The December Trends — Come Trend With Us!
It’s that time again, y’all! Trend Tuesday Recap! Read on for an overview of our December Trends.
As expected, this month, we talked trends of all types but our December trends ended up focusing primarily on social media. Hop aboard the trend train with us as we explore what’s new and noteworthy this week, and find out why we’ve given Instagram a new nickname after its latest release.
December Trends - No. 1: Lisa Frank Leggings
We're just gonna leave this right here … Lisa Frank leggings. Y’all remember her right? She was the one who created all of those cartoon-y, brightly colored illustrations that were splattered all over ’80s and ’90s kids’ backpacks, pencil cases, binders, etc. Well, she has made a comeback and has created a clothing line consisting of leggings, tank tops, sweatshirts, and crop tops. Now, the giant unicorn or cutie tiger can be on full display across your body. There's a chance we might be wearing these in our next meeting, but don't worry, we'll help you pick your jaw up off the ground.
December Trends - No. 2: Mario Now on iPhone
We’ve got another nostalgic one for ya. Mario has made a comeback as well, and you can find him in the Apple Store. Apple and Nintendo have just released “Mario Run,” a play-only-with-one-finger app that has made gamers everywhere run into a frenzy. However, a week after the release, the response has not been quite as expected. While average game-players are enjoying the throwback, hard-core gamers are a bit disappointed. There have been complaints that the game is too easy, and that you aren’t getting enough content for the $10 purchase that is required to play beyond the first world.In fact, Nintendo stock has even gone down since the release. Maybe Nintendo isn't quite ready for the mobile world, but its new gaming console, the Nintendo Switch, scheduled to release in March, is sure to keep fans happy!
December Trends - No. 3: Social Media Predictions
This December trend may be the most informative of the bunch, so if you were skimming up until now, you might want to read word for word at this point. The cyber-world has made some predictions as to what will happen in 2017 with these platforms. We've provided a quick snapshot here that will keep you in the know. We have seen Instagram and Snapchat really go head to head in 2016. However, the 2017 prediction is that they will begin to separate into different spaces. With Snapchat re-branding as Snap, Inc and working to become more of a “camera company,” the competition and similarities between the two social networks will likely begin to cease. Twitter has to take action in one way or another. It either needs to decide what its “true value” is to users and capitalize on it, or be bought out (Google has supposedly showed interest in buying Twitter). Either way, it is going to pivot its course, and needs to do so in order to stay alive. Content will continue to be king, and if you're not crowning your content, you will fall from the online rankings. Right now, companies are spending 10% of their so called content advertising budget to develop content, and the other 90% is going toward boosting the content, whether is be an advertisement or a posts. It should be the opposite, and that is what 2017 marketers will be moving toward. As an agency who develops online content on the daily, Nice Branding Agency wholeheartedly supports the fact that the better the content, the better the ad will perform, thereby mitigating the need for tons of money to be spent on boosting. LinkedIn has failed to make its real mark in the social media sphere. With its below-par user-interface and lack of relevant social content, it has never been the most popular network. However, with the Microsoft acquisition early this past year, we will likely start to see some changes on LinkedIn. By the end of 2017, we predict that LinkedIn will be on its way to a power-player position in the social world. At the very least, we can at least hope. Videos are taking over! Particularly within marketing and advertising, “banner-branded” videos are the new tool, while using the nearly-old-fashioned “click-bait” strategy to get viewers. However, with the push of video marketing, brands will also begin to feel the pressure to increase video quality.December Trends - No. 4: Pinterest “I Tried It” Button
Pinterest is THE go-to for recipes and DIY projects. Just about anything creative and desired to do-it-yourself is posted on Pinterest. So, in order to encourage user participation, they have now added an “I Tried It” button with each post so people can comment on how the recipe/product/DIY turned out for them. This may save time for others as well, for if it is tried and failed, users will know NOT to waste precious time and effort themselves. Who knows whether this will catch on with users. We believe this can be super useful to dedicated Pinners. Have you tried it? (See what we did there?)Nice Note: If you're not following Nice Branding Agency on Pinterest, you can bet you're not on trend. But you can be — Follow Nice on Pinterest now.
December Trends - No. 5: Save on Instagram
Particularly for businesses who re-post client/customer shout-outs, this new function will be a life-saver. With a tap of the little “bookmark” button in the top right corner of a post, you can now save any user’s Instagram posts to your own account, rather than filling up your phone’s photo album with screenshots. For those who simply like a picture and want to remember it (or who want to brush up on your stalking skills), it’s great for that too! This is (in our opinion) Instagram’s attempt to embrace some of the popular functions from Pinterest. It’s basically Pinterest inside Instagram — or Pinstagram!
December Trends - No. 6: 2017 PANTONE Color of the Year
PANTONE 15-0343 Greenery is the 2017 PANTONE Color of the Year. Greenery is the symbolic color of new beginnings. As fresh and spunky color, it represents the beginning of Spring, when everything is starting anew and bright colors are being revived. In 2017, it will also serve as a reminder to consumers to oxygenate and reenergize their lives, to take a deep breath, as Greenery is illustrative of nature and refreshing beauty. Nothing like "Going Green".
