📱 The World of TikTok Trends
McDonald’s’ Grimace shakes. Nyquil chicken. Eating laundry products. And now, real life ‘NPCs’.Â
These are all TikTok trends, and they’re really, really fucking weird. I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but Nyquil chicken and the eating laundry products aren’t even the weirdest ones; there was a time on the internet when people were actually eating Tide pods, so they’re nothing new (I didn’t think I’d ever write that).
In actuality, the weirdest trend right now is, by far, the real life NPC one. For those who don’t know, allow me to quickly explain what it is: TikTokers will go on a livestream and pretend to be an NPC (a non-playable character) from a video game. Audience members will pay the TikToker and they’ll say something to them; they have floaty mannerisms and spout catchphrases like an A.I. would.
It’s all very very odd. I don’t get it. I read somewhere that one of them is earning $7000 a day. It’s weird and, I’m going to be honest, it feels very dystopian. This is where we’ve gotten to: people pretending to be robots. Remember when all the sci-fi stories were cautionary tales about robots pretending to be human?
I know I sound a bit like an old man who’s overprotective of his lawn, but… come on, man.
🤔 Okay, But, How Does B2B Fit Into Any of This?
B2B marketers are often in their own little bubbles. They’re so focused on trying to remain professional and cheery that the general vibe in the B2B world has admittedly started to grow bland and unemotional. You could maybe argue that it’s always been bland, that the annoying format of all the B2B LinkedIn posts has always been soulless and desperate, but there are some brands that are having fun with it!Â
The Knowlton team is constantly putting out funny sketches that grab your attention; Konrad Sanders always has a funny post to share with some class advice; Dan Toomey from Good Work has a fantastic, funny brand which makes it hard not to like him. Hell, we even wrote an article a few months ago about B2B brands getting weirder!
But if there’s one thing that most B2B brands aren’t good at, it’s keeping up with current trends that people are actually keeping up with. I haven’t seen any B2B brand on LinkedIn take advantage of an NPC trend spoof; I’ve barely seen anyone make fun of Elon Musk rebranding Twitter to ‘X’ (I’ll cover that next email because, Christ); and I’ve only occasionally seen people talk about the latest ‘Barbenheimer’ trend, but not enough.
At the Cannes Lions Festival this year, it was revealed that CFOs don’t believe brands all that much, and CMOs are finding it hard to convince them that they actually, really do. And I’m just gonna say it: maybe the CFOs are right to think this.Â
Maybe, just maybe, in the B2B world, CMOs aren’t pulling their weight, and they’re not doing everything they can to keep up with modern trends. Like it or not, B2B marketing comes across like your mom who has to stick on her glasses, keep her phone at a distance and use her index finger to scroll through the funny meme you’re showing her. They’re just ever so slightly out of touch.
😀 It’s Okay, Though!
It’s okay though, it really is! Because all you need to do is keep your finger on the pulse of trends and embrace the weirdness. The people who work in B2B are people too, they know what memes are, so don’t worry about it, they’ll find it funny. No one’s gonna think you’re weird or unprofessional for it.Â
If people do think that, are they really people you want to work with?
Sam Hollis is a Writer for Fame, SaaS Marketer, as well as his own fictional short stories. He lives and works in Birmingham with his three cats and his dog (way too many pets, if you ask us)