On Trend: The August Edition

Your bite-sized guide to the latest news, trends, and ideas from the world of content.

ummer to the new social platform loved by Gen Z, our guide to all things trending in the world of content has everything you need to help your brand stand out.

Trend #1: The ‘Little Miss’ takeover

Internet users have been editing and recaptioning illustrations from the classic Little Miss and Mr. Men series to share hyper-personalized, relatable details about themselves in a fun and lighthearted way. Some of our personal favorites include “Little Miss in Love with Fictional Men” and “Little Miss Overshares in Meetings”. From embracing personal idiosyncrasies to highlighting important social and cultural causes, this trend is taking over on all platforms, especially Instagram and TikTok.

What this means for you:

The memes started as a way for people to speak candidly about their mental health, physical struggles, and insecurities in a lighthearted, even humorous way. Gen Z audiences crave authenticity and relatable content so joining in with this trend could be a fun way to connect with these followers. In fact, we’ve already seen several brands get involved, including the Philadelphia 76ers and LinkedIn.

Trend #2: Hot Pink is, well … hot

In keeping with the nostalgic roots of many trends this year, Barbiecore has taken the social media world by storm, thanks to the highly anticipated upcoming Barbie movie starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling. The hashtag #Barbiecore has more than 7M views on TikTok and, according to Google Trends data, interest in Barbie has spiked to new heights. No surprise then that vibrant, hot pink has become the ‘it’ color of summer 2022, particularly in the world of fashion.

What this means for you:

While hot pink has mostly taken over people’s fashion wardrobes, we can expect to see this color creep into other categories including graphics and design. Inject your content with a little Barbiecore energy by incorporating shades of bubblegum pink and angular lines.

Get started with our curated set of templates below. Tap a template to customize it in Adobe Express.

Trend #3: BeReal

In another nod to the influence of Gen Z, BeReal has become one of the top-growing social platforms in recent months. The ethos behind BeReal is anti-curation and anti-filter content. Users of the platform take unedited, in-the-moment photos once per day and share them with their friends. More recently, users of the platform have begun sharing photo-dumps of their BeReal photos on Instagram and TikTok.

What this means for you:

The popularity of BeReal and syndication of the app’s photos on platforms like Instagram further reinforce the trend towards spontaneous, unfiltered, less polished, and effortless content desired by audiences and in particular Gen Z. For brands and businesses, there's an opportunity to be more transparent about the gritty or rarely seen behind-the-scenes workings as a way of further connecting with audiences.

Top tip: Turn a week of BeReal photos into a collage, ready to be shared on your other platforms.

Trend #4: Budget and eco-conscious consumers

With rising prices and economic fluctuations, consumers are growing more cost-conscious and aware, actively making more budget-focused decisions, and adjusting their lifestyles. Searches for “cheap and best” have grown globally by over 40% year over year. This is coupled with a growing awareness of environmental issues and consumers looking for ways to reduce their impact on the environment through the purchase decisions they make.

What this means for you:

The key takeaway here is that while consumers are more price sensitive, they are inclined to support brands and businesses that are mindful of their environmental footprint. Putting values-based messaging at the forefront of content strategies could help small businesses maintain a loyal customer base through periods of uncertainty.

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