2024’s viral trends: From brat girl summer to very cutesy, very demure

While Sadiq Khan, salad cream and Field Roast sausages were having a brat girl summer, Netflix and Maybelline were feeling “very cutesy, very demure” and Currys and Fyfield Manor were busy letting their gen Z’s write the marketing script.  

If you’re confused, let me explain. For those of you not  au fait with this bonkers but brilliant content on the internet, these are this year’s most viral social media trends, turned biggest marketing moments (and biggest media headlines, it seems).  

Let’s start with some definitions: 

Brat girl summer:  originating from popstar Charli xcx’s lime-drenched anthem, brat girl summer is a rebellion against the overly curated online world. It celebrates raw authenticity,  promotes individuality and refines what it means to be bold and push boundaries.  

Very cutesy, very demure:  a phrase that grew in popularity after TikToker Jools Lebron used it in a series of videos. It embraces modesty, mindfulness and not doing too much.  

Gen Z writes the marketing script:  an older member of staff reads a marketing script written by a younger person that’s filled with gen Z slang. 

But beyond the colloquialisms, there are some serious opportunities for brands to tap into wider culture. With 77% of marketers planning to push more trend-based content over the next 12 months to reach the hearts and minds of gen Z consumers, what are the key learnings from this year’s viral social media trends? 

Authenticity is everything

Trends move faster than a thumb can scroll through a feed. And for brands choosing to jump on the bandwagon, it can either be a memorable hit, or a monumental miss. 

US vice president Kamala Harris’s campaign leading to the presidential election was unexpectedly bolstered by Charli xcx fans, who shared the singer’s lyrics over videos and memes of Harris. After Charli xcx took to social media, writing “Kamala IS Brat”, Harris’s campaign used the moment as a great PR stunt, adopting the album’s signature green colour and typeface on one of its social media profiles and began posting Brat-themed memes. It was natural, not forced and a way for Harris to connect with younger voters.  

But on the flip side, when KFC launched a video of its slightly green ice cream, the response was lukewarm at best.  

Just because a trend goes viral, doesn’t mean it will work for every brand. As trends come and go there are ample opportunities for a brand to jump on the right one – but it must chime with the tone of the brand and the execution needs to be fitting; otherwise let it pass.

• Who’s more important – journalists or influencers? 

Social trends can revive a brand’s identity

Retailer Currys is a prime example of a brand which successfully tapped into some of the internet’s best viral moments to re-establish itself and find a new voice. Its witty and humorous approach was refreshing for a brand associated with (the dullness of) fridges, laptops and washing machines. 

It created content from a horse kicking a chicken into an air fryer, to its gen Z employee writing the marketing script.  Its latest ad also introduces a touch of humour – mocking online shopping habits in-store and encouraging more people to shop in real life. The brand is staying relevant while building a new long-term image.  

Culture and community is key

Jumping on a social media trend can often feel like a race to win the hearts and minds of consumers. But those who get there first, don’t always win gold. Tapping into a social trend should also be about building communities and resonating with culture over the long-term. 

For brands, it’s about finding a niche within these trends to use as part of ongoing campaigns and social stunts. And thanks to the power of interest-led algorithms and the conversational nature of social media, brands can open up a two-way dialogue with consumers – driving customer loyalty.  

This year has been a bonanza year for cultural turned marketing phenomenon, let’s hope 2025 offers more inventive and humorous moments to add some colour to the year’s marketing efforts.  

Jess Dickenson is account director at Pumpkin PR where this post was first published under the title When gen Z writes the Pumpkin blog.