Why Every Brand Wants a Trending Showgirl Moment (But Not All Should)

Remember last month? One second, you were scrolling Instagram, minding your own business, and then the next thing you know—it’s orange sparkly products on a mint-colored background as far as the eye can see.

Enter Taylor Swift’s Showgirl Era.

Were we all excited? Yes.

Was this an amazing opportunity for brands to trend hop? Hell yes!

Was this the time for every brand to copy and paste the same idea and hit 'post'? No way.

We all saw some smart, strategic executions and tie-ins to this trend. We also saw random, weird brands posting Taylor content out of left field, looking thirsty and uninformed—you know the ones… especially those spelling “Swiftie” with an “y” 🤦‍♀️

This trend started a tidal wave of "if there’s a trending template, someone will use it." Don’t believe me? Check out most of the brands selling a beverage (in a can) when the new “thinnest post” 5120x1080 format began trending this month. I will say, some brands came to play with this trend—looking at you, KitKat. 🤌

Listen, I am not here to be the fun police. Sometimes, FAFOing can turn into pure gold—or at least deliver some smiles all around. But after 15 years in social, many of which were spent leading Olive Garden’s rise to fame and relevance in the mid-aughts, I gruelled over developing target consumer-relevant, data-driven strategies to strategically enter fandoms, fuel them, participate fully, and nurture lasting engagement (and visits to the restaurant). This was all done in collaboration with the best social, creative and PR/Comms people in the business.

We didn’t jump on every trend. We targeted specific fandoms that made sense and aligned with our brand’s DNA. We were a part of those fandoms. We spoke the language and lived the culture. And those brands supported us consistently, and over time, developed a genuine overlap with our brand because we had a genuine passion for their fandom. Down to Taylor even referencing Olive Garden in her song No Body, No Crime.

TL;DR: Anyone can slap orange sparkle on a seafoam background. True expertise is building a selective fan base that sticks around past the opening act.

How to Ride the Trend—and Build Lasting Fans

Trends flatten hierarchies: suddenly, all brands speak the same meme language, competing for eyeballs. That’s not inherently bad—it can spark unexpected fandoms. However, the best brands don’t just chase virality; they create communities rooted in authenticity and driven by data insights.

Here’s what works:

• Be playful and experiment with trends—but analyze data before blindly jumping in. Look for real fan engagement, research who your top followers follow, and dig deeper than surface-level likes.

• Curate your brand’s participation. Be selective and purposeful; not every trend suits your voice or audience. Be active, know your subject matter, and understand what sets you apart from your competitors—use this insight to tie into trends in a way that supports your business objectives while staying authentic and meaningful to your core audience.

• Build overlapping fandoms with your target audience by demonstrating that you share the community’s passions through actionable strategies you activate year-round—and consistently measure—to understand and grow those overlaps. Swifties, Mean Girls, Pickle Lovers, and True Crime fans are a few of my favorites, in case you care.

From Trend to Tribe: Building Beyond the Buzz

You do you... I'm well aware that social is meant to be fun. So, ofc— get creative, take risks, and laugh with your fans. But at the same time, don’t forget that a lot of people have worked hard to bring a lot of thought, discipline, and rigor to social media marketing. Don’t disrespect the deep expertise and true strategy behind trend spotting and activation by just copying and pasting what others have done.

You and I both know you're better than that.

My 15 years in the trenches of trend spotting have given me expertise that delivers real business value beyond the fleeting buzz. It’s the difference between chasing viral moments and strategically turning those fleeting memes into lasting fandoms.

This experience ensures that trending moments don’t come off as opportunistic or out of touch, but instead feel authentic, purposeful, and deeply connected to the communities they engage.

Make culture work for your brand, not the other way around.