Social media is the ultimate playground for marketers. It’s a constantly evolving world where trends rise and fall faster than you can say “viral.” But for savvy brands and influencers, it presents an opportunity to reach audiences in fresh, engaging ways.
The secret? Trend-jacking—the art of capitalizing on famous cultural moments to create scroll-stopping social content. When done right, this technique can transform your social presence into an unforgettable one.
In this post, we’ll look at 10 excellent examples that ride the wave of the latest social media trends to craft copy that stops thumbs in their tracks.
Get ready to take notes—these creative, on-point examples are about to become your new source of inspiration.
But first, let’s understand the basics.
What is trend-jacking?
Trend-jacking is the practice of tapping into cultural trends and moments to create engaging social media content.
The basic idea is to identify buzzworthy topics currently capturing people’s attention and find ways to weave those trends into your social media posts. This could mean referencing a viral meme, including a popular challenge, or commenting on a news event.
The key is to do this in a way that feels natural and on-brand.
Trend-jacking isn’t about randomly jumping on every trend—it’s about selectively leveraging the ones that align with your audience and brand voice.
When executed well, it allows you to:
- Reach a broader, more engaged audience
- Build deeper connections with your community through timely, relevant content
- Showcase your brand’s cultural awareness and real-time responsiveness
- Inject fresh, creative energy into your social media presence
How is trend-jacking different from moment marketing?
Now, you might be wondering whether moment marketing is the same thing as trend-jacking. There is a slight difference between the two in terms of focus and execution.
The goal of trend-jacking is to ride the wave of popularity and relevance around a particular trend to reach a wider, more engaged audience.
In contrast, moment marketing is about seizing specific, real-time opportunities to engage your audience. This involves quickly responding to current events, breaking news, or cultural moments as they happen.
Moment marketing aims to show your brand’s cultural awareness and ability to react in a timely, relevant way. This can help you stay top-of-mind and build stronger connections with your audience.
So, in summary, trend-jacking is more about exploiting broader, sustained trends, while moment marketing is about taking advantage of immediate, time-sensitive opportunities.
Spot-on trend-jacking examples
The following examples show how some famous brands have weaved trends in their social media copywriting.
1. Samsung trolling iPhone 16 launch
As soon as Apple unveiled the new iPhone 16 and 16 Plus models, Samsung was quick to pounce. Making the most of the hype and anticipation surrounding the Apple launch, Samsung’s repost, then a simple post on X, playfully trolled the new iPhone features.
This is a prime example of trend-jacking in action. Samsung is well-known for taking jabs at Apple with each new iPhone release, and this latest round was no exception. By referencing the widespread interest and expectations around the iPhone 16 launch, Samsung was able to inject its brand personality into the cultural conversation.
Moreover, in recent years, Samsung’s trolling tapped into the broader trend of Apple struggling to introduce innovative features. Samsung’s social content played on this sentiment, positioning its devices as the more advanced, forward-thinking alternative.
Notice how simple and impactful the copy is. Sometimes, even a single word or phrase can be enough.
2. Slack being “very demure, very mindful”
Last month, a TikTok video from creator Jools Lebron took social media by storm. In the clip, Lebron showcased her professional makeup routine with a healthy dose of wit and sarcasm—a tongue-in-cheek commentary on the performance of femininity and modesty.
Her memorable, witty remark, “very demure, very mindful,” struck a chord with viewers, pushing a ripple of engagement from celebrities and brands alike. Quick to make the most of the trend, Slack chimed in with a post offering its own very demure, very mindful Slack usage tips.
This is a great example of how brands can effectively become a part of a cultural moment to connect and engage with their audience. By directly bringing up Lebron’s viral catchphrase and inviting users to contribute their tips, Slack was able to slip itself into the ongoing conversation organically.
3. Blinkit tapping on the “Stree” craze
The release of the Hindi horror-comedy movie Stree 2 had India abuzz, with memes and fan content flooding social media. Quick to ride the bandwagon, Indian delivery app Blinkit crafted a clever trend-jacking campaign.
The movie’s famous catchphrase “O Stree kal aana”—where villagers would write this on their walls, asking the ghost to come the next day—became the inspiration for Blinkit’s social media copy.
Putting their spin on the catchphrase, Blinkit playfully transformed it into “O Stree fal khana,” inviting customers to “eat fruits” instead and saying that they’ll deliver it within minutes.
This social media update felt organic, humorous, and on-brand. It is an excellent example of how to execute trend-jacking effectively.
4. Zomato’s double-dip trend-jacking
When it comes to copywriting, the Indian food delivery app Zomato serves up some deliciously creative social media content, push notifications, emails, and more. Its trend-jacking prowess is just as strong.
This year, the brand exploited two different cultural trends to create a clever, humorous post. The first trend involved the rising DM scams, where individuals impersonate celebrities on social media and ask for financial assistance.
Around the same time, the high-profile wedding of Indian multi-billionaire Anant Ambani was dominating social media conversations. Zomato saw an opportunity to blend these two trends into a single, inviting post.
In the social media update, Zomato depicted an “imposter Anant” messaging them, claiming unexpected guests had arrived and requesting a food delivery. The fake Anant even threatened to “buy the company” if Zomato didn’t comply—a playful nod to his immense wealth.
5. Duolingo tapping on the delusion trend
The delusion trend, where people selectively focus on the positive aspects of a negative statement, has been going around on social media for a while. A great example of Duolingo taking advantage of this phenomenon can be seen in their following clever post.
Imagine receiving a message that starts off insulting, like “You’re pretty annoying,” but you latch onto the complimentary word “pretty,” ignoring the word “annoying.” Pretty delusional, right?
Duolingo tapped into this mindset by creating a post that playfully referenced this trend. By aligning their messaging with the delusion phenomenon, Duolingo showed a keen understanding of current cultural conversations.
6. NFL’s “nobody will remember”
What began as a lighthearted jab at generic life advice on social media has now evolved into a full-blown trend. The “Nobody will remember” meme format pokes fun at generic life advice, starting with “Nobody will remember your salary, how busy you were, or how many hours you worked” before pivoting to highlight the things people are more likely to remember.
This simple, relatable structure has allowed for endless variations and personalized takes on the trend. Brands have recognized the potential to connect with their audiences by sharing their version of this meme.
One such example is the NFL, which tapped into this viral format to appeal to its football-loving fans. It created content that felt relatable, on-brand, and culturally relevant.
It’s an excellent example of how trend-jacking can be a powerful tool for brands to engage their communities in a fun, authentic way.
7. Morning Brew seizing the CrowdStrike outage moment
On July 19th, 2024, Friday, a global IT outage caused by a CrowdStrike incident brought the digital world to a halt. For internet users, this unexpected disruption was an opportunity for some social media fun.
American media company Morning Brew quickly caught up with the trend. They posted a clever social media update that played into the widespread frustration. The copy read “POV: your weekend started early,” accompanied by a screenshot of the dreaded Windows error message.
Acknowledging the shared experience of device malfunctions and the resulting free time, Morning Brew showed they understood how their audience was responding.
Rather than just commenting on the outage, the media company found a creative way to weave their personality into the narrative.
8. Cadbury Dairy Milk Silk looking between the letters
Earlier this year, a fun social media trend emerged where people would decode hidden messages by “looking between the keyboard letters.” This playful format quickly went viral as users shared their cryptic posts and challenged others to decipher the hidden meanings.
Recognizing the potential, Cadbury Dairy Milk Silk decided to leverage this trend. The brand created a social media post that invited users to “look between the keyboard letters” to determine who should share a Silk chocolate bar.
This post allowed Cadbury to build up on the excitement and interactivity surrounding the “look between the letters” trend. By encouraging their community to participate and solve the puzzle, Cadbury was able to promote deeper engagement and a sense of playful discovery.
9. Holiday Pirate striking gold with Olympics-inspired trend-jacking
The 2024 Paris Olympics sparked a tsunami of meme-making on social media. Iconic athlete performances and celebrity reactions were quickly transformed into viral sensations.
One popular meme format centered around the idea of “if [mundane activity] was an Olympic sport.” This ironic concept often featured images of decorated Olympians like Simone Biles, suggesting that the doer would be worthy of gold medals if that activity was in the Olympics.
Quick to capitalize on this trend, UK-based travel company Holiday Pirate crafted this social media post. They imagined a scenario where “drowning in cocktails at an all-inclusive resort” was an official Olympic event—an amusing reference to their travel-centric identity and a relatable scenario for their audience.
10. Greenpeace trend-jacking “be honest” for good
A clip from the Netflix documentary “Beckham” went viral, featuring David Beckham roasting Victoria Beckham when he claimed she was from the working class. This exchange quickly became a beloved meme format, with people putting their own unique spins on the exchange.
Environmental organization Greenpeace leveraged this trend by calling out Toyota, a leading Paris Olympic sponsor. In this version, David asks Victoria to “be honest” about Toyota being a lead in carbon emissions.
By blending their brand purpose with a trending cultural moment, Greenpeace showcased their trend-jacking abilities while creatively drawing attention to an important issue.
Wrapping up
The examples we’ve explored showcase the power of trend-jacking when executed with creativity and strategic precision.
Some brands leaned into humor and wit, while others used it as an opportunity to drive important messages and conversations. Regardless of the specific tactics, the common thread is an understanding of how to identify relevant trends and seamlessly integrate them into the brand’s social media presence.
Look for opportunities to weave trending topics, memes, and current events into your social media copy in a way that feels natural and on-brand.
So get ready to surf the tides of trends and watch your engagement soar.
