TO BE CRINGEY OR NOT TO BE? THAT’S THE QUESTION!

Big Boss, Dabangg series, Kaccha Badam, Baspan ka Pyaar, somewhere or the other, these shows/songs/movies are the perfect representations of what CRINGE is!

You must have heard a lot about CRINGE content in the world of social media, isn't it? But what exactly is it? While it is hard to define the term ‘cringe’, imagine this: you see a 10-year-old lip-syncing Baspan ka Pyaar and feel your insides wanting to escape the whole torture. You feel bad for the kid but also ‘cringe’ at what are they being exposed to and made to do.

But c’mon, let’s all agree that we are all suckers for the drama and keep scrolling for more. Does it mean that brands must include cringe-worthy content in their strategy? Sometimes yes and sometimes no! That area of the answer is grey! Let’s talk more.

Connecting with Gen Z has always been a challenge for brands and guilty as charged, the Gen Z even while rolling their eyes, consume a lot of cringes. They even share it with their friends even if it is just to mock.

While sometimes the cringe content strategy works, it should be in line with your brand, its story and what you are trying to communicate. Like any other strategy, cringe content is all about finding the right angle of it for your brand. There are many interesting ways of communicating a brand message without being subject to ridicule. With the speed of the internet reaching larger audiences, the speed of viral content accelerates and keeping up with the popular trends become tricky and using them to your advantage as a brand in your marketing. When used in the wrong manner, the whole concept becomes CRINGE.

Brands must focus more on creating quality content so that they are remembered for a long time and their growth remains gradual. Influencers these days are quite talented and it is amazing to see how they use the social media platform to promote things. With their own unique manner, these influencers can do wonders for your brand, given you collaborate with the right one. Make sure the choice is right for your brand because consumers can sniff out forced collaborations.

As consumers have started to look for authenticity, brands need to stop recycling the same stale humour. Recreating viral videos just for the sake of it has to stop.

Not every brand has to make its employees dance on ‘Kacha Badaam’ just because it is in trend and our feeds can be spared of someone else making an overtly sexual video on the audio ‘I’m so shy’. It could turn into you digging your own grave for your brand. Such trends come and go, but your brand’s core value must remain!

The bottom line remains: Use trends or not, be authentic, so your brand doesn’t land up in the only CRINGEY section. Use cringe but smartly! Food for thought? Get thinking!

Image source: Google