How to stand out within a trend?
The Asoka trend and what we can learn about branding and the hungry market + views on our attention society.
👋 Hello Branding Revealers. How are you doing today?
I am a big fan of Bollywood, and I have always wanted to dissect the branding mastery of the Wood family (Bollywood, Nollywood, Hollywood), so when I saw a video with a familiar song decoding an Indian bridal makeup, I was intrigued.
The goal of the video is a before-and-after of a woman doing makeup and ending the video with full Indian bridal makeup and clothing attire, but with a twist, one making the trend.
The origins of the Asoka trend
Once upon a time, in a distant land, there was a warrior princess and prince who fell in love. Their story is made of treason, passion, wisdom and conquering new territories… Ok, no more trailer, let’s get to business.
Asoka is a 2001 Indian movie starring legendary Bollywood actors, Kareena Kapoor and Shah Rukh Khan. The trend is inspired by a specific scene in the movie where the lead actress is singing the song "Saan Sanana". Using this song as a starting point, makeup artists, influencers, and girls next door have been taking TikTok by storm with their interpretations of Indian bridal makeup while lip-syncing to the hit song. The trend showcases a framework and process using smart and high-production transitions to celebrate the era of filmmaking we are living in.
What is the Asoka trend?
A challenge, a song, an aesthetic, an ode to Bollywood, the diversity of what beauty stands for…
Who stands out in a trend?
I love how we can observe and analyze branding truths from everywhere. Pop culture is a masterclass in branding in many ways. Additionally, Gen Z’s are fantastic at gaining traction and creating magnetism in branding. They speak and breathe market fit and disruption, using visual language to hook their audiences. I am always in awe of them playing with the rules and hacking them simultaneously.
Every day, we are exposed to both new and old trends; they come and go. I am sure this very trend will be archived into a top-trend playlist. It is a constant phenomenon, and we can learn a lot about its organic process.
Here are some ideas that struck me while watching the abundance of interpretations and creativity towards this trend.
✅ A trend serves as both a prompt and a signal of a hungry market.
The beauty industry weighs billions. Whether we critique, agree or disagree with the attention it magnifies, nobody can deny how huge the market is. One that drives trends and instigates social and economic changes. Some emerging brands have challenged conventional beauty rules and codes. For example, Rihanna's Fenty Beauty brand, which emerged as the highest-earning celebrity beauty brand in 2023, ranked at $602.4 million in revenue. I also think of Typology, France’s largest online-selling beauty brand. Trends offer an opportunity for brands to showcase their products to new audiences, allowing them to portray inclusivity and diversity.
📈 The Fenty Beauty Empire✅ The trend that has a script!
Trends provide a framework that anyone can explore, and that's the challenge—who will embrace this trend wholeheartedly and push the concept and their creativity to awe? The Asoka videos share a common pattern: an opening scene featuring the protagonist's makeup-free face. Set in a minimalist environment, the focus is solely on her face and upper body, reminiscent of traditional makeup tutorials. However, the real star is the song, which sets the tone and pace for the entire process. The makeup tutorial is dynamic, setting a timer and turning every action into an opportunity for creativity and ingenuity.
The transitions add drama to the videos and allow creators to personalize their messages by incorporating symbols, for example, onto their faces, enhancing identification and memorability. Instead of simply applying foundation, some creators opt for intricate patterns or icons, such as stars or hearts.✅ Own the framework, disrupt and become memorable
The appeal of this trend lies in its cinematic qualities! The challenge of succeeding within the framework is heightened by bold transitions. Each creator must excel at every key change and infuse their personality and spark into each step. It's not just about following the rules of the game, but also disrupting how they are executed and what they mean. For instance, the Indian bridal criteria might transform into a Nigerian, Filipino or Brazilian one, enhancing diverse beauty standards in several parts of the world.
We know that memorability comes from repetition, infusing strategic brand triggers to be identified and remembered. Subtle changes like altering the dark background criteria, using specific patterns on the face, or making unique transition choices—all contribute to standing out amidst the multitude of other videos following the trend.
Disrupt: to change the traditional way that an industry operates, especially in a new and effective way✅ Low-budget vs. high-budget productions
You can stand out with what you have; the key is to be original and bring a new angle not yet explored by other creators. High budgets will always amaze the eye, but creative ideas with less can also go viral and stand out. Their distinction relies on their ideas and dedication to telling their story.✅ Show and teach
The trend has evolved into a masterclass for those aspiring to take on the challenge. It demands a multitude of skills, including editing, art direction, organization, and planning. Strategy intertwines with this trend, as it blends technical prowess with creativity. How do top-rated videos maintain visibility amidst the constant influx of new creative ideas, editing techniques, and the allure of fresh faces? Some leading creators are now sharing their techniques and revealing the secrets behind their success, pulling back the curtain on their behind-the-scenes processes. They teach what they did, showcasing their skill sets and mastery.✅ We are curious about the initiator of the trend
Many, including myself, are curious about the first person who initiated the trend. As I researched, I encountered opaque information, and I still don’t know for sure which video was the pioneer. Nevertheless, the lesson here is that the trend is a collective effort, and the accumulated videos function as a whole. Regardless of who initiated the challenge, the collective response becomes representative, and the trend operates from a collective standpoint.✅ What do you gain from being part of such a trend?
As it is a collective effort, participation in the trend offers opportunities for discoverability. Furthermore, the trend is a marketing tool, providing a platform for media promotion and coverage. It contributes to higher rankings of hashtags and keywords. If the trends have positive values and prospects, creators associated with them can benefit from increased visibility in volume searches, tags, and keywords. There's significant SEO potential there!✅ How can you leverage a trend for your brand?
The trend will eventually slow down and be replaced by another, so engaging with such trends becomes an additional exercise or demonstration of what your brand is capable of achieving. It showcases how creative, innovative, and skilled your brand can be. This effort aids in positioning your brand as a challenger, especially if you succeed in standing out.✅ A spotlight on Indian culture, cinematography, and brand
This trend took a movie over 20 years old and brought it back into the spotlight. The actors did not need the limelight, but it shows how timeless art is. This trend made the song a top-viewed hit, and its popularity continues to grow. It also increases awareness of Indian cinema and music. Many Gen Z viewers have never watched the movie, but thanks to this trend, they can discover a new world, genre, and artists.✅ The winner wins it all
The highest views control the dynamics of the trend, reaching even more visibility as the trend gains traction with new game changers coming along. The top three can change, but hitting the top three provides a huge long-term advantage. So, when looking at a trend, it is not just about providing a look-alike solution but disrupting the leading voices in the trend. It is often the only way to stand out. This exercise demands an acute observation of the trend, its framework, the competition, and how to bring a new angle not yet explored by others.
🤔 Anecdote: I love carousels. I have designed cool ones and boring ones. The main reason why some didn't do well is that they didn't take disruption into account. Sometimes, we get caught up in following the rules of the game celebrated by other creators or brands, and we just want to perform like them. What I missed and realize now is how detrimental that can be to you and any trend you follow for your brand awareness. The key is the mindset and dedication you embody towards such a trend. Why give it a shot if it’s just to follow a trend you don't enjoy? It won't resonate with you or the audience. Charging towards a trend requires work and strategy to stand out and celebrate the joy you have, using your skills and talents to bring a new angle and solution to the trend.✅ Memorability lies in visuals
Visuals in trends are pivotal. You have to respect the codes of the challenge while still being memorable. They navigate visual identity, aesthetics, personality, process, mission and tone of voice. In a nutshell, there is a wealth of branding wisdom there. The most difficult task is to be aligned and craft branding assets that guide your readers and viewers towards that “aha” moment. (Some cheerleading feedback: “Stunning work,” “The best performance I have seen in the challenge,” “Wow! Those transitions blew my mind,” etc.). Beyond the performance, the audience will remember one or two striking elements that help them identify you. The challenge is to be remembered for that “one thing” that stands out!
How do you create a movement?
This trend reminds me of the process of creating a movement. It is similar in rhythm and conversion rate. One person stands out with a brilliant idea but is alone and boldly doing his thing. Then, someone else notices him and is encouraged to join. Now, they are a duo, having a blast together without worrying about appealing to more people. What happens next is an intriguing human paradigm: crowds attract crowds. We do not want to be left alone or isolated from the group. The more people join, the more we are enticed to join the wave, sometimes not reflecting on the pioneer’s original vision. Still, joining for the renewed vision made of people adding their interpretations to it.
It is fascinating to observe and decode how our psychology drives many of our decisions based on the collective. Interestingly, it often starts with someone doing their own thing and standing out by not following the crowd. Only to end up with the crowd following this person. Their unique vision then merges with the crowd. Sometimes diluting its essence and making us question our capacity to stand out for the right reasons.
🤩 Bright, they are!
🔥 The Creative Strategy Framework (A powerful conversation uniting design and business to propel effective branding).
💌 Emails that convert (Jeff Felten speaks with clarity and focus! It is precious advice to upgrade your email approach).
🔎 The Dark Side of AI (This interview is nearly a year old, but it already predicted many fears and questions concerning AI).
📹 Dan Wieden, the creative mind behind the biggest brands (How did he create magnetic brands? A clue: his unconventional approach to advertising).
🎈 Brand(ING) prompt / 027
How has following trends transformed the way you communicate your brand? Do you consider yourself a trendsetter or more of an observer of trends?
✦ Very soon, you will be having these branding prompts in one place. Short and effective reflections.
As professionals, we must learn to look across industries to gather insights and identify trends before they impact us.
Jen Alvares
I hope you enjoyed this pop culture analysis. It was a light and fun deep dive.
I enjoyed finding patterns with branding and marketing.
Which takeaways stood out for you?
Sending trendsetter vibes.
Keva.