afraid to ditch the next big marketing trend if it doesn't fit your brand. Gavin Baker, Baker Marketing Lab
2. Check if it makes sense to your proposal
Marketing trends always come and go, but advertisers need to think critically and determine if each trend really makes sense for their product or offering. It won't always be the same for everyone, and sometimes adopting trends that don't align with your brand image or values can do more harm than good. Clients and customers value originality and consistency. - Rohan Khan, Orange Trail
3. Consider the potential longevity of the trend
Will it have a greater impact on your business if you follow this trend? Or is it something that only helps in the short term? Depending on your vision, you can choose directions that can help you achieve your short-term and long-term goals. - Hannah Trivett, NUVEW Web Solutions
4. Think about whether your customers will benefit from it
At the end of the day, it depends on whether or not it will benefit our customers. If Trend works for another brand, it will probably help at least one customer in our portfolio. If this turns out to be a real feature, we will first test it on a limited basis. The data will determine whether we are completely immersing ourselves. We will not chase fads at the expense of the solid practices that got us here. Tellef Lundevall, Accelerated Digital Media
The Forbes Agency Board is an invitation-only community of leaders in successful PR, media strategy, creative and advertising agencies. Am I eligible?
5. Do your research and ask people you trust
I usually do my research and ask myself and trusted colleagues the following questions: “Are friends and family doing this? If so, how are they using the trend and how old are they?” I also look to see if brands and/or CEOs of my clients do. I also see if the influencers and/or journalists I follow in the room are positively participating in this trend.”—Rachel Weiner, ROKK Solutions
6. Look at the potential return on investment
To decide whether to adopt or ignore a particular social media marketing trend, examine the direction's effectiveness and potential ROI. Consider whether it fits your brand and your audience, and see if it fits your budget and resources. A mock test can also be useful for evaluating results prior to implementation. - Zohaib Patoli The main origin
7. Follow the consumer
We follow the consumer. For customer briefings, we prioritize directions based on target groups. When it comes to investing in our skills, we look for trends that have a marketing edge. Hourglass economics (strong spending at the top and bottom of the economy, but steep in the middle) is an interesting candidate for us at the moment. Ray Lansigan, Publicis Group
8. Check the alignment between your mission and your brand voice
It is important to follow current trends, but not all trends should be followed. Understanding whether the direction is in line with the brand's overarching mission and sound is the first step. Also consider the resources available. Is there enough money, bandwidth, etc.? available? -JP Johl, AdTribute
9. Look for trends that help build relationships
Marketing trends come and go. I tend to embrace trends that build relationships because, for me, successful marketing builds relationships. So when a new trend or tool helps build deeper, faster, or broader relationships, I bring it to my team for evaluation. Dave Murray, Medical Impact
10. Consider short-term and long-term business implications
Consider the short-term and long-term effects of the trend on your business. Will it be a fad or is it likely to have a lasting impact? By assessing a marketing trend's relevance, value for money, and impact, you can make informed decisions to embrace it or ignore it and ensure that your marketing efforts align with your overall business strategy. - Seth Winterer, Digital Logic
11. Let your brand's personality guide you
Your brand personality should guide this decision. If your brand was personal, would you be part of that conversation? And if so, how will it be presented in a distinctive way? If these answers are obvious to your team, then testing is a great investment. You can create lasting brand awareness. - Mi Karfovsky, of course
12. Study direction and constraints
Explore the goals and limitations of today's services and platforms. If the services or platforms will quickly fill an urgent need for your agency or, more importantly, your clients, embrace it. If you look at it and see that it's a good thing but not necessary, feel free to accept it. If you review it and find that it conflicts with your agency or client's goals, ignore it. Justin Buckley, ATTN Agency
13. Distinguish between marketing trends and cultural trends
It is important to distinguish between marketing orientation and cultural orientation, which may have quasi-marketing potential. If the trend doesn't match your audience, it won't be a successful search. Spend some time on the customer journey and see where there are opportunities to make a bigger impact; In fact, they can be opportunities to apply a tactic or exploit a trend. - David Racine, Punch PR
14. Evaluate the different factors that can affect your brand
Whether or not you embrace a marketing trend or ignore it depends on certain factors: relevance to your brand and audience, evidence of effectiveness, value, opportunity, and uniqueness. Evaluate them before you decide if the marketing direction aligns with the business objectives and is well-informed. For example, when "doing it for the 'gram" was so important, we decided it made more sense for a significant demographic to connect with them on Facebook and LinkedIn. - Frank Rojas, Qode Media Inc.
15. Consider how users interact with your brand
Think about your customers and users and how they interact with your brand. Trends are great, but just because they're the new "shiny thing" doesn't mean the people behind a customer's brand will embrace them. Look at the data and see what your audience is doing in this direction. If liabilities are low, wait and check again in the next quarter. - Paul E. Benninghove, Pavone Marketing Group