In July, Brazilian social media was invaded by a phenomenon of popularity, the "strawberry of love": a treat made of a strawberry covered in chocolate and resembling a "candy apple." Brands, users, wanted to ride the wave and take advantage of the trend. However, specialists draw attention to possible problems with the trend.
According to Thiago Andrade, social media manager at KAKOI Comunicação, taking advantage of trends is almost an obligation, but it is necessary to be careful with the entire ecosystem involved, especially the way the company communicates:
"First, it is necessary to respect the company's brand voice. If you have never made jokes, taken advantage of other trends, there's no point in jumping into the love strawberry and then going back to speak as if you never did. Respect must be shown to the audience and to the strategically developed plan," says Andrade.
Another point of attention according to the specialist is the created expectation. When a trend is at its peak, the social media algorithm presents the content to thousands of people who do not know the brand or company; this can be advantageous or a trap.
"Imagine a snack bar, for example, it has been communicating for a while by making jokes and riding the trend, but it doesn't sell the love strawberry. Depending on the quality of the content, it will reach thousands of people who don't know the company and may think that yes, it sells the product. When the user impacted by the post and the algorithm contacts and discovers the negative, the result will be worse. Reviews that will ruin the company's reputation, so strategy is necessary," emphasizes the manager.
According to iFood, the largest delivery platform in Brazil, in July alone, more than 524,000 units of the sweet were delivered, a value that represents an increase of over 2,490% compared to the previous month. In other words, about two units of the dessert are sold with each order.
