It feels like social media trends are everywhere right now. From well-crafted content to witty banter fuelled captions, they shape feeds, spark conversations, and influence what people find engaging. Increasingly, businesses aren’t shying away from these trends either. If (more like when) I open Instagram or TikTok, I’m often hit with a barrage of content from businesses taking part in the social media trend of the hour, and it leaves me thinking: surely this isn’t in the brand guidelines…

As attention-grabbing as a trend can be, I can’t help but question the impact on the brand itself, especially in B2B. Trend-led content can make a brand feel relevant and modern, but it also risks pulling it away from the voice and style it has spent years building. In more extreme cases, it could even alienate long-standing clients and customers. I like a social media trend as much as the next person, but I think brands need to really consider what they want to achieve with the content they share before jumping on a trend. Will it resonate with their audience? Can the trend be adapted without straying too far from the brand’s identity? Bending brand guidelines to chase a trend can dilute a recognisable identity if there isn’t a clear purpose behind it.

For B2C businesses, taking on trends isn’t new. Retail, beauty, food, and lifestyle brands have been leaning into trends for years because they deliver reach, spark conversations, and often drive results. Trend-led content does more than entertain. It connects brands with the people they want to reach in the places those people are already spending time. B2C organisations also tend to have more flexibility where trends are concerned, adapting both format and language to keep pace with their audiences. One trend I saw a lot of B2C brands get involved in was the “Gen-Z marketing script”, where an unsuspecting team member is handed a script packed with Gen-Z phrases. Despite using a completely different tone of voice and visual style to previously shared content, more often than not the comments sections were flooded with support and, importantly, other accounts being tagged, further raising brand awareness. I’ve seen everything from independent bookshops to heritage sites get involved, reaching new audiences and re-connecting with existing ones through humour. So, I guess I have Hever Castle to thank for adding “pop off queen” to my vocabulary…

B2B brands, on the other hand, have historically been slower to experiment and don’t have that same flexibility to tweak their ‘sound’ in line with the latest lingo. Why? For starters, that isn’t the language their audience is likely to use in a professional capacity. Taking part in trends is great but, like everything, there’s a time and a place – usually it’s not in a corporate setting. I often wonder how a law firm or software provider could pull off a trend-inspired edit without it feeling forced or inappropriate. At the end of the day, who wants to work with another business who posts daily videos of the team doing “TikTok dances”? Over time, though, I’ve seen a shift. Many B2B brands are now trying these formats on LinkedIn or even Instagram and TikTok. Short videos, relatable stories, and personality-led content are helping make complex services feel human and easier to understand. I’m a believer in people sell to people, which is why I think some trends can work. For instance, UK-based Attwell’s Solicitors shared a video featuring their CEO to trending audio (“Looking for a man tima remix”) and it has reached over 19 million views. Attwell’s specialises in working with SMEs and property professionals, yet by creating fun people-focused content, they’ve managed to go viral, and no doubt raise interest as well as awareness in the brand even on a B2B level.

I believe the best approach isn’t to chase every trend. Instead, brands should choose the ones that genuinely connect with their audience and reflect who they are. When trend-inspired content is used intentionally, it can help a brand feel modern, human, and relevant — without losing what makes it unique. For me, it’s always a balancing act between staying culturally relevant and staying true to the voice that earns trust from your audience.

Our client Nexus did a great job of striking this balance as part of their campaign to promote their POP Blue Cards, which offers users discounted rates when travelling. The campaign was targeted at 16 to 21 year olds through eye-catching artwork and slogans in ‘their language’ that didn’t feel out of place among the rest of the brand collateral. You can find out more about the POP Blue campaign, here.