Chaotic content reigns on social media, but is it right for your brand?

Look at some key trends from the past couple of years. Last summer, we had the culture clash of Barbie versus Oppenheimer, released in the same week, with many resulting memes focussing on the duality of two social conversations unfolding around the films simultaneously.

This was swiftly followed up by divided camps over whether you were ‘very demure, very mindful,’ as made famous by TikTokker Jools Lebron. Or, if you were Brat Summer, a la Charlie XCX, a trend that spawned millions of social media posts in the now infamous neon green and a thousand arguments over ‘what being Brat’ actually meant.

Big picture

A macro trend is unfolding, too. Unhinged social has never been more wild and captivating – social media managers saw Ryanair and Duolingo, raising them a Nutter Butter’s TikTok or RSPB’s Bird of the Week series, which arguably has completely changed the way charities approach social.

Agency creatives across the land are currently trying to sell chaotic strategies to their clients, shaking the shackles of robust content strategies with clear brand messages, content pillars, franchises, and sensible thinking underpinning the content calendar.

But, does every brand need to chase the unhinged social media dream?

The quick answer is no. Do we need or want official government accounts chasing after every trend or the floodgates opening for every brand account to go after and ‘react’ to every manic moment? Not really.

Slow and steady

While this approach grabs attention and weird works in the social feed, the real question should be: ’Will my brand fandom engage with this content and find it valuable?’. After all, "if everyone looked the same, we’d get tired of looking at each other,” as Groove Armada said. So, let’s also champion the slow and steady social accounts for delivering useful and informative content daily.

If your audience – or the community you nurture and build – find recipes, cooking tips, and informative content valuable, there’s no need to ramp things up to create a kitchen rave, turning the content they find valuable into something unhinged. (Although, sign up Sophie Ellis Bextor, and you might have a killer campaign).

It all starts with your community – what do they want to see from your brand on social? After all, no one goes online to view ads. People log onto Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and beyond to be entertained, informed, or inspired. If it happens to be from your brand, and it’s interesting, they’ll likely stick around to watch it and interact.

As an example, eBay. Confidently the GOAT (that’s ‘greatest of all time’) of pre-loved fashion and the circular economy, it’s a platform of multiple sellers and small and medium businesses (SMBs) that underpin their people-powered platform.

This is a brand that has more to offer than just throwaway chaotic content. Dig a little, and the brand has riches galore. Seller stories, unique finds that you quite literally could only source on eBay, Black History Month stories told through the eyes of SMBs, Pride celebrated through the lens of community, and even a married couple who met thanks to the listing of a bicycle (yes, really!).

Bang for your buck

Think of the British supermarkets. If you sell everything from pasta to pomegranates and poster paints, there are more ways to create interesting content for your audience than just chaotic posts – these might bang but don’t give your brand bang for their buck.

For a competitive sector such as food retail, there’s also a higher purpose and brand message to convey about the quality of the produce, building trust and driving preference through a well thought-out social schedule across community management, organic, paid, and campaigns. A throwaway unhinged strategy won’t necessarily fly here.

There are also many ways to innovate on social beyond chaotic content. AR, interactive experiences, interesting ad placements, deep dives, long-form, going beyond Instagram and TikTok to Reddit, Twitch, YouTube and beyond…. There are many ways to make interesting creative and a huge toolkit at your fingertips.

So, let’s also champion the slow and steady social accounts delivering entertaining, useful, and informative content daily.

If you are client-side, still unsure, and thinking which side of the fence to be on… just look to your community. Ask your social media and community managers. Inspect the data and speak to your insights teams.

Because it’s all about matching your brand values to the content that your community finds valuable and then creating enjoyable experiences and social content for them to enjoy.