Brands and creators continue to elevate their mindset of Creative Bravery to new heights.

At the end of 2023, we released TikTok's What's Next 2024 Trend Report, our annual predictions for the biggest trends and cultural moments for the year ahead. Now that we're well into the year, we wanted to check in.

Today we're launching What's Next 2024: In Action, an updated report that demonstrates how these trends grew and evolved through brand and creator success stories. The TikTok community continues to ignite the transformative mindset we call Creative Bravery. Fueled by a blend of curiosity, imagination, vulnerability and courage, brands have demonstrated how Creative Bravery on TikTok can build deeper community connections. Breaking through on TikTok means shifting from occasional displays of Creative Bravery to infusing it into their daily behavior and strategies.

As you'll remember from What's Next 2024, our trends look at popular behaviors observed over a longer stretch of time. Because the trends we track expand and evolve, we can always seek out new ways for how they come to life both on TikTok and in culture. These Trend Signals may last months and even years, and this year we're excited to introduce three new bonus trends. Marketers can leverage these additional trends within the foundation for their content.

You can view the full global 'What's Next 2024: In Action' report here.

For this report, we have focused on how our macro trend forces (Curiosity Peaked, Storytelling Unhinged, and Bridging the Trust Gap) have evolved throughout the year, and highlight new bonus trends that have since sparked across the platform.

NEW BONUS TRENDS

  1. From Hi to Audi-Lo
  2. TikTok on the Block
  3. Brandship

From Hi to Audi-Lo

As one of the core pillars of our platform, sound on TikTok is a universal language that connects our global audience to creators and brands alike. From aspiring artists putting their own style on familiar tunes, to brave creators using music to share their stories and ignite action, TikTok users have found creative ways to experiment with music and sound. We also see communities remixing premium audio in lo-fi ways, putting unexpected, often-comical spins on sounds and giving brands fresh ideas of how to participate in trending moments.

Hulu tapped into the power of sound when they enlisted rap recap master, creator @mrgrandeofficial to reveal what's #NewOnHulu for this past March.

TikTok on the Block

Unfiltered, real-life interactions between brands, creators, and their audiences can foster inspiration and connection in real-time. From street interviews, community events, retail pop-ups, and unscripted challenges, nothing is "overdoing it" to our audience. Brands are sharing these candid, face-to-face exchanges with the broader TikTok community, sparking conversations and building consumers’ excitement around how, where, and with whom the brand will show up next.

Joe & The Juice took their mascot duties to new heights, sending "Tuna" and "'Cado" out in London to promote their fan-favorite Tunacado sandwich, and engage with customers face-to-face across the city.

Brandship

Brands are building always-on customer loyalty through ongoing content that reflects their brand values in between splashy campaigns. For brands across all verticals, TikTok is the platform to build, connect, and amplify the values that matter to your audience. Through an always-engaged strategy, brands can signal to audiences what makes them unique, from developing reusable packaging, to highlighting beauty diversity, and so much more.

Refillable skincare? Yes please. Kiehl's lives up to their brand (and audience!) values by demonstrating how customers can reduce waste by reusing their product packaging.


TikTok Marketing Science References

  1. TikTok Marketing Science Global TikTok as a Discovery Engine Study 2023, conducted by Material
  2. TikTok Marketing Science Global Diversity on TikTok 2022 conducted by Flamingo Group
  3. TikTok Marketing Science US Cross-Platform Sound Research 2021 conducted by Kantar
  4. TikTok Marketing Science Global TikTok Comment Section via AYTM [US,UK,CA] April 2024. Base: TikTok 18+ users
  5. TikTok Marketing Science Global Community and Self-Expression Study 2021 conducted by Flamingo
  6. TikTok Internal Data, Global, June 2024