Goho’s 2023 Trending Topics Roundup
This year saw a whirlwind of marketing marvels, and oh boy, did we see some trends take off! As a swanky little Events, Marketing, Social Media, and PR agency, riding the wave of 2023's trendiest topics was our jam. Sink? Not a chance – we were surfing those trends like pros! Ready for a fun recap of 2023's hottest hits? Dive in.
Barbie x Oppenheimer
We mean this quite literally when we say, Barbenheimer might’ve been the best link-up of the decade.
Not only did cinema see an increase in sales, the highest number recorded since the pandemic, but it showed us the power that a trending topic holds.
Long before Barbie and Oppenheimer hit the big screens, the social media detectives sniffed out the epic showdown brewing between Christopher Nolan and Warner Bros. (Oh, there's some history there, but that's a story for another day!). They leapt at the chance to whip up some hilarious, unforgettable, and AI-crafted goodies inspired by these blockbuster sensations. It was like a movie-themed meme party, and everyone was invited!
This trend grew into a global phenomenon with many social media users branding themselves as ‘Team Oppenheimer’ or ‘Team Barbie’. We’re obvi #TeamBarbie.
Many brands such as Oreo, Coca-Cola and Durex pounced on the opportunity to create tailored marketing campaigns surrounding the trending topic. It’s needless to say that through social media Barbenheimer reached millions allowing brands to create a consumer boom through savvy trend hopping. We hope to see another groundbreaking trend like this in 2024!
Faux advertising
Yes, you read that right! 2023 saw the rise of faux advertising.
Now you might be wondering, what is Faux Advertising?
Well, it’s when brands create a piece of content with the expectation of it becoming viral. This virality then passes through popular culture and is subsequently mentioned through news outlets. Long story short, viral video = free advertising.
With Covid lockdown well and truly behind us, marketing has returned to more traditional ways of operating. By employing out-of-home media such as posters, billboards and digital signs, advertising has been able to return to business-as-usual reaching millions worldwide. But stick to traditional mediums when there are tools such as AI and social platforms to communicate your brand in more engaging and interesting ways?
As the number of social media platforms continues to rise, big brands are forced to create compelling content across all of these newer special media applications. This rise in content creation has seen many brands shortcutting the traditional marketing process creating a strategy known as ‘Faux Advertising’. After all, creating a video that has the potential to go viral and be picked up by multiple news outlets, seen by millions and being the talk of the town online, is much more efficient than running a marketing strategy or campaign that drains two vital resources - time and money.
Over the past year, there have been many brands that have hopped on the trend of faux advertising and made a buck while doing it.
Brands such as The North Face, Gymbox and Vestiaire Collective have all profited from faux advertising. Makeup brand, Maybelline paved the way earlier this year by collaborating with a well-known social media account to create an AI-generated post depicting an eyelash on a train, the beauty brand created a marketing frenzy which was plastered across social media platforms and news sites. Overnight it had achieved the results all faux advertising aims to do; A viral video in exchange for free advertising. Very clever if you ask us!
In 2024, we're expecting this trend to really take off – it's going to be quite the adventure, so get ready folks as we move even further away from traditional mediums and into more innovative realms in order to deliver successful marketing campaigns.
Artificial Intelligence
AI's finally hit the big leagues and snuck into our daily lives, sometimes in the sneakiest of ways. Imagine jamming to a brand-new Beatles tune or chatting on a phone that's, well, not really a phone – yep, that's AI for you! In 2023, it was like AI had a magic wand, turning the ordinary into something extraordinary.
While it has been the topic of many sour conversations *cough cough, Disney X Loki promotional posters,* it has enabled Digital Marketers to create amazing content.
2023 has seen the rise of Chat GPT, with most digital markets moving towards the platform to help with planning, content creation and organisation of their marketing strategies. ‘Chat GPT prompts even became a trending topic on Tiktok.
As we wrap up this whirlwind of a year in marketing, it's clear that 2023 has been a wild ride. From the unexpected yet remarkable collaboration of Barbie and Oppenheimer to the innovative realm of faux advertising, we've witnessed groundbreaking trends that redefined marketing strategies.
