Be demure and mindful or jump on trends? How should brands navigate ‘internet speak’?

‘Demure’ is the word of the week.

After TikTok influencer Jools Lebron’s videos of herself ironically being “very demure, very mindful, very cutesy” blew up earlier this week, a slew of users added their own interpretations. To date, the #demure hashtag has accumulated over 74,500 posts, and soon, these phrases flooded not just TikTok, but Instagram, X and Reddit feeds, too.

Retailers and brands — especially in beauty — have been quick to hop on. It’s a sudden shift in tone from full-throttle Brat summer, which commentator and brand strategist Tariro Makoni puts down to anxiety around the mixed messages consumers are receiving about the state of the economy. 

The speed of the change raises the question of whether fashion and beauty brands can — or should — seek to integrate viral-but-fleeting words and phrases into their marketing. Does it make them seem culturally relevant — or do they risk seeming like they’re not in on the joke?

Should fashion brands jump in?

Some argue that fashion brands have to be more discerning about which terms to adopt compared to mass market consumer goods and services brands like fast food chain Wendy’s, or streamer Netflix. 

“Because their demographic is so broad, they’re forced to have a broader scope,” commentator and brand strategist Tariro Makoni says. If mainstream companies adopt a fast-growing turn of phrase, at least a segment of their audience is likely to get it. Fashion brands, on the other hand, usually have a more targeted consumer.

Steff Yotka, director of content at Ssense, says office chatter is a good measure. “If our editors are participating in an online trend or we’re joking about it in our team meetings, that’s always the signal to me it’s something important we should turn into content,” she says. “There are probably hundreds of viral trends or moments that don’t work for us; we’re choosy in picking the ones that do.”

The fine line between cultural relevance and cringe

Brands that have a grasp on ephemeral marketing should get on board, Makoni says. “If you are an ephemeral brand by nature, you can take advantage of things for a quick second and it will seem like you’re in touch and people will love it and you will likely grow from it as a result,” she says.

But, she cautions, not all brands can — or should — speak to their consumers in this way. Brands need to assess whether these turns of phrase align with both their brand identity and their consumer ethos. “Hermès making content around ‘demure’ would feel weird, right? But Loewe making content on ‘demure, mindful’ would make so much sense,” says Makoni. Hermès is an ultra-luxury heritage brand with a high-net-worth, older consumer; while under Jonathan Anderson, Loewe has consistently leaned into internet aesthetics and normcore, and boasts a digital-savvy consumer base.

The meme-ification of political merch

Internet culture has seeped into politics too.

Scroll further into Harris-Walz’s merch store, and it’s clear that Vice President Kamala Harris’s team’s understanding of internet culture and discourse goes deep.

Most of the pieces are a riff on the Harris-related memes circulating online. Other offerings include a ‘Throwback Doug’ tank in reference to the internet’s obsession with photos of Harris’s husband Doug Emhoff in his 20s, and a ‘Childless Cat Lady Club’ mug, a satirical take on opponent Donald Trump’s running mate JD Vance’s disparaging comments about women who choose not to have children.

And it works. After the first 3,000 editions of the $40 Realtree camo sold out within 30 minutes (right after Minnesota governor Tim Walz was announced as Harris’s 2024 running mate), the Harris-Walz campaign — and American supplier Unionwear — got to work, selling over 25,000 hats on the first day. As of 8 August, the campaign had produced just over 47,000 Harris-Walz camo hats totaling $1,878,524, the campaign told Teen Vogue.

Elsewhere in the industry this week:

• From TikTok trends to a drive for ingestibles: What’s shaping suncare
• How sportswear brands are winning the battle for Gen Z’s loyalty
• Copenhagen raised the bar on sustainability. How are brands responding?
• Why luxury resellers and department stores are rekindling their relationship