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DATS March 2022 Trend Report

What’s trending out there according to our PR exec Emma? Here, she pulls together our latest trend report, sharing our secrets (and our favourite trends right now).

THE RISE OF TIKTOK & TRENDS

TikTok has seen undeniably fast growth. In fact, the term 'TikTok' saw a 61% increase in mentions year-over-year during the beginning of 2021, and was the first non-Facebook app to reach 3 million global downloads.

How does this influence trends?

  • TikTok is an incredibly quick and reactive form of social media 

  • Extremely popular with Gen Z 

  • Created a digital microcosm for subcultures to grow

  • ‘Rise of the Creative Class’ (Richard Florida)

TikTok is the social media for the new creative class

The creative class consists of individuals who ‘share a common ethos that values creativity, individuality, difference and merit’ (Florida, 2014) and are highly educated (Florida, 2014), in turn boosting the economy and altering the traditional socio-economic structures of society.

What are the top trends we’re seeing right now?

5. Indie Sleaze

“The resurgence if indie sleaze has started to filter from the parameters of peoples memories to now a full on trend… taking the details of Y2K fashion and making it relevant for Gen Z is a really clever way of creating retro style modern visuals and creditability” - Nick Ede (popular culture expert).

How is this relevant to PR?

ADVERTISING 

  • 00s advertising styles coming back

  • ‘Sleaze’ becomes popular again

THE CONSUMER

  • Understanding what consumers want

  • Consumers dominate sales 

  • Tapping into younger market and nostalgia for older gen

4. Jellycats

Owning cuddly toys for adults is becoming less shameful, emphasis on individuality

  • A 2021 Consumer Culture Report by 5WPR found that Gen Z is now spending 43 minutes more per on online shopping than they did before the COVID-19 outbreak.

  • Jellycat is a TikTok trend but are also a successful company in their own right - they’ve been around since 1999. 

  • ‘Collection videos’ are rife, can we tap into that market somehow?

3. Julia Fox - a change in celebrity culture

(C) Marc Piasecki

Who is she?

  • Ex dominatrix

  • Significant because it seems the media care less about this than they would do… see Chloe Cherry in Euphoria

  • Un-cut gems actress

  • Kanye West’s gf (for about a month)

  • Brought back the word MUSE

  • Does this symbolise a shift in celebrity culture? Have influencers and celebrities become too entwined?

2. Internet Satire

Chicken Shop Date

Such a simple idea has become huge & propelled Amelia and her humour into the mainstream

Signifies an increased societal appreciation of dry, satirical humour

Francis Bourjois 

National treasure 

DATS already running with train idea, influenced from Francis.

1. Metaverse

  • Buzzword

  • Domination of Facebook

  • Rise of VR

October 2021 Mark Zuckerberg announced that he was rebranding Facebook to Meta.

“The next platform will be even more immersive” - Founding letter

VR influences how people are expected to consume (e.g. trying on clothes, seeing how furniture looks in their house)

The technologies that make up the metaverse can include virtual reality—characterised by persistent virtual worlds that continue to exist even when you're not playing—as well as augmented reality that combines aspects of the digital and physical worlds.

Mel Hill