Do you find yourself catching up on current affairs through a quick social media scroll or an app notification about the latest trends?
You’re not alone.
Social media may have started as a way to stay connected with friends and family, but it’s evolved into something far bigger. Today, it’s a dynamic platform where news breaks, trends emerge, and society-shaping conversations unfold. From connecting people to influencing opinions and spreading information instantly, social media has become a central hub for current events and a powerful tool for public discourse.
In a world where countless things happen every moment, it’s easy for many to go unnoticed. But there’s someone who’s always paying attention—your favourite brands.
Brands are quick to pick up on what’s trending in the news, on social platforms, or in pop culture, using these moments to generate awareness. This strategy is called moment marketing.
Moment Marketing - Is it a ride or a die?
Leveraging on the celebrity crush
Everyone on the internet heard when Jackie Shroff said “Pedd lagao bhidu” but who knew brands could leverage this moment too? Grabbing first hand at what’s trending on the meme pages over the internet, Uber launched a campaign with Jackie Shroff conceptualising his love for greenery as a medium to connect to the audience. No wonder it came out so well! Let's Go | Uber Auto
Following the release and popularity of the web series Panchayat, Ryze, a nicotine gum brand also stood up and released an ad film with Binod and Bhooshan, the so-called antagonists from the series. The message was clear, ‘quit tobacco and its mess’. But why did they choose them over any other celebrity? It’s all about being in the moment – what’s trending gets the most traction (at least for now).
Comment for a comment
Well, let’s say working on a marketing campaign or an ad wasn’t enough to stay relevant in this internet age. Brands are also aggressively commenting on multiple reels/ posts, and adding a touch of their flavour to the viral content and it has worked in their favour. Thousands of people engage with those comments and feel a connection with the brand.
Let’s also not forget the consistent notifications we get in a day from multiple applications installed on our mobile. If that isn’t enough, brands give you notifications based on the time of the day (or night).
Wishes have turned creative
Gone are the days when wishes were simple and direct. Brands now leverage every opportunity to add a pun or every other angle that relates the occasion to their products/ services. Look for yourself.
*The third-party Intellectual Property is not owned by Grapdes.
Swiggy also took their campaign on the roads this Ganesh Chaturthi. Festivals are personal, family-oriented and hold a cultural reference and Swiggy Instamart understood the assignment. They installed free Modak dispensers across Mumbai in celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi. The move in itself, builds a direct connection between the consumer and the brand establishing a trust factor among the consumers.
*The third-party Intellectual Property is not owned by Grapdes.
Another take on exploring moments
CRED, a members-only payment experience company is always viral for their new ads. They employ a hook that the audience would want to see. They execute the intrusive thoughts of the internet generation. We’re all aware of David Warner’s love for cricket but who would have thought of a collaboration between him and SS Rajamouli?
David Warner is always active on social media with his viral content and love for Indian culture and music. Meanwhile, SS Rajamouli needs no introduction. CRED saw a moment, they delivered a moment.
Exploring trending tactics - at the moment
When COVID-19 happened, everyone was homebound. But brands said the show must go on.
Challenges gave birth to opportunities and we saw a new incoming technological wave.
Humans weren’t allowed to act or interact, so naturally, brands were inclined towards technology.
The CGI wave
Brands are actively producing CGI content to launch new products. Recently, Victoria's Secret, a beauty products retailer launched a new CGI video that captures the Mumbai sea link announcing the return of their iconic fashion show.
IRTH, from the House of Titans too explored CGI technology to announce the launch of their first store in Mumbai.
These launch strategies allow brands to explore tech to make their products look ‘larger than life’ and add an oomph factor to the overall appeal. Not to forget, the engagement these launches receive makes the whole process worth it.
Embracing augmented reality
Brands these days are also introducing augmented reality to their overall campaign – launching a personalised experience for their customers.
For example, before the release of the Barbie movie, their marketing campaign was all over the internet. Barbie was trending and to give a breath of fresh air, the team launched an AR campaign on Snapchat that allows users to try and visualise themselves in Barbie outfits.
Barbie was once a part of almost everyone’s childhood in one way or the other. Moves like these play on the emotion of nostalgia and accessibility factor and lead to massive engagement – making the audience feel included.
*The third-party Intellectual Property is not owned by Grapdes.
Virtual reality and 3D experiences
Virtual reality rooms became the talk of the town during the lockdown. Virtual rooms were taking up the space – virtual concerts were happening and whatnot. It was all about making the most of the moment, the audience in their living room getting an experience of a live concert. It may sound silly today but lockdown made it a big thing.
John Legend took the VR concert route during COVID-19. *The third-party Intellectual Property is not owned by Grapdes.
BoAt, a lifestyle electronics brand, partnered with virtual influencer KYRA and launched a film revealing their new product. While influencer marketing is already a debate on the internet, are virtual influencers the next big thing? We don’t know yet.
But let’s agree, a bit of change and exploring new marketing tactics never hurt anybody. Especially, BoAt which is already famous for exploring the unexplored.
Trend alert - Humans are marketing too
In a recent eye-catching incident, a brand in Dubai displayed a real human model as a mannequin to market their products and the world was eye-bawling.
While the internet was in splits, this worked as a form of engagement for the brand. A bizarre marketing move got them global recognition and the brand was all over the news, worldwide.
*The third-party Intellectual Property is not owned by Grapdes.
Where’s this headed? We don’t know yet.
But has it backfired yet? The answer is sadly, yes. Recently, Zepto, an online instant delivery platform received a lot of backlash for sending a notification to a woman that read
“I miss you Pallavi. Says i-Pill emergency contraceptive pill”.
A while ago, Bombay Shaving Company received a lot of backlash from the audience for their ad on the UP board topper. The company’s advertisement defending Prachi was not received well by the masses.
While grabbing every moment to market a product may add value to brand remembrance, where do brands draw a line? We have a lot to ponder over.
Now that we’re at it, how can we forget memes and how they add to this variety?
Meme marketing
The new rabbit & tortoise race
While memes leave a long-lasting impression on the audience, playing in the moment has benefitted the brands too. Both strategies have worked for brands in gaining substantial traction on the internet, but their applications differ.
With moment marketing, the brands try to establish a relatability factor to attract the audience while meme marketing has multiple other use cases. There are times when both coincide when a recent meme virality allows brands to leverage the opportunity at that moment. However, the advantage here is that memes continue to exist over time while moments may get lost with time.
Who’s winning this race? While both marketing trends coexist, we have seen a fair share of engagement in both. What matters is how brands want to position themselves in the market and how well they execute their strategies (of course without facing any scrutiny).
Key takeaways
Brands have been exploring newer trends and strategies to establish themselves in their target markets. However, in this day and age of the internet and social media, no trend is permanent.
The only trend that will always be permanent is
→ how honest the brand is,
→ how deeply they understand their target market,
→ how efficient their services are,
→ and how well they understand their audience.
Because at last, the consumer is the brand’s best/worst critic.
P.S. Make every moment count.
