The report surveyed consumers to rate the trends and see how they’re impacting brands at ground level. Here the 10 trends –

Remixing is the new User Generated Content

• User-generated content is nothing new, but the way it has been created, sourced, and shared is contemporary.
• Remixing is on the rise through apps like TikTok and Instagram Reels.
• 2021 is set to bring even more opportunities for remixing, with brands engaging with new audiences and creating additional content that stands out from the crowd.

• As the trend continues to evolve, it will be embraced by brands and social media channels alike. Companies will look to provide users with more creative outlets, arming them with templates, tools, and assets to create original content.
• Below are the key takeaways brands can take note of when it comes to this trend –
• Give your users the right assets such as logos or branded templates to help them create or remix effectively and encourage creativity.
• Monitoring the brand logo will help brands find communities that are creating and engaging with remixed content.
• User-generated content drives 28% more engagement than standard brand-led content, so engage with the creators, which will encourage users to create more and improve engagement with the brand.
• Consider the different social channels as part of your strategy.
• Not all UGC is positive. It can lead to a crisis if significantly off-brand, or critical of your company. So constant monitoring is essential.

The four Cs of Covid-19 content

• The shadow cast by COVID-19 will most likely linger, making it hard for consumers to simply forget its consequences. Brands will need to adapt their communications with this in mind.
• The tone of 2021 will be shaped by the 4 Cs of Covid-19 content: Community, Contactless, Cleanliness, Compassion.
• The 4C’s in relation to Covid-19 are conversation drivers. In their search for information, consumers are turning to brands for information and reassurance relating to the crisis.
• 78% of consumers say that brands should help them out in their daily lives.
• But there is a communication gap between consumers and brands. While business accounts are focused on messages around supporting communities, consumers are more focused on cleanliness, with mentions still rising.
• In 2021, brands will have to be part of these COVID-19 conversations, though they’ll need to assess the topic carefully to ensure their communication is relevant.
• Below are the key takeaways brands can take note of when it comes to this trend –
• Consistently monitoring the pandemic, and seeing how you can help your customers through it, will make a big difference in your communication strategy. Promoting key messaging can help you engage and build stronger connections with your community.
• The priority for brands is to drive sales or boost awareness but the consumers’ motivation will still be driven by the ongoing pandemic. Brands should focus on relevant content that covers audience needs and concerns.
• Link back to the elements (the 4Cs) that consumers are focused on and connect those points to your brand.
• Make sure you know how your audience is responding to your brand messaging, as the issues are changing every day. This will help you shape your marketing messages and avoid other brand decisions that could create negative PR.
• Prepare a crisis plan that prepares you for the unexpected. You never know what issues you could be responding to next.

Memetic media

• Memes are now the way to communicate and they’re spreading across the internet as a fun way to engage communities.
• But they’re not all positive. Some can be used to manipulate the mindset of viewers. So, in 2021, marketers need to be ready to protect their brand from memes.

• Over the last year, the mentions of memes increased over the last 13 months, from 19.8M mentions in August 2019, to 24.9M in July 2020 (+26%), with a peak of 28M during April 2020.
• With disinformation on the rise, these memes can influence the mindset of consumers. Many of these mentions originated from forums that are highly politicized and topics covered included Covid-19 (2.9%), the economy (2.8%), and politics (2%)
• While it’s impossible to predict the next meme, they’re sure to appear across social media in the coming years, even filtering into mainstream media.
• As they arise, expect to see an increase in monitoring the format, for brands, and to minimize the propaganda potential of the medium. We may even see new regulations appearing as platforms attempt to mitigate the risk of challenging memes.
• Below are the key takeaways brands can take note of when it comes to this trend-
• Normally, memes will appear with little to no text mentions. The only way to see if your brand is in one is through monitoring them.
• Connecting your content to popular memes can help engage this aspect of the community, encouraging engagement, with the aim of creating more virality for your brand.
• If any user-generated meme jumps out, try to share it on the channels they’re naturally most effective on— forums like Reddit and Twitter are ideal for this. Make sure to credit the creator, as this will create a stronger brand connection and encourage others to create as well.
• Before you share a meme, make sure you’re 100% certain of what it means and its implications.
• As memetic media continues to grow, there will be repercussions and possible regulations. Keep track of them to make sure you’re not breaking any rules. Memes also live on the edge of copyright rules.

Nostalgia marketing

• During times of uncertainty and economic downturn, it appears more frequently as consumers look to connect with happier times to distract from current situations.

• Mentions of keywords related to nostalgia or remembering the past, shot up from a baseline of around 13M mentions to 24.4M (+88%).
• Nostalgia marketing was used more during the 1920’s depression, the late 2000’s Great Recession, and therefore should be big in the economic downturn over the coming years.
• 2021 will see the rise in more nostalgic elements. It could be stories associated that play with themes from “better days”, content that revolves around classic elements, re-releases of now defunct products, or even content presented in more “old school” ways.
• Below are the key takeaways brands can take note of when it comes to this trend-
• For nostalgia marketing to work, you need to consider your audience in different demographic sets. Remember, each campaign will probably hit an audience within a ten year age bracket.
• To find that gold nugget that entices your audience, you’ll have to really dig into your historical data. Reverse trend analysis plays a major role. Look not just within your industry, but culturally, too.
• Revisit your product catalog and see what could be re-released now. Not only will you hit that nostalgic spot for your existing audience, but younger generations could be tempted to buy as well.
• Games, songs, brand design, and even retro flavors can help engage with consumers’ pasts and connect on a more sensory basis.
• Many existing influencers have built communities focused on nostalgic elements. Look to them for content ideas or introduce them into your influencer strategy to connect with an audience that is already connected with the best bits of the past.

A little more conversation(al marketing)

• Marketing is a two-way street. Brands can no longer shout their messages into the void and hope for the best. Instead, it’s all about conversations and connections and the pandemic has brought this to the forefront.
• Connecting with stories of information, engagement, and social issues will be key in 2021.
• In 2021, expect brands and platforms to engage in more AI-led opportunities in order to connect with more consumers. Promotions will become less forced and derive more from natural conversations and established relationships with consumers.
• Below are the key takeaways brands can take note of when it comes to this trend-
• Consider how you position your brand with consumers and give them ways to start conversations with you.
• Across all your content, look at new ways to lead your consumers into connections.
• Start showing the human side of your brand. Lose the sales-speak and instead, focus on creating a tone that is more approachable.
• Break the silo between marketing and customer service.
• Integrate your customer service data, from chats, emails, and calls, into your analytics platform. This will provide additional insights into all aspects of your customer journey.

Social gaming = gaming social

• As the Covid-19 lockdown took hold, people turned to video games as another form of distraction. Forums and groups have risen within and around games, creating entire communities dedicated to the various fanbases.
• In 2021 the stigmatism associated with gaming will lift, as brands become more focused on these relevant communities.

• Over the last 13 months, the number of people who identify as gamers (include references to gaming as part of their social bios) has increased from 31.1M in August 2019 to 41.2M in July 2020 (+32%), with an immediate uptick shown during the lockdown months.
• The conversations these consumers are having reveal the trend.

• As the gaming landscape expands, we’ll begin to see more brands breaking into these audiences, creating personalized content targeted to drive engagement, and ultimately, sales.
• Below are the key takeaways brands can take note of when it comes to this trend-
• Brands need to connect with gaming communities that fit the demographic of the brand.
• Brands have to broaden their social listening platforms and integrate platforms such as Twitch and Quora.
• Understand what makes these audiences tick and create content designed for them. It’ll be less invasive and will be more likely to build the engagement you want.

Old-school marketing for a new market

• Tactics we previously saw can suddenly reappear, especially during times of uncertainty – with comms professionals switching back to tried-and-tested methods over disruptive ideas.
• In 2021 we will see a rise in “old-school marketing” as brands switch back to a simpler way of engaging consumers.
• During the Covid-19 crisis, people were craving more relevant information. Old-school marketing tactics such as newsletters and podcasts may lack the finesse of more recent methods, but they’re easy to establish by marketers and most importantly, easy to consume by customers.
• As the trend continues, expect brands to focus more on providing consumers with more content to fulfill their information voids with a particular focus on content over style.
• Below are the key takeaways brands can take note of when it comes to this trend-
• Focus on providing the information consumers need.
• Use newsletters to nurture your audience. With creative segmentation of your database, you can have hyper-personalized messaging that really cuts through to the information that your consumers are looking for.
• Community-focused influencers work across multiple channels, combining newsletters and podcasts with TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook content. These omnichannel influencers have multiple connection points with their audience, ensuring their content has maximum engagement and impact.

Social media giants adapt to the new normal

• The report predicts that the dominant social media platforms of today will be just as significant in 2021 and beyond. They may have new features and will adapt to the trends in their own particular way, but their significance is unlikely to dwindle in the coming years.
• These larger platforms have the size and capabilities to adapt quickly to changing trends and consumer habits.
• Below are the key takeaways brands can take note of when it comes to this trend-
• Though negative stories do arise, the headlines don’t always match consumer sentiment. These channels still show growth in user numbers and audience reach, demonstrating they’re still strong marketing outlets.
• Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter should still be the backbone of your marketing spend, so you can encapsulate their large and broad audiences.
• Keep reviewing how you use each platform, and make the most of the features available.
• Channel monitoring can help give you vital consumer insights, which can help influence your content ideation and planning.
• If you are investing heavily on paid social media, you should monitor that just as efficiently as your other social monitoring efforts.

The rise of digital disinformation

• The Covid-19 health crisis has brought the issue of disinformation to the forefront. Expect 2021 to be the year brands and social media channels focus on highlighting the truth, and silencing ‘fake news.’

• From February 2020 onwards, mentions of fake news, misinformation, and conspiracy theories increased dramatically. With the information void created by Covid-19, people desperately wanted more information around the global pandemic, yet it wasn’t easy for people to identify an authoritative source they felt they could trust. This led to consumers filling in the gaps for themselves, leading to a rise in fake news
• Expect social media channels to continue actively tackling misleading information, through means such as labeling that Twitter recently activated. It’ll be a challenging task, as platforms find the balance between transparency, open communication, and managing the issue.
• Below are the key takeaways brands can take note of when it comes to this trend-
• Be a transparent brand.
• Ensure all your channels, social media, email, etc, are secure and verified, to help mitigate the risk of hacks.
• Brands have to up their brand monitoring to a new scale to detect issues that don’t exist.
• Don’t pull your brand into controversy by sharing the wrong information.

The impact of socially conscious audiences

• It’s clear how the new breed of socially conscious generation (and the future Generation Alpha) had an impact on brands, politics, and society as a whole.
• Politics, equality, education, mental health, finance, changing food trends are proliferant conversations on social media. These topics are critical to these generations, and social media is their way to bring them to attention.
• Brands will start to reposition themselves dramatically over the coming months, moving away from marketing methodologies to more cause-driven messaging.
• Below are the key takeaways brands can take note of when it comes to this trend-
• Understand your audience to find the issues that matter to them. Before you engage publicly with an issue, you have to be earnest about it, ensuring that you’re tackling it across your whole company.
• A mission-led marketing campaign will instead connect with the audience on a more emotive level, creating stronger brand resonance.
• Align the marketing and PR departments. The more human side of PR can help disseminate the new messages you’re tackling.
• With these types of campaigns, it’s all or nothing. You have to be committed to your cause, but it’s possible to misjudge the timing or tone of your message. Monitor the response sentiment and act accordingly.
• Even if you don’t market your brand around social issues, that doesn’t mean you’re immune. Savvier generations will research your brand, and look at how you’re tackling global issues. If they find something that’s not up to par, the best-case scenario is that they won’t become a customer. In the worst case, you could have a brand crisis on your hands.