Trendjacking in Content Marketing – The ‘Paranormal’ Story to Boost Egyptian Brands

One of the essential rules of creating content is that it has to be relevant to the audience. And to create successful content, it has to reach your target audience. There are many factors that creatives depend on when it comes to reaching the target audience, one of them is trendjacking.

Many creatives and social media content creators depend on trendjacking since sometimes it’s a reason why a post can go viral. The idea of ‘Trendjacking’ is essential because it spreads fast and reaches the audience easily.

These days we are witnessing a wave of trendjacking from many brands. Ever since Netflix released its famous series “Paranormal”, it became the trendiest topic on digital media in Egypt.

The Phenomenal Spark of ‘Paranormal’

It has been almost a week since “Paranormal” was released and we could see that everyone is talking about it. The series went viral and became a trend because people are either reviewing it or using it as meme material. We have seen multiple memes going viral all over social media platforms and many reviews especially when the series was said to be on IMDB’s list.

https://twitter.com/DoktorGrigori/status/1324843285467308032

Brilliant story telling and directing. Egypt 🇪🇬 stepping up to the plate with this horror series. which will leave you feeling nostalgic more than terrified. Definitely a classic. #paranormalnetflix pic.twitter.com/38ivHRCJRc

— S͎p͎a͎c͎e͎ Trekkie 🛸✨ (@chama_makungu) November 8, 2020

My father once told me that Egyptian cinema was great
After watching #paranormalnetflix
I’m sad I didn’t watch other works from this region previously

— Al Hakimi 🍁🇵🇸 (@onlyfaiths) November 7, 2020

Watched #ParanormalNetflix, the company's first Egyptian series, solid stuff, some corny moments here and there, but overall elegiac, intriguing, and dryly funny. https://t.co/DQ0lLjwiV2

— Christopher Chiu-Tabet (@CCTabet) November 9, 2020

AH that's so romantic#paranormalnetflix pic.twitter.com/oPXdwgxZtj

— Sidney (@sidneyalesandra) November 10, 2020

The popularity of the series didn’t stop there, we came across some brands using the series in its social media posts.

Brands that Trendjacked ‘Paranormal’

Ever since the series went viral, brands started using its first two words “ما وراء” and created ideas to promote its products.

McDonald’s is one of these brands and it’s worth mentioning that we can notice the change the brand did in its content. The brand has been using memes and trendjacking in its social media content, and “Paranormal” is an example.

Also, Dunkin’ Donuts, Cinnabon, TODO, Freska, and many more have been trendjacking the “Paranormal” trend. We can’t help but wonder who else going to join the trendjacking.

When to Stop Using a Trend?

We can all agree that one of the purposes of using trendjacking is raising awareness or engaging with the audience.

Recommended Read ➤ The Other Side of Social Media Trends and How They Can Be Misused

We are also aware that sometimes trendjacking is a must, but are we seeing too much?
It’s only been a few days and we have come across many posts regarding the trend and we expect to see more since this is only the beginning.

There are 3 things that can stop you from using a trend in your content,

Number 1: When the topic is outdated and not a trend anymore.
Number 2: When the rending topic is not relevant to your brand.
Number 3: When it’s overly used.

The last thing you want is your audience rolling their eyes when they see your content; this might happen when you join the “Overly Used” trends.

Can Trendjacking Harm The Brand?

The answer to that question is yes. One of the things you should know is that not every trend can be used. You have to be aware of your brand values and voice; this is the first key that can allow you to use a trend. Also, you have to be aware of how you will be trendjacking and think of your audience’s reaction.

You can’t be handling a real estate account and decide to use a trendy meme in your content, it won’t do you any good. Also, using an overly used trend will make you look as if you ran out of ideas. You will be putting yourself in a place of competition because people would compare whose idea was better.

Consider Trendjacking a game and the smartest player is the one who knows when and how to use a trend.

Tell us your opinion, do you think brands are overly using the ‘Paranormal’ trend?