To Trend or Not to Trend?
[ How to Build a Stable Community ]
What is “Trending”?
Trending , in this context, is the quick rise in popularity of a topic, product, or idea, usually driven by social media, the news, or cultural movements. It’s what is currently capturing public interest, gaining traction, and being widely discussed, shared, or adopted. Trends can be short-lived or evolve into lasting movements depending on their impact and relevance.
Examples of Trends:
The Macarena
Fidget Spinners
Ed Hardy (guilty!)
Jeans (are we shifting?)
Therapy
Podcasting
Crocs (slowly getting me 😔)
Fanny packs (always)
Matcha
Pickle ball
K-Pop Music
IQOS
Jelly Sandals
Livestrong Bracelets
Pokemon
Oakley Sunglasses
Words like “Delulu”
Bermudas (El pantakoor)
Tankinis
Tattoo Chokers
...what else?
In this piece, we’re specifically looking at the effects of your brand trending and becoming the hot thing to engage with.
The Temptation of Trending.
At first glance, trending looks like a win in every way. Your brand gets to:
...be in the spotlight, exposing you to a wider audience that might not have noticed you otherwise.
... get a lot of new customers, eager to engage with what’s hot.
... be culturally relevant, making it feel modern, fresh, and in sync with the moment.
... receive a lot of collaboration opportunities, drawing interest from creators and businesses who want to benefit from the hype.
... enjoy a boost in revenue, driven by impulse purchases.
It’s easy to see why trending feels irresistible, but what happens when the spotlight fades, and the buzz dies down?
The Hidden Risk.
Unfortunately, if not well navigated, trending can undermine your brand and undo a lot of what you’ve worked hard to achieve. Some of the risks:
Weakening brand identity: If everyone is talking about you, the most popular opinion spreads an oversimplified impression of your brand and deters people from a deeper evaluation of your product or service.
Hype-dependent growth: Being adopted by everyone means you don’t know who’s loyal and who’s just here for the hype. How do you forecast your growth if a big portion of it might be flakey?
Overexposure & saturation - When everyone has it/does it, it feels less special to those who really connected with it in the first place.
Being stuck in a moment - If you trend and get associated to other things that are hot right now, when they die, so might your brand.
Inconsistent messaging - If people who don’t get what you’re really about are sharing your product/service, they will spread the wrong message, attracting the wrong audience or confusing the right ones.
Let’s Pre-Trend.
In the early stages of your business, a special and significant group of people are attracted to your brand, the early adopters, who see your potential before anyone else. They take a risk and try your product or service, often before it’s perfected, branded, or perfectly positioned. They validate the core of your business and if they like what you’re offering, they become your first advocates, referring you to others.
Organic Growth
They are the root of your organic community, genuinely connected to your brand.
Organic Growth
Your early adopters spread the message to other like-minded people expanding your organic community.
What’s special here is that they’re not interested because you’re popular, they’re interested because they get your thing and they want your thing. And often, they want to keep your thing a secret because they know that a hype can kill what they love. They’re a natural (and free) filter to keep your community authentic.
What will keep this organic community loyal for the long run is:
Quality - holding up your standards - unlike McDonalds.
Authenticity - staying true to your purpose - unlike Coachella
Innovation - continuing to find ways to serve them - unlike Blackberry.
Community - sharing an aspect of like-mindedness with other consumers - unlike WeWork
As the business grows and people catch on, these are the things that willl determine if your organic community stays loyal.
Exposed to the Hype
When your business does peak and reach the ‘tipping point’, which it will, it’s going to get the attention of people like:
The Trend Chaser who looks for the hype and wants to be part of it.
The Mainstream Follower who jumps on the trend once it’s widely recognized and validated by others.
The Trend Skeptic who resists trends, values authenticity and originality. If they engage, it’s usually on their own terms.
Trend Graph
These groups come with the hype and although they will temporarily boost your sales & visibility, they may cause some long-term damage.
More isn’t always merrier
If the hype crowd begins to dominate, it pushes away your authentic supporters. If your brand does not protect what it stands for, your core audience, those value-driven customers, may feel disconnected, leading to a loss of trust.
Domination: Brand Purpose vs. Hype Crowd
In order to maintain control and long-term stability, you have to actively protect your organic community and that might mean deterring the hype community.
Unless your business is designed to chase trends, you will not be able to keep up. Your organic community is your foundation.
So, what to do?
DE-TREND:
The intentional act of stepping away from mass popularity to preserve long-term brand integrity, authenticity, and community loyalty.
It involves resisting the momentary hype of trends in favor of sustainable growth, making sure your business stays relevant beyond hype cycles.
Ways to De -Trend:
Here are a few ways to de-trend and protect your brand's integrity:
Be picky when it comes to media coverage: Choose media outlets that understand your values, have a similar community and care to protect your brand’s integrity. Avoid overexposure to the wrong audience.
Select collaborations carefully: Work with brands or individuals that align with your brand’s values.
Stick to your core identity: Re-affirm your brand’s mission through your messaging and actions.
Be loyal to your loyal community: Keep them in the loop, they will help amplify your message.
Design friction points: Find ways to intentionally slow your growth towards inauthentic participants and filter towards genuinely interested individuals (see previous post about friction points).
Conclusion
Trending can be beneficial, but it must be strategically managed to protect your brand’s organic community: they are the key to long-term stability.
Your organic community is loyal, and more stable for long-term growth. Their support is rooted in authenticity so they are the number 1 priority.
The hype crowd thrives on excitement, trends, and social validation. They will flock to your brand when it’s in the spotlight but can quickly lose interest when the next hot things appears. While they bring attention and sales, their loyalty fades fast and dilutes the brand’s genuine purpose.
The hype crowd can be converted by design, otherwise their impact should be minimized in order to protect the authentic vibe around your brand.
Though it may seem counterintuitive to de-trend, authenticity, consistency, and purpose will always outlast the transience of trends.
By staying true to your organic community, you show that your values are more important than short-term sales spikes which strengthens their loyalty, bringing your more long-term followers.
I write to start conversations, not end them. Share your thoughts in the comments or, even better, on Instagram (it helps us keep the algorithm happy!)
