Trendy or Tired? The Fine Line Between Relevance and Repetition

Trends can be great to jump on, and I agree with this, but the real question is: when do we stop? When does it become overdone?

Over the past year, we've seen a mix of PR and social trends emerge—whether it’s the custom Erehwon smoothie, Sweat and Tonic Takeovers, “very demure, very mindful”, just to name a few. These moments can be powerful in gaining quick traction, but it wasn’t until I saw my sixth Erewhon smoothie announcement that I started to question how far we can take these trends before they lose their authenticity. When trends, PR or social, saturate the space, they risk becoming ordinary, losing the unique spark that once made them exciting.

In regards to social, the balance comes in being selective—knowing when to ride a trend and when to take a step back. As an agency, it’s crucial to do a thorough, in lack of a better term, ‘vibe check’ before jumping on board. Here are a few questions to ask: how long will it take for an approval? Does the trend directly align with your client? And most importantly, how oversaturated is your personal feed with the same thing? Thoughtful curation ensures you’re contributing something fresh, not just adding to the noise.

For PR events, gifting etc. a great benchmark to start off is how many similar ideas were already done? A copy, paste, situation is not what people will talk about, so it may be time to rethink the approach. Consider what twist you can bring to the table that feels fresh, unexpected, and still aligned with your client. 

In the end, it’s about striking a balance between staying relevant and remaining authentic. Whether it’s a social post, PR event, or influencer gifting, the key is to bring something new to the table—not just follow the crowd. So, to answer the question: it feels overdone when it’s like that song you once discovered and loved, but now it’s everywhere, and you can’t escape it.

Sarah Advani, Account Coordinator