Creative trends: do we follow them or do we set them?
In today's marketing landscape, brands are caught in a delicate balance: maintaining coherent branding while also embracing limitless creativity and viral trends.
On one hand, consistency and recurrence build authority, trust, and recognition; on the other hand, failing to adapt to new trends can make a brand seem outdated or irrelevant.
In today's marketing landscape, brands are caught in a delicate balance: maintaining coherent branding while also embracing limitless creativity and viral trends.
On one hand, consistency and recurrence build authority, trust, and recognition; on the other hand, failing to adapt to new trends can make a brand seem outdated or irrelevant.
Consistent branding: The pillar of brand identity
A strong brand is not just a logo or a slogan, but a combination of messages, emotions, and experiences that remain more or less consistent. Consistency provides predictability, which in turn builds trust. Classic examples like Apple, Nike, or Louis Vuitton demonstrate that maintaining a unified visual style and voice strengthens a brand’s image in the consumer’s mind.
But what happens when consistency turns into rigidity? In an environment where social media algorithms prioritize novelty and engagement, a static brand risks becoming invisible. This is where creativity comes into play.
Un brand puternic nu este doar un logo sau un slogan, ci un ansamblu de mesaje, emoții și experiențe, care rămân mai mult sau mai puțin constante. Coerența oferă predictibilitate, iar aceasta, la rândul ei, creează încredere. Exemplele clasice, precum Apple, Nike sau Louis Vuitton, demonstrează că menținerea unui stil vizual și a unei voci unitare consolidează imaginea unui brand în
mintea consumatorului.
But what happens when consistency turns into rigidity? In an environment where social media algorithms prioritize novelty and engagement, a static brand risks becoming invisible. This is where creativity comes into play.
Creativity… on a conveyor belt?
Social media and digital culture have introduced a new way of communicating: spontaneity. Brands that manage to adopt a playful tone, join trends, and experiment with new formats are the ones that achieve high engagement.
TikTok, for example, has changed the rules of the game. Having impactful visuals and well-written copy is no longer enough: you need to be fast, authentic, and relevant. Brands that manage to embrace this organized chaos (see Astorium, ING, Duolingo, Ryanair, or Kaufland) show that humor and a relaxed approach can coexist with a strong identity.
In the race for trends and viral content, many brands fall into the trap of uniformity under the guise of creativity. We see the same recycled jokes, the same video formats, the same engagement strategies copied endlessly. Often, what starts as an authentic expression of a brand ends up being just a repetition of a previous success,
devoid of substance.
True creativity requires more than just following trends; it means adapting them, reinventing them, and ideally, creating them. When every brand tries to do “meme marketing” and every post aims to be “funny and relatable,” real differentiation becomes almost impossible. In this digital chaos, authenticity and originality are more valuable than ever.
Platforms like FameUp respond to the growing demand for integrating influencers into brands’ marketing strategies. These platforms automate the process of connecting brands with micro-influencers, streamlining strategy, contracting, payments, and campaign management.
However, using these platforms also raises ethical and authenticity concerns. A notable example is the controversy surrounding the promotion of politician Călin Georgescu on TikTok. It was discovered that influencers were involved in campaigns without being fully aware of their connection to the politician, leading to accusations of manipulation
and a lack of transparency.
Moreover, involving the wrong influencers can lead to a disconnect from the brand’s authentic values and messages. When communication relies on standardized briefs, there is a risk that the conveyed message does not truly reflect the brand’s identity, thereby affecting consumer perception
and campaign effectiveness.
Social media and digital culture have introduced a new way of communicating: spontaneity. Brands that manage to adopt a playful tone, join trends, and experiment with new formats are the ones that achieve high engagement.
TikTok, de exemplu, a schimbat regulile jocului. Nu mai este suficient să ai un vizual de impact și un copy bine scris: trebuie să fii rapid, autentic și relevant. Brandurile care reușesc să îmbrățișeze acest haos organizat (vezi Astorium, ING, Duolingo, Ryanair sau Kaufland) demonstrează că umorul și abordarea relaxată pot coexista cu o identitate solidă.
În goana după trenduri și conținut viral, multe branduri cad în capcana uniformizării sub pretextul creativității. Vedem aceeași glumă reciclată, aceleași formate de video, aceleași strategii de engagement copiate la nesfârșit. De multe ori, ceea ce începe ca o expresie autentică a unui brand ajunge să fie doar o repetare a unui succes anterior, lipsită de substanță.
True creativity requires more than just following trends; it means adapting them, reinventing them, and ideally, creating them. When every brand tries to do “meme marketing” and every post aims to be “funny and relatable,” real differentiation becomes almost impossible. In this digital chaos, authenticity and originality are more valuable than ever.
Platforms like FameUp respond to the growing demand for integrating influencers into brands’ marketing strategies. These platforms automate the process of connecting brands with micro-influencers, streamlining strategy, contracting, payments, and campaign management.
Cu toate acestea, utilizarea acestor platforme ridică și probleme de etică și autenticitate. Un exemplu notabil este scandalul legat de promovarea politicianului Călin Georgescu pe TikTok. S-a descoperit că influenceri au fost implicați în campanii fără a fi pe deplin conștienți de legătura cu politicianul, ceea ce a dus la acuzații de manipulare și lipsă de transparență.
Mai mult, implicarea influencerilor nepotriviți poate duce la o îndepărtare a comunicării de valorile și mesajele autentice ale brandurilor. Atunci când comunicarea se bazează pe briefuri standardizate, există riscul ca mesajul transmis să nu reflecte cu adevărat identitatea brandului, afectând astfel percepția consumatorilor și eficacitatea campaniei.
Mass Communication vs. Influencer Marketing
Another essential element in this equation is how brands choose to communicate: through uniform and direct messages, or via influencers who have a closer relationship with their specific audience?
Another essential element in this equation is how brands choose to communicate: through uniform and direct messages, or via influencers who have a closer relationship with their specific audience?
- Mass communication maintains credibility and provides wide exposure, but can come across as distant and impersonal.
- Influencer marketing brings authenticity and closeness to the customer, but requires a high degree of flexibility and adaptability to the content creators’ style—and poses a challenge in creating effective briefs.
- Mass communication maintains credibility and provides wide exposure, but can come across as distant and impersonal.
- Influencer marketing brings authenticity and closeness to the customer, but requires a high degree of flexibility and adaptability to the content creators’ style—and poses a challenge in creating effective briefs.
A balanced mix of the two strategies is probably the best solution. Brands need to be able to maintain their values and aesthetics while also being flexible enough to adapt to modern communication channels.
In reality, consistent branding and freely expressed creativity are not opposing forces, but complementary elements. A successful brand is one that knows when to be consistent and when to play with the boundaries of its own identity.
In a world where trends come and go faster than we can scroll, the key is not to choose between stability and innovation, but to use them together, so you remain memorable, relevant, and most importantly authentic.
important, autentic.
A balanced mix of the two strategies is probably the best solution. Brands need to be able to maintain their values and aesthetics while also being flexible enough to adapt to modern communication channels.
In reality, consistent branding and freely expressed creativity are not opposing forces, but complementary elements. A successful brand is one that knows when to be consistent and when to play with the boundaries of its own identity.
Într-o lume în care trendurile vin și pleacă mai repede decât putem da scroll, cheia nu este să alegi între stabilitate și inovație, ci să le folosești împreună, astfel încât să rămâi memorabil, relevant și, cel mai important, autentic.
