Thinking of jumping on the 'Tube Girl' trend? Marketers might want to think twice

 A quick look on TikTok (or in the nearest MRT train cabin) will reveal that the era of girl math is coming to a close and instead, a new trend is afoot. Titled 'Tube Girl', the trend calls for users to film themselves dancing like no one is watching in train cabins around the world.

The trend started in Britain when Malaysian content creator, Sabrina Bahsoon, also known as ‘Tube Girl’, filmed herself dancing and lip-syncing on the London Underground which is also known as the Tube by locals. 

Don’t miss: Why jumping on the 'Girl Math' trend might not be the marketing move for you

The fun trend quickly made its way across the world with many trying to film themselves on trains, in parks, in corridors and shopping malls. In Singapore in particular, many took to filming themselves on MRT trains, creating a new title called 'MRT Girl'. 

Of course, as with all viral trends of this sort, brands were quick to hop on the back of it with brands such as Uniqlo creating challenges and others using it to promote sales or giveaways.

But while trends such as Barbie's UGC filter or McDonald's Grimace Shake trend are easy for brands to hop onto and spin to suit their objectives, Tube Girl doesn't seem to be one of those at first glance. So why are brands hopping on it and is it the right move?

For a start, it is important to establish what a brand might see in the tube girl trend that would make them want to hop on it. According to Jeffrey Lim, managing director at 8traordinary, this might lie in the fact that Bahsoon exhibited confidence in herself and boldness to disregard others’ opinions of her. He said:

Her content embodies the spirit of freedom and authenticity to do the things she believes in, especially amongst the Gen Zs.

This, according to Lim, is a narrative and ethos that many brands stand for or would like to embrace which is why they might feel it is an effective way to be part of the conversations on social media. 

"In turn, this creates brand mentions, views, awareness and even advocacy," he said. This is also likely why bold and younger brands such as MAC Cosmetics, Valentino Beauty and Boss have already onboarded her to support their campaigns and fashion shows since she rose to fame. 

Agreeing with him, Christyna Fong, creative group head at The Chariot Agency explained that these days, people in general are "obsessed" with Gen Z's and being relatable to them.

"Brands might think that jumping on these trends makes them seem younger, more relatable. Like they’re in on the joke as well," said Fong. 

She added that she believed that brands that promote self-empowerment, self-love, and self-acceptance have a clearer way into this particular trend.

"A better way could be to see what it is about that behaviour or trend that is actually relevant to the brand," she suggested when asked how brands can jump on the trend effectively. 

She added that just hopping on the Tube Girl trend for the sake of appealing to the younger crowd is a "surefire way for it to go wrong".

"If there’s no spin that has some brand or product truth to it, it will seem like they’re trying too hard. And unfortunately, Gen Zs hate brands that try too hard," she said.

"Being too slow about it because they're precious about how it is conveyed could also backfire, as the trend might be gone once they're sure it hits all the right notes and wouldn't offend anyone," she went on to explain. 

Another issue that can arise when it comes to jumping on a trend like this is the brand excluding its target audience from the idea creation

"If it's for a Gen Z audience, make sure you have a Gen Z in your team to get a sense check of the execution. Whether it's slay or cringe," she said, adding:

It's a curious balancing act, one that requires both speed, an understanding of the audience, and brand knowledge.

A crucial balancing act

True enough, as fun and interesting as trendjacking might be, it is also a balancing act that boils down to several key factors, according to Kimberley Olsen, co-founder at Yatta Workshop. 

For one, timeliness is important as a trend rises in virality and goes stale in a matter of days. "Brands need to have a team that is decisive, responsive and reactive," Olsen said. "If you decide to go through your several layers of approvals for a trend and push out content a week or more later, you shouldn’t even bother as people would have already moved on by then."

Secondly, relevancy is critical when it comes to jumping on these kinds of unique trends. "I cringe from second-hand embarrassment when I see brands try to desperately adopt a trend that doesn’t resonate with them. Stop trying to make ‘fetch’ happen," said Olsen. 

She added that if a trend doesn't align with a brand's social media persona or if the brand is finding it a challenge to skew it to its brand’s messaging, then they should pass, because there’ll always be more to choose from in the future.

"Don’t forget, the essence of Tube Girl is all about her having fun while travelling in a train, and using the wind in between carriages to create her music video style shots. If you were to take this and try to replicate it in-store for example, would the hashtag #TubeGirl still even make sense?" Olsen asked. 

Related articles:
When UGC goes wrong: A case study of the Grimace shake trend
The concept behind the 'quiet luxury' trend: How can brands best capitalise on it?
Will deinfluencing be the trend to kill influencer marketing?