“The best marketing doesn’t feel like marketing.” – Tom Fishburne
This above quote perfectly encapsulates the core of effective influencer marketing today. As the digital marketing landscape grows, both conventional creators and offbeat influencers have carved their niches.
However, a new trend is emerging—one that celebrates cringe-worthy content. While some dismiss it as silly, others find it hilariously relatable. But how does this kind of content work for brands, and what are its implications?
The upside:
So, why does cringe content work? According to Natalie Wynn, a celebrated YouTuber and cultural critic, it’s all about schadenfreude—the pleasure derived from someone else’s misstep—and the boost it gives to our self-esteem. It might irritate viewers, but it also keeps them coming back for more—something brands have cleverly capitalized on.
Take Instagram’s @majedar_kahani_ for example, known for its quirky Ganji Chudail character. This offbeat account has collaborated with a range of clients, from Shaadi.com to Nykaa, and even worked on movie promotions, like Stree 2. The key to their success? Fresh animation, unconventional storylines, and humor that keeps the viewers glued to the end.
But this trend isn’t limited to established offbeat creators. Any creator is just one video away from virality, provided the content is humorous or relatable enough. A great example is young motivational speaker @benjamin_p_joby, whose “sapne dekhna” reel exploded on social media last month. The reel gained momentum due to its narration style and multiple brands picked up this hookline to collaborate with the creator for their branded videos. Leading brands like oswaalbooks, satvic.foods, fitphysiqueofficial, wakefitco, carzspaofficial, and many more collaborated with him. Even Nagpur City Police joined the bandwagon, showcasing how this kind of content crosses industries and niches.
This type of content marketing might not bring the creator any long-term benefits but it does bring them their 15 minutes of fame and helps them gain a good number of followers.While these moments might not guarantee long-term creator fame, they certainly offer brands a chance to engage with a broader audience and ride the wave of viral trends.
The downside: Of course, cringe content has its pitfalls. The biggest challenge? “there is literally plenty of fish in the sea!” Oversaturation makes the audiences often lose interest when content feels repetitive with so many brands chasing a particular creator or trend. Hence timing becomes critical; brands need to catch trends at their peak, not when they’re on the decline. This lack of sustainability can also hinder a collaboration’s ultimate goal: brand recall.
Another concern is alignment. These creators don’t always blend well with the brands' tone or personality. Jumping on trends for the sake of relevance can backfire if the creator’s content feels out of sync with the brand’s image.
Hence brands need to filter out a set of influencers that rather align well with their brand language. There is still a lot of scope to explore interesting content with conventional creators.
For example, a high-end brand like Nykaa might find better synergy with someone like Varun Grover, who is known for his fun product reviews and entertaining narration. Conclusion:
The art of understanding the link between brand and trend is what affects the social media presence. It is important that every brand draws a clear line for their marketing team especially when they wish to conduct an influencer marketing campaign. A chart sheet with a clear set of objectives and a well-defined personality to guide the team is a must before hopping on to trends. This step also becomes crucial as it saves the brands from resulting backlash or whitewashing PR activity.
So, while real-time, trend-driven content is exciting, it begs the question: Is content creation moving toward fast-changing fads, much like fast fashion? Only time will tell, but for now, the key lies in balancing authenticity, relatability, and strategic planning.
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