Trends come and pass, with customers eventually losing interest or forgetting why a particular thing was popular in the first place. Your business, however, should have true staying power. Regardless of the time or place, customers should want to continue buying your products or services because of the distinct value they provide — not because you participated in a trend.
But trends can also have their place, providing business leaders with the opportunity to reach new audiences and freshen up their marketing. That said, how is a business leader to know when it’s appropriate to hop on a trend and when it’s not? To shed some light, top business leaders from Rolling Stone Culture Council offer their perspective on the issue, each discussing one tip they’d offer fellow business leaders for how to determine whether a trend will benefit your business or detract from it.
Go With Your Gut
Trends are well and good, but always stay true to yourself. Ultimately, following trends should depend on your business goals and whether the trends align with them. So, go with your gut and do what feels right for you, your values and your business. – Mark Paulda, Mark Paulda & Co
Ensure It Benefits Your Brand
If the trend benefits your business and the direction you’re heading in, I say go for it. More importantly, don’t feel the need to adopt a trend just because it’s new and fresh. Brand alignment is key. – Karina Michel Feld, Tallulah Films
Ask if It Resonates With Your Customers
Assess the trend’s relevance to your audience and brand values. Whether it’s memes or broader consumer trends, only adopt them if they resonate with your customers. Quick adoption is crucial if the trend aligns, but if not, skipping ensures you stay authentic to your brand and maintain focus on what genuinely interests your target audience. – Dan Serard, Cannabis Creative Group
Consider the Trend’s ‘Why’
Trends come and go — but when read correctly, they provide important business insights. As a body jewelry manufacturer, we predict what people want to wear. However, a consumer chooses to wear butterflies or titanium for very different reasons: A butterfly is a style preference, and titanium is a health decision. Adding more butterflies is a seasonal change; expanding our titanium is a commitment of ideals. – Vanessa Nornberg, Metal Mafia
The Rolling Stone Culture Council is an invitation-only community for Influencers, Innovators and Creatives. Do I qualify?
Determine Whether It Has Any Staying Power
When it comes to trends, my personal take is to give it at least 30 days. Watch, study and pay attention to the surrounding elements. If, at that point, it seems to still be gaining further chatter and has not already faded away, then we already have an understanding to jump in when or where it makes sense. Some work; others you let pass even if they last. – Chris Bianchi, CB Entertainment
Check Its Alignment With Your Brand’s Ethos
When we assess a trend for GRAV, the key is authenticity alignment. Does the trend resonate with our core values of quality, innovation and social responsibility? If yes, it’s worth exploring. Trends aligned with our ethos not only enhance brand credibility, but they also deepen connections with our community, particularly in an industry with a complex social backdrop. – Red Rodriguez, GRAV
Prioritize Your Customers’ Needs and Goals
To evaluate trends, prioritize your audience’s needs and goals. Adopt if it aligns, ignore if it’s a distraction. Relevance is key for long-term success. We often encountered trends related to various CBD products and usage patterns. When assessing these trends, we conducted surveys, monitored social media conversations and actively sought feedback from our diverse customer base. – Calvin Rasode, Brains Bioceutical Corp
Make Sure the Trend Doesn’t Feel Out of Place
Trends, particularly in marketing, can be essential, fun to explore and often the name of the game, but they must not seemingly come out of nowhere. Some trends may be so far off the mark from your brand that you’ll lose the respect and interest of consumers, who will see it as pandering. So, it’s crucial to implement a trend that works organically with your strategy and appeals to your niche. – Cynthia Johnson, Bell + Ivy
Consider Developing Your Own Trends
Creating your own trends is the most effective and valuable way to take advantage of them. Start by developing and implementing a solid business plan. As your business grows, keep an eye out for emerging opportunities. Stay adaptable and open to change to lead the way in setting new trends. – Michael Klein, cannabisMD