Marketing moves fast. What was once hailed as “the next big thing” can quickly become yesterday’s news. And while it’s important to stay current with trends, chasing every shiny new tactic can leave brands looking dated—or worse, out of touch.
Below are some examples of marketing fads that have passed their expiration date (plus some lessons you can still take from the trends and repurpose for today).
- Overusing Hashtags: When hashtags first became popular on Twitter and later Instagram, they helped categorize content and improve discoverability. But then came the flood: posts with #every #single #word #hashtagged in hopes of grabbing attention. It’s not only unreadable, it’s cringy. Instead, focus on choosing no more than five very niche hashtags for any post—and only use them on platforms where they make sense.
- Clickbait Headlines: Want to know the lifesaving trick to avoiding empty clicks and angry customers? Read more! … Just kidding. Those lead-ins are often seen as desperate, and quite frankly, readers can see right through them these days. Leaving people confused or frustrated is not a clever strategy. And content that “baits” people into clicking leads to a high bounce rate—which can mess with your authentic metrics. More importantly, it erodes trust. Is it worth it? Well, you’ll never believe what happened next…
- Viral Challenges: Remember the mannequin challenge? The ice bucket challenge? These social media challenges were all the rage…over a decade ago. (It’s true! This craze began all the way back in 2014.) But even back when these were at the height of their popularity, they often lacked a clear message or connection to the brand. Jumping on this kind of trend just to stay relevant—without aligning it to your goals—can come off as tone-deaf or opportunistic.
- Vanity Metrics: There was a time when follower counts, page likes, and impressions were the holy grail of social media. But these vanity metrics rarely reflect real business impact. High numbers don’t matter if they aren’t tied to engagement, conversions, or meaningful brand growth. With algorithms now prioritizing relevance and interaction over raw numbers, marketers need to look deeper. Metrics that matter include engagement rate, email open rate, click-throughs, leads generated, or customer retention.
Brands that focus on chasing fads last about as long as those trends do. But you can aim for perpetuity and growth by building trust, delivering value, and evolving with purpose.
For marketing campaigns that are not only inventive but customized to your exact company and its business goals, get in touch with the strategic and creative professionals at Mad 4 Marketing.