In July, Brazilian social media was invaded by an audience phenomenon, the “strawberry of love”: a delicacy made up of a strawberry, with chocolate coating, and the appearance of “apple of love.” Brands, users, wanted to ride the wave and take advantage of the trend. However, experts emphasize 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 brand voice of the company. If it has never made jokes, taken advantage of other trends, there is no use entering the strawberry of love and then returning to talk as if it had never been done. Respect for the audience and the previously developed strategic planning is necessary,” says Andrade.
Another point of attention according to the expert is with the expectation created. When a trend is at its peak, social media algorithms present the content to thousands of people who do not know the brand or the company, this can be favorable or a trap:
“Imagine a snack bar, for example, it has been communicating for a long time making jokes and taking advantage of the trend, but it does not sell the strawberry of love. Depending on the quality of the content, it will reach thousands of people who do not 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. Evaluations that will damage the company’s reputation, so, strategy is needed,” emphasizes the manager.
According to ifood, the largest delivery platform in Brazil, more than 524 thousand units of the sweet were delivered in the month of July, 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.
