At the end of 2023, TikTok released their What’s Next 2024 Trend Report – annual predictions for the biggest trends and cultural moments for the year ahead. Now that we’re well into the year, They have launched What’s Next 2024: In Action, an updated report that demonstrates how these trends grew and evolved through brand and creator success stories.
The TikTok community continues to ignite the transformative mindset that TikTok call Creative Bravery. Fueled by a blend of curiosity, imagination, vulnerability and courage, brands have demonstrated how Creative Bravery on TikTok can build deeper community connections. Breaking through on TikTok means shifting from occasional displays of Creative Bravery to infusing it into their daily behavior and strategies.
The What’s Next 2024 trends looked at popular behaviors observed over a longer stretch of time. Because the trends we track expand and evolve, we can always seek out new ways for how they come to life both on TikTok and in culture. These Trend Signals may last months and even years, and this year TikTok are excited to introduce three new bonus trends. Marketers can leverage these additional trends within the foundation for their content.
For this report, TikTok have focused on how our macro trend forces (Curiosity Peaked, Storytelling Unhinged, and Bridging the Trust Gap) have evolved throughout the year, and highlight new bonus trends that have since sparked across the platform.
What’s Next 2024: In Action – Bonus Trends
1) From Hi to Audi-Lo
As one of the core pillars of the platform, sound on TikTok is a universal language that connects their global audience to creators and brands alike. From aspiring artists putting their own style on familiar tunes, to brave creators using music to share their stories and ignite action, TikTok users have found creative ways to experiment with music and sound. TikTok also see communities remixing premium audio in lo-fi ways, putting unexpected, often-comical spins on sounds and giving brands fresh ideas of how to participate in trending moments.
Hulu tapped into the power of sound when they enlisted rap recap master, creator @mrgrandeofficial to reveal what’s #NewOnHulu for this past March.
2) TikTok on the Block
Unfiltered, real-life interactions between brands, creators, and their audiences can foster inspiration and connection in real-time. From street interviews, community events, retail pop-ups, and unscripted challenges, nothing is “overdoing it” to our audience. Brands are sharing these candid, face-to-face exchanges with the broader TikTok community, sparking conversations and building consumers’ excitement around how, where, and with whom the brand will show up next.
Joe & The Juice took their mascot duties to new heights, sending “Tuna” and “‘Cado” out in London to promote their fan-favorite Tunacado sandwich, and engage with customers face-to-face across the city.
3) Brandship
Brands are building always-on customer loyalty through ongoing content that reflects their brand values in between splashy campaigns. For brands across all verticals, TikTok is the platform to build, connect, and amplify the values that matter to your audience. Through an always-engaged strategy, brands can signal to audiences what makes them unique, from developing reusable packaging, to highlighting beauty diversity, and so much more.
Refillable skincare? Yes please. Kiehl’s lives up to their brand (and audience!) values by demonstrating how customers can reduce waste by reusing their product packaging.