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Viral Creations

Instructor: Jeremy Gutsche
Trend Hunter was created in 2005, before YouTube and Facebook, nevertheless Twitter or Instagram. In the early days of social media and the blogosphere, those who were online felt like pioneers discovering how the Internet could take a message and amplify it to the world.

This module looks to early and recent examples of virality -- some awkwardly simple in today’s pace of change -- to glean lessons on how to ensure your brand truly connects with people.
Workshop Questions:
1. How can you better portray your product as best in class or apart from the pack?
2. What parts of your brand story most resonate with its customers and why?
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Insights by Trend Hunter AI

Cosmetic Microbiome
Cosmetics and Personal Care Brands Introduce Skin Microbiome Solutions
Trend - Cosmetics and personal care brands are launching microbiome‑boosting creams, patches and targeted treatments that use fermented ingredients to support skin barrier health. Companies position these products as science‑driven solutions that strengthen resilience and reduce irritation.
Workshop Question - How can your brand create innovative products or services that leverage the power of natural microbiome balance to enhance and protect consumer well-being?
8.4
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
Patterns
Megatrends
Frugal Flex
Dupe culture enables luxury style access while spending smart
Trend - Retailers and brands are embracing dupe culture as consumers seek affordable alternatives to luxury across beauty and fashion; driving demand for products that mirror high-end aesthetics, formulations, and design—from makeup to apparel—at more accessible price points.
Workshop Question - How could your brand support consumers in balancing aspiration with value-driven, intentional spending?
7.9
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
Patterns
Megatrends
Experiential Poster
Physical, touchable media is being reintroduced to deepen sensory engagement
Trend - Brands are incorporating tactile elements into billboards and posters to create immersive, multi-sensory experiences. From textured surfaces to interactive materials, these physical formats invite touch and smell, transforming passive ad spaces into memorable, hands-on brand encounters.
Workshop Question - How can your brand use physical interaction to create more memorable consumer touchpoints?
8.8
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
Patterns
Megatrends
Human-Powered
Brands launch services that are 100% powered by people
Trend - From Write.ad’s 24-hour human-written ad copy to Literal Humans’ editorial-style storytelling and Del Real Foods’ “Abuela Intelligence” campaign, a wave of brands are leaning on people, not algorithms, to deliver creativity, wisdom, and authentic connection.
Workshop Question - How could your brand inject more human voice and lived perspective into the experiences you create?
4.8
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
Patterns
Megatrends
Crime Comedy
Brands launch products with lighthearted spins on true crime stories
Trend - Brands across various industries, such as apparel, accessories, trinkets, and foodservice, are launching products inspired by popular true crime stories. These products offer comedic twists and messaging in order to lighten the mood and help consumers cope with the horror of the situations.
Workshop Question - How can we incorporate dark humor into our brand strategy to transform unsettling themes into lighthearted experiences that resonate with our audience?
6.7
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
Patterns
Megatrends
AI Intimacy
Retail brands are using AI to create deeper emotional connections with customers
Trend - Retail companies are deploying AI systems that go beyond transactional interactions to build genuine emotional relationships with customers. These technologies learn individual preferences, remember personal details, and anticipate needs in ways that make customers feel truly understood. AI is being used so every interaction feels like a continuation of an ongoing relationship.
Workshop Question - How could your brand use AI to remember and celebrate the small details that make each customer feel uniquely valued?
7.4
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
Patterns
Megatrends
Substack Couture
Fashion brands launch newsletters to build direct relationships with consumers
Trend - Major fashion brands like Tory Burch, The RealReal, and American Eagle are embracing Substack as a marketing channel, creating editorial newsletters that blend product promotion with lifestyle content. As newsletter platforms grow in popularity, more fashion retailers are experimenting with this direct-to-consumer content approach, seeing it as an opportunity to communicate with their audience outside the constraints of social media algorithms.
Workshop Question - How could your brand create newsletter content that provides genuine value to consumers beyond traditional product marketing?
6.1
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
Patterns
Megatrends
Omnichannel Acceleration
Brands diversify retail presence across digital & physical channels
Trend - As traditional DTC models face growing challenges from supply chain disruptions and shifting consumer preferences, brands are rapidly expanding their presence across multiple retail channels. This expansion includes leveraging retail media networks, exploring social commerce, maintaining brick-and-mortar locations, and creating seamless experiences between digital and physical touchpoints.
Workshop Question - How can your brand create more seamless connections between its various retail channels?
5.1
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
Patterns
Megatrends
Trend Campaign
Brands are encouraging consumers to post in campaigns to start widespread trends
Trend - Brands are taking to social media platforms to launch interactive campaigns that encourage users to post unique content to enter. These post-based campaigns are intended to start wider spread trends where consumers boost the reach of the campaign far beyond its original audience.
Workshop Question - How can we leverage interactive and participatory elements in our marketing campaigns to inspire user-generated content that catalyzes new trends on social media?
4.1
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
Patterns
Megatrends
Automated Description
Startups are launching AI tools that generate retail product descriptions
Trend - Startups are launching AI tools that generate product descriptions for online retailers. These tools take into account cost, highlight features, and detailed information to generate attention-grabbing copy quickly. These tools are designed to save time and money for online storefront operators.
Workshop Question - How could your brand leverage artificial intelligence tools to reduce operational costs in one or more areas?
6
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
Patterns
Megatrends