Is it always green fields and butterflies when you trend jack in social media marketing in the Philippines?
Social media marketing in the Philippines‘ success hinges on how updated you are with updates and trends that keep the public interested. Trendjacking is a social media marketing technique that joins trending memes, events, topics, and hashtags. It is a practice that can be very effective if you want your brand to stay current. But is it always green fields and butterflies when you trend jack in social media marketing in the Philippines?
The Pros of Trend Jacking for Digital Marketing in the Philippines
Maybe it’s because Filipinos are such avid social media users, but trendjacking, when executed well, can effectively boost brand engagement. Trendjacking has several pros for brands, big or small. Here are the reasons why you should consider it for your social media marketing campaign:
- It keeps you relevant to your audience. It also gives them the impression that your brand keeps up-to-date with the times. Of course, you also get to share the attention that the particular trend enjoys, which wonders for your engagement.
- It can help you reach out to new audiences. Particularly the ones who might not have heard about your brand but share the same interest in the trend you are hijacking.
- It will give you a pool of social media content! Anyone who has done social media marketing knows how hard it is to create material nowadays continuously. A trending meme can give you a few days of fresh posts if you work fast enough!
Trend jacking in in social media marketing in the Philippines is a big hit, and several brands have already proven their pull. A good example was when a food delivery service provider could craft an entire campaign during the enhanced community quarantine season years ago after a viral video of one of its riders was not allowed entry by a barangay official because ‘lugaw’ is not considered an essential.
Most recently, a couple of brands also decided to jump on the bandwagon after one of the biggest love teams in the country confirmed their breakup. One of the most creative ones is that of a chocolate brand, which pulled a smart wordplay of one of the pair’s names needing a ‘break.’
Trendjacking Done Wrong
However, like any social media practice, trendjacking can quickly go wrong when executed tastelessly. One example that got a good share of criticism is an international burger chain in Austria that decided to contribute to Pride Month by launching a burger that had ‘two tops’ or ‘two bottoms.’
Members and allies of the LGBTQIA+ community criticized the brand for using outdated terminologies that are not always applicable to the community. Moreover, the burger chain was also called out for ‘rainbow-washing,’ a criticism given to companies that do not substantially contribute to the community outside Pride Month.
In the Philippines, a motorcycle service well-known for its witty and timely social media posts was also heavily called out after trendjacking news about a 7.3 magnitude earthquake that hit Abra province. People called the brand insensitive for leveraging its post on a circumstance that caused damage to a community of people.
How to Trendjack the Right Way
There’s a fine line separating the good and the bad of trend jack in social media marketing in the Philippines. So, how exactly can you do it the right way? Here are some pointers you must remember if you want to try this for your next social media campaign.
Make sure your trend jacks will resonate with your audience
Just because people talk about it doesn’t mean your market will find it interesting. Will your crowd relate to it? Do they know enough about it to engage with your content? At the same time, do not strictly draw a line between what your followers find exciting AND their cross-interests. When done well, trend jacking can also help you expand your market.
Be updated
This sounds obvious, but with how trends come and go, you need to join the bandwagon as it is gaining traction. Remember how the doubloon cat trend was all over Tiktok last year? Now, that phase is considered history in the platform, where trends barely seem to last a few weeks. More than just being updated, your social media team should also work fast in creating campaigns and assets. Again, timing is key.
Keep your approach tasteful
Working fast shouldn’t stop you from considering if joining the trend will offend anyone. A good rule of thumb is to assess if the hot topic attacks a minority or can be connected to any culturally sensitive event with a negative connotation with anything or anyone. Remember, you’re trying to be relevant, not insensitive.
Keeping It Tasteful but Witty
Keeping updated with the trends is a standard now in social media marketing. If you want to be at the forefront of your market, you need to be able to keep up with the pace of their changing interests.
Here at Eight Media, we develop social media campaigns for business owners who want to connect with their audiences using tried-and-tested strategies and relevant topics that resonate well with them. We are a 360-degree digital marketing agency that offers a complete roster of marketing products like content marketing, digital ad management, digital design creation, social media management, and web development.
So far, we have provided a 400 percent increase in leads, a 200 percent increase in revenue, and a 40 percent decrease in advertising costs for our clients. If you want to explore how digital marketing can help your business, we would be happy to help. To book a free consultation with us, simply click the link here.
