5 Unexpected Social Media Trends That Draw Serious Attention
Staying on top of the latest social media trends isn’t easy and can be hard to predict, but it’s essential for brands looking to maximize their campaigns' impact and reach.
By tapping into social media trends, brands leverage the power of social media, increase their engagement, and, ultimately, connect with the right audiences.
What new social media trends are capturing everyone’s attention right now? Let’s dive into a few surprising ones that are shaking things up and turning heads!
Playful Content
Marketing is a serious business, but not all content has to feel that way. Playful content that makes people laugh or smile can humanize a brand and build a sense of connection.
About the trend: Playful content gives a brand personality. A little humour can go a long way, and brands having fun is one of the most engaging content trends today. According to HootSuite’s 2025 Social Media Trends Survey, over 60% of social content aims to entertain and educate instead of doing direct promotion. When brands show off their playful side, it attracts followers who want authenticity and fun.
Who’s using it? One of the best examples of a brand using playful content to connect with customers is Wendy’s. The iconic fast-food chain has long used its X account to interact with fans, and its Instagram is full of fun memes. Wendy’s doesn’t take itself too seriously on social media, and that’s led to a loyal following that loves getting a chuckle when they log on.
Old Spice, meanwhile, has made humour a central part of its brand. The company, which most famously makes deodorant, posts memes and original content that often borders on absurd but drives engagement in ways that simply posting about its core products likely never could.
Why it works: Playful social media content stands out in an often saturated social media world. Content that makes people laugh or smile evokes emotional reactions that they enjoy, and Sprout Social found that 71% of consumers are more likely to engage with brands that share funny and entertaining content.
Transparency & the “Ugly” Side of Business
One of the key trends of 2024 has been transparency. Whether it’s from brands or influencers, consumers value transparency and authenticity. That will only increase as people continue to look for trustworthy collections.
It’s important to remember, though, that showing the ugly side should still be done in an appealing light. A little humour can go a long way, but nobody should try to make their brand look bad.
About the trend: Transparency is growing ever-more-important because it fosters trust and builds relationships between brands and would-be customers. Most people approach social media with a certain amount of skepticism and allowing them to see your brand as dynamic but imperfect creates an invaluable connection.
Who’s using it? Recently, jewelry brand Local Eclectic released a video highlighting its worst-selling pieces. While most brands might try to show off their most popular products, the video instead shined a light on jewelry that didn’t sell well. It was a brilliant bit of marketing for a couple of reasons:
- Transparency
- Unique content
- Increasing sales for those pieces instead of hiding them
Another example is the Italian liqueur brand Campari. While the brand has always been popular in Europe, it didn’t have the same foothold in the U.S. Their advertising chose to poke some fun at that with a famous campaign that prominently stated, “9 Out of Every 10,000 Americans Prefer Campari.”
This approach worked on several levels. Europeans are often seen as having more sophisticated tastes than Americans, so even if Americans didn’t love Campari, maybe they should give it a try if they want to have “good taste.” The ad was:
- Transparent
- Funny
- Surprising
- Persuasive
Why it works: Transparency builds trust, and 86% of Americans believe that transparency from businesses is more important than ever. Offering audiences a peak behind the curtain meets the audience's demand for authenticity and enhances brand loyalty.
Social SEO
While Google remains where the majority of people are searching for products and services, Gen Z is using social media to search almost as much as they use traditional search engines.
This trend will only grow, so Social SEO is an increasingly important way for brands to reach and engage with their audiences.
About the trend: Social SEO is the art of optimizing content to make it more visible and easier to discover in search results on platforms like Instagram and TikTok. That can mean using the right hashtags and keywords but also leveraging likes, shares, and comments to boost the visibility of specific content on social media.
Who’s using it? Duolingo’s TikTok account provides a great example of a company doing Social SEO right. The company produces fun, playful videos and then includes hashtags like #LearnSpanish to ensure its content appears in popular searches.
Why it works: Social SEO is about being found by the right audience. With younger audiences increasingly using social media to search for products, it only makes sense for brands to make sure they can be easily found on popular platforms. This applies to older generations, too, who might be more likely to use Facebook than other social media platforms.
Personalized Customer Care
Whether Gen Z, millennials, or boomers, people across all generations prefer speaking with a real person when they require customer care. Brands that opt for having real people behind their support lines instead of service robots may see dramatic increases in customer loyalty.
About the trend: While automated customer service systems can handle a large volume of calls and requests simultaneously, most people want a personalized touch when they call for assistance. Personalization matters in customer care, with 76% of consumers saying they get frustrated when they don’t get personalized interactions from companies.
Who’s using it? Banking is one industry where a human touch can go a long way, which is why American Express offers cardholders 24/7 access to customer service agents. They understand that when it comes to resolving financial issues, customers demand being able to speak directly with someone.
Why it works: Ultimately, consumers value personal interaction when they require customer care. Speaking with someone directly creates a human connection that makes people feel like they matter to your company.
Community Over Followers
Brands that can build communities of loyal customers and followers reap the rewards. It isn’t just about brand loyalty. It’s about sharing experiences and increasing engagement with a group of followers, big or small, who care about your brand and want to feel connected.
About the trend: Building a community creates authentic connections and a fierce sense of loyalty. When people in a brand community feel valued and seen, they often create content of their own to celebrate the services and products they love from a company. User-generated content is an amazing way to achieve its goals and raise awareness.
Who’s using it? Park Distillery partnered with MODERNSPEAK when it launched two new gins. The social media campaign brought together Alberta-based influencers who were trusted for their thoughts and opinions on high-quality liquor. By tapping into their community, the campaign created user-generated content that celebrated their new products.
Why it works: Engagement matters just as much as (if not more than) follower count, and building an engaged and connected community can help a brand separate itself from the competition. Brands can speak directly with customers for feedback, benefit from having a passionate group of people advocate for them, and even do a little word-of-mouth marketing themselves.
Engage Your Audience with MODERNSPEAK
For brands looking to tap into the latest social media trends, MODERNSPEAK’s roster of talented creators is here to help. As an influencer marketing agency, we connect companies with content creators passionate about staying on top of the coolest and most current content trends.
To find out how we can help your brand engage with its audience, email us at hello@modernspeak.co or call us at 403-991-4988.
