The death of ‘very demure’ and how brands can hop on trends without killing them

See how we capitalize off of every single trend? Not very mindful, not very demure. 

Being on the internet over the summer meant seeing posts following the two biggest trends of the year—brat summer and being very demure and mindful. Brat summer comes from the British artist Charli XCX’s smash-hit album “BRAT.” The album’s distinctive lime green and “club rat” marketing has formed the perfect indie sleaze, “cool girl” aesthetic that everyone is desperate to replicate.

On the other side of the spectrum, TikTok creator Jools Lebron (@joolieannie) posted a video in early August describing her understated office makeup look as, "very mindful, very demure, very cutesy." Since then, the video has received over 50 million views and has been used by brands from Chili's to Lyft. The trend even dethroned brat summer to usher in a “very demure fall.” 

Does it make sense for brands to participate in these opposing trends? Can both the messy “cool girl” aesthetic and modest “demure” aesthetic apply to the same brand? Brands are hopping on every trending topic regardless of its relevance or applicability to the company's image. This results in brands looking opportunistic and inauthentic when audiences grow tired of the trends.

Social media is a great tool to market products and connect with audiences. By meeting consumers where they are, brands are able to get more eyes on their company and hopefully earn goodwill with the general public. However, audiences and consumers become increasingly disillusioned with the constant promotion of products being sold to them and the overconsumption social media promotes. 

Chili’s is one of the many brands that has hopped on every trending topic regardless of its connection to the brand, from demure to brat, creating an unfocused and confusing social media presence that gives audiences little insight to the brand and its identity. Chili's decision to market itself by constantly chasing trends can erode trust and support from its audience. It can feel like the company is posting without understanding the trend, the people engaging in the trend and how it can relate back to its brand.

Not every brand that participated in the trends failed to understand their audience. Poppi has built a cult-like following by branding itself as the cool, trendy alternative to traditional soda. Taking on a “chronically online” persona makes sense for the brand and helps Poppi connect with its target demographic of Gen Z and Millennial women. 

To hop on the trend, Poppi created a chart to label its products as brat or demure. The brand's addition to the trends aligns with its established identity and acknowledges the dichotomy between brat and demure. By separating its range of products into the two trends, Poppi is able to separate the identity of the brand from the identity of the products. When you buy Poppi, you are cool and trendy, and when you buy the lemon-lime Poppi, you are cool, trendy and brat. It is also able to get in on the joke while displaying a sense of media literacy that shows that the company understands the internet and its audience further than just googling the trending topic of the day. The brand also understands that most of the people engaging in these two trends are Gen Z and Millennial women, so it makes sense for Poppi to participate to connect with its target demographic. 

When Poppi calls itself brat, we believe it, but when Chili’s does it, we don't. By being selective in the trends they take part in, brands can solidify their reputation and image in the minds of viewers.