The lockdown and the immeasurable extensions that followed could’ve locked one’s activity, but not the creativity. Even with the uncertainty lasting for months together, people didn’t get tired of experimenting new things, pulling the perks out of Social Media, the ones which the world never knew existed before. Some of these digital trends went so viral that everyone from the celebrities doing TikTok, to a commoner helping the health workers, were on spotlight (some of whom we can literally name because they were the “talk of the town”). The best part is that all kinds of messages were conveyed by making the best use of digital platforms – some bringing a social change, some taking marketing to new brilliant levels!
Selective features that were unnoticed till date were a great driving force at such instances.
HERE’S OUR TOP PICKS:
1. LIVE SESSIONS THAT KEEP THE MIND ALIVE.
Instagram x YouTube
We all knew that Instagram, Facebook and YouTube live existed. But let’s be honest, how many of us have noticed it or been a part of them until “lockdown” happened?
Live sessions took the social media by storm with tons of promotional posts and sharing of screen space with various “big names” of the fields. Online workshops and classes engaged masses of audience who missed their part due to the “stay home” scenario. The rest simply let the curiosity drive them, to taking part in multiple off-field conversations, discussion forums and even interviews.
HERE’S HOW THE BRANDS DID IT:
- Many companies organized “Live talks” with experts from the field that helped in seeding the interest of their audience.
- Certain companies made a collaborated with experts from allied fields with workshops that interested the audience.
- Some companies promoted brand value with a causual live talk and showcased their work-from-home scenarios, life experiences etc.
WHY NOW?
- Recently, various platforms like Instagram and Youtube have updated their live experience with greater ease. Two person live was made possible, countdowns & reminders were introduced and promotions were more rigorous than ever.
2. “GAME” IS THE NEW “STORY”
Bingo x This or That
Let’s get this straight, none of you reading this can say that you didn’t do any of those random Bingos or This/Thats during quarantine. We all did it, and most of all, it was fun! It was like all of a sudden, we could find a way to bother our friends again (Because tagging has gotten boring already). While the people took thorough joy in those foodie This/Thats or college life Bingos, it was observed that the entire audience finally had the time to socialize, interact and know about their social circle, validating the term “social media”. The “followers” were eager to know more about each other. On the other hand, the brands or companies were quick to catch the trends and make interesting templates that broadcasted the message from the company and curated itself for the pertaining audience groups.
HERE’S HOW THE BRANDS DID IT:
The companies had custom-made game templates particular to their brand category. Some gave the bonus of a story feature or complimentary gifts!
WHY NOW?
The world has finally got the time to tag, share, get replies, tag again and carry on the cycle.
3. CHALLENGING COMPETITIONS ARE TOTALLY IN!
Participation x Promotion
For the past two months, our feeds were loaded with competitions and contests. If at all we managed to miss that, there were story ads, banner ads and more to draw us. Both paid and unpaid competitions were eager to steal the show and offer some points of interest for the population that was bored at home. A positive side of this was that many people were able to find, explore and showcase their talent to a larger audience base with this. Some corporate employees found their gardening interests while some doctors reunited with their art interests. Competitions not just brought the stories of passion to spotlight, but also introduced rewarding felicitations.
HERE’S HOW THE BRANDS DID IT:
- Many companies increased their follower base and built engagement with competition announcements.
- Some companies tactfully presented offers to their services as a winning takeaway for the competitions.
- Certain companies took a turn to support a cause or a social change.
WHY NOW?
The competitions saw the potential of a large participating mass, all waiting to invest time on something useful while staying at home.
4. MEMES, MORE THAN EVER.
Awareness x Power
Memes have been ruling the social media trends for years together, by now. Lockdown times just saw an overdose of memes, so heavy that we knew half the news from memes, before we saw it on news channels. The meme creators were on fire with overflowing creativity and no-fear attitude that brought out even the political matters into light. Some came with a mix of humour to relieve the people from Corona panic, while the other sparked awareness in us by relating to nature, 2020 scenarios etc.
Some focused on lifestyle trends:
- #TogetherAtHome
- #QuarantineAndChill
- #DalgonaCoffee
- #CoffinDance
Some focused on causes such as:
- #GoCorona
- #Atmanirbhar
- #SupportLocal
- #Covidiots
5. WHAT’s MORE GENEROUS THAN GIVEAWAYS?
Reach x Engagement
Tag, share, win! Easy isn’t it? Everyone wants to try a bit of their luck in such matters! Especially, in a time when the whole country is in lockdown, generosity through giveaways is well received. We saw everyone from big brands organizing giveaways with their products, till celebrities announcing giveaways to support causes.
HERE’S HOW THE BRANDS DID IT:
- Many companies had their take on brand awareness and reach with giveaway of their products, along with the TAG, SHARE, WIN mantra!
- Some companies offered curated giveaways for their customers, motivating the interest of many other potential customers.
WHY NOW?
Giveaways have always been welcomed by the end-users. During quarantine, it has a potential exposure to larger audience, owing to the increased numbers in socially active population.
What more?
There’s more to what lockdown brought for all of us, especially to the digital world. But if you are stuck somewhere and need some tech advice for your personal brand or company, we are all ears.
Keep visiting our blog if you would want to stay ahead of the digital trends.
Let us know your take in the trends or any interesting digital encounter of yours in the comments section.
Akshaya Muralikumar
Akshaya Muralikumar, A graduate architect turned writer, specialises writing in Architecture, Construction, Digital Marketing and allied subjects, with an eye for essence in the words. Being "An Architect of Thoughts", she has had her vibrant thoughts transform into words, across multiple blog and magazine platforms.
