How to find a TikTok trend that fits your brand

With one billion engaged users, TikTok has become a space where global conversations unfold in real time. Trends hold a special place in these conversations, but they can sometimes feel fast-moving and unpredictable. So how can brands authentically engage with TikTok’s culture while avoiding appearing opportunistic or disconnected? Here, content creator and multidisciplinary artist Marshall Lawrence breaks TikTok trends into three distinct camps to help us understand how they can be used as a springboard for creativity and experimentation.

Tied to cultural moments, sounds, or effects, ‘Moments’ are fleeting trends that can last for days to weeks. They gain popularity fast — for example when a new song is released — and can be used for quick, reactive content. “Moments are great to join in on and participate as a way to test and learn as they are great creative prompts for experimenting,” says Lawrence, giving the example of ‘Corn Kid’ (real name Tariq), who became a viral sensation in 2022 due to his love for corn. “It started out as a longer interview, and the “it’s corn” part of it was clipped, made into a song and the rest is internet history.”

Signals are content patterns that become normalised over time, often months and sometimes years to ‘signal’ a new way to use TikTok. “One of the most popular Signal formats from the last year or two has been the “person on the street” interview content,” says Lawrence. “They can each take different formats, like ‘Double It and Give It to The Next Person’, cutting hair while being interviewed, or just asking funny questions.”

These are the trends that end up shifting culture. “My favourite example from the last few years is going from the highly-polished content we were all used to, to content that is creator-led and authentic, oftentimes showing the good, the bad and the ugly, but always relatable,” says Lawrence. 

When creating your TikTok strategy, Lawrence recommends understanding your time span as a first step. “Do you have all the pieces in play to turn around content using a trending ‘Moment’?”, he asks, “If not, maybe it’s better to plan content using ‘Signals' and 'Forces’.”

The team at Howatson+Company kept this in mind when creating the content ecosystem for their D&AD Award-shortlisted campaign for Modibodi ‘I’m Dying Inside’, a TikTok drama told in five episodes about four housemates all getting their periods at the same time. Katy Hulton, Senior Creative at Howatson+Company said, “We wanted this as an ongoing campaign to still feel relevant at every point that someone would engage with it, so we went into the more macro types of trends that you see on TikTok, which are those evergreen, longer lasting formats that are things like ‘get ready with me’ videos or ‘day in the life’ vlogs, and took those conventions and aligned them with what felt right for the brand.”

Hulton and her team looked at what was trending while creating their plans, and also used tools like TikTok Creative Center to monitor trending hashtags, sounds, videos, and creators, ensuring alignment with platform culture. Lawrence also says TikTok Creative Center is a, “great (and free) tool to keep track of trends so you can get a pulse of what’s happening.” The best way to get started? “Spend at least 10 minutes a day on your For You Page to get a good idea of what’s happening,” says Lawrence.

D&AD’s free and on-demand Masterclass ‘Creating for TikTok', made in partnership with TikTok will guide you through building innovative, full-funnel TikTok campaigns. Access it here to learn how to think TikTok-first from social media experts, TikTok insiders, and award-winning creatives.