The TikTok Trends Digest: Throwbacks & Comebacks
Previously on the TikTok Trends Digest, we spotlighted the "ceiling challenge" as a platform trend. Since its popularity peak in December 2023, this trend – which sees users tape their phone to the ceiling to create a TikTok-first bird's-eye perspective – has evolved into a regular filming format on the platform, with users and creators incorporating it into various content genres such as vlogs, GRWM (Get Ready With Me) videos and sound-led videos.
In a fascinating shift, we're seeing viral TikTok trends like the ceiling challenge making comebacks and evolving into set content formats. Read on to find out more about this growing trend and how your brand can effectively tap into it to drive impact with audiences.
Trend Signal Spotlight: Why throwbacks & comebacks are surging on TikTok
These throwbacks and comebacks of popular trending content are part of a wider cultural shift called "nanostalgia". Nanostalgia describes feelings of nostalgia or sentimentality towards recent or even current experiences, and is often associated with rapidly changing digital or cultural trends. What once seemed fleeting is now recurring and TikTok users and creators are recycling Trend Moments within different temporal contexts.
Take the 'Wake up, it's the first of the month!' Trend Moment, for example. A snippet of Playboi Carti's song Sky (which was released in December 2020) was memefied on TikTok by @Sophiesphinx in June 2022. But, the trend didn't peak until July 2023 when multiple TikTokers used it as a trend to share optimistic videos. Now in April 2024, using the sound on the first day of the month has become a sort of TikTok tradition, with the sound compiling half a million videos.
The elements driving throwbacks & comebacks on TikTok:
1. Sound chains
These are sequences of videos that all use the same audio clip, spawning a chain of related content across TikTok. A prime example is the "First of the Month" sound videos, which have become a TikTok tradition associated with luck and a positive start to each month
2. Music throwbacks
Recent instances include the resurgence of Jorja Smith's On My Mind from a 2018 NPR Tiny Desk performance and Gym Class Heroes' Cupid's Chokehold with the "phone to girlfriend" transition trend. These songs are creatively remixed on TikTok to imbue them with new meanings.
3. Visual styles
Filming techniques introduced during Trend Moments often endure as new video production methods on the platform. Examples include the enduring popularity of ceiling angles and duo transitions.
4. Aesthetic vlogs
Short-form videos that offer glimpses into specific contexts through curated visual and auditory experiences. Examples like "Good Morning NYC" and cinematically inspired Trend Moments evoke powerful emotions in viewers.
Throwbacks & Comebacks: Popular Trend Moments
The following examples illustrate both the original and updated versions of popular Trend Moments that are part of this wider Throwbacks & Comebacks Trend Signal. Together, they show how Trend Moments can bridge the gap between past popularity and present relevance and highlight that not all popular content is fleeting.
Morning [City]
Starting with a New York-focused narration back in November 2023, and resurfacing with a London version in 2024, this trend can be associated with the 'aesthetic vlogs' visual trend (which puts a motivational and optimistic lens on everyday life), and has an important sound element that mixes vlogging with motivational speech, drawing inspiration from morning news' weather reports.
Ceiling angle
The ceiling angle trend is evolving into a staple TikTok visual format, and is especially prevalent within the fashion vertical. This unique perspective offers a panoramic view, adding depth and context to images, similar to the 0.5 filming style.
Duo transition
In the summer of 2023, this transition trend emerged featuring a Frank Ocean song, where users synchronised clapping hands to transition between scenes. This format is becoming a prominent style of content video.
Brand take: See how Space NK did it
In the example above, we see how Space NK jumped into the Morning [City] trend by using the London morning news narration sound to showcase how dropping into their shop can be a city activity just like visiting a museum.
See below for a breakdown of the key elements of their Trend Moment.
Why it works: Presented in a vlogging style with a sleek visual look, the Space NK retail experience is portrayed as an urban adventure, enticing viewers to engage with the content as if it were created by an ordinary user rather than a brand. This content emphasises the value Space NK offers its prospective customers: a therapeutic retail experience akin to a city outing.
Make it your own
Here's how you can make one of the Trend Moments within the Throwbacks & Comebacks Trend Signal your own:
Game-changing creative tools are just a click away
Browse our Commercial Music Library for trending songs you can use in your videos. Tap into Throwback & Comebacks with Lullaby for Erik by Evgeny Grinko. For inspiration, see how the National History Museum of London used the sound.
Dive into our Creative Centre or the TikTok Creative Exchange to learn how to take your content further. And for more on how you can use trends to service full-funnel marketing objectives, sign up for our newsletter.
See you next month!
Disclaimer: Advertisers must have a license in place for sounds/music if not used directly from the Commercial Music Library.