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Generative AI is everywhere now. You see it in content, campaigns, customer experiences, and even internal workflows. It promises speed, scale, and efficiency, but there’s a harder question sitting underneath all that progress; Do your audiences actually trust it?

Trust in the Age of AI: What Consumers Really Think About AI Generated Content

Today, PR teams aren’t just tracking media coverage and share of voice. They’re also measuring how their brand shows up in AI-generated answers, search summaries, and large language models (LLMs). This new LLM visibility layer is quickly becoming a critical part of PR performance.

15 Must-Have PR KPIs and How to Track Them

See how one platform can power every decision across PR, communications, and marketing.

The Meltwater Blog

Blog Topics: Generative Engine Optimization, Media Intelligence, Media Relations, Social Listening, Consumer Intelligence, Influencer Marketing

Find out how you can leverage Facebook to boost your brand's online presence and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

Facebook Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage Instagram to boost your brand's visual appeal and gain a competitive edge. Explore our category page today!

Instagram Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage LinkedIN to grow your professional network and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

LinkedIn Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage TikTok to elevate your brand with creative content and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

TikTok Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage X / Twitter to engage your audience effectively and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

X / Twitter Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage YouTube to create engaging video content and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

YouTube Blog | Meltwater

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is transforming how brands show up in AI-powered search. Explore insights, strategies, and best practices to help your content rank and resonate across conversational engines like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot.

Explore insights and strategies for Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) to help your brand stay visible and discoverable in AI-powered search.

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) Blog Collection | Meltwater

Every day billions of conversations take place on social media: tweets, posts, comments, blogs, reviews, podcasts, and much more.
Learn how to use social listening to make sense of all of that data.

On our social listening category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around social listening and social media monitoring. Read more.

Social Listening Blogs | Category

Business Reputation Management: What does it take to add reputation management to your marketing strategy? More importantly, how do you keep your reputation sparkly and shiny? Here’s your all-access guide to online reputation management for the long term.

On our reputation management category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around business reputation management. Read more.

Reputation Management Blogs | Category

From your brand's logo to your website, your social media presence to your customer support—these elements combined are what constitutes a brand in the minds of customers. But, there are thousands of other businesses that have a logo, website, social media presence, and website. So, how can you position your business on the market and make it stand out from the competition?
The key to success is branding & brand management!

On our brand management category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around brand management. Build your strategy and reach your goals!

Brand Management Blogs | Category

Competitive intelligence and the act of collecting competitive data can be seen as growth drivers for a company. Our guide will help you understand the concept of competitive intelligence (CI) by answering questions such as: What is the definition of competitive intelligence? How is competitive intelligence useful to organizations? What is the goal of competitive intelligence? And more.

On our competitive intelligence category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around competitive intelligence. Learn how to stay ahead.

Competitive Intelligence Blogs | Category

Let’s dive into the customer journey framework and how to optimize the process by creating a customer journey map and using metrics that matter when analyzing the customer journey.

On our customer journey category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around mapping and understanding the customer journey.

Customer Journey Blogs | Category

What Is Data Analytics? [Beginner’s Guide 2023]
How can I grow my business? 
How do customers interact with my newly launched product?
How do I increase the productivity of my employees?
How do I know if my marketing efforts are working?
We have just two words for you...Data analytics!

On our data analytics category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around AI and data analytics. Technical and still easy to understand.

AI & Data Analytics Blogs | Category

Public relations and media relations can add impact to any marketing strategy. It’s an opportunity for brands to grow their reach beyond traditional sales messages. PR helps to shape the image you want people to have of your brand.
So, what is PR and how do you use it? This guide shows you everything you need to know to build a strong public relations foundation.

On our public relations (PR) category page, you find all our blogs covering public relations and communications topics. Step up your PR game.

Public Relations (PR) Blogs | Category

We all know exactly what the roles of sales or accounting are in a company, right? We might even have a slight idea of what the IT guys are doing.
But there is another business discipline, that plays a crucial role in organizations, even more so during the pandemic – internal communications!
But what exactly do we mean by that, what purpose does it serve and what steps can you take to ensure you and your employees will communicate effectively?

On our internal communications category page, you find all our blogs about internal comms topics. Learn about the intranet, internal newsletters, and more.

Internal Communications Blogs | Category

As the internet has taken root in more areas of our lives — everything from entertainment to shopping to paying bills and more — traditional marketing is becoming less impactful. As any marketer knows, you need to focus on where your audience is if you want to reach them. Since the average person spends about seven hours a day online, it’s no surprise that content has maintained its hold on marketers.

Here's a closer look at what content marketing is and why it matters more than ever in our digital-first economy.

On our content marketing category page, you find blogs about content marketing topics. Learn about strategies, KPIs, tips, and more. Make your content king!

Content Marketing Blogs | Category

The rise of the influencer marketing space – today a $10 billion industry, growing 50% per year – is one of the clearest examples of how social media is transforming traditional marketing. These days having a business website, presence on social, PR coverage, and your own content isn’t enough to compete.
We'll dive into the intricacies of influencer marketing to help ensure that you're equipped with the insights needed to be successful in this space.

On our influencer marketing category page, you find blogs about influencer marketing topics. Build your strategy, find influencers, and measure results.

Influencer Marketing Blogs | Category

Have you just launched a new product or service that you want to get the word out about? Maybe you want to share with consumers why it is awesome and how it is so much better than the one your competitors offer.

Well, then, there is one thing you can't do without...Marketing!

On our marketing category page, you find blogs about marketing topics. Learn about all the different angles and types of marketing and improve your results.

Marketing Blogs | Category

In this guide, we want to give you a peek into the definition of social media management, the daily schedule of a social media manager, social media platforms to promote your business, and the do’s & don’ts of social media management.
Are you ready to begin the journey of becoming a social media superstar?

On our social media management category page, you find blogs about social media management topics. Build and manage your online community.

Social Media Management Blogs | Category

Building a following and using social media platforms to reach a wider audience requires a well-planned social media marketing strategy. In this guide, we’ll be looking at why social media marketing is so essential and how you can make it work for your business.

On our social media marketing category page, you find blogs about social media marketing topics. Learn how to get the highest paid social ROI!

Social Media Marketing Blogs | Category

In the fast-evolving realm of digital marketing and public relations, utilizing the right tools is crucial for success. Our interdisciplinary category showcases all the pertinent tools for digital marketing & PR. These tools help in enhancing your online presence and effectively reaching target groups, whether through reputation management, influencer marketing, or social media management.

On our digital marketing and PR tools category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around mapping and understanding the customer journey.

Digital Marketing & PR Tools Blogs | Category

For decades, emojis have shaped how we communicate online, but their popularity and meaning are constantly in flux. With social intelligence data marketers can learn more about how emojis are used over time, in different communities and contexts. 

To learn more about how emoji usage has changed over the past year, we used our social listening and analytics solution to follow up on our 2023 analysis of the most-used emojis. Like last year, we examined mentions of 10 popular emojis in English-language social media posts across 15 platforms, including X, Reddit, and Instagram. 

Here is how these emojis rank from least- to most-mentioned from January 1 through November 30, 2024:

10. 😊, or Smiling Face with Smiling Eyes

5. 🤣, or Rolling on the Floor Laughing

Let’s take a closer look to uncover more about the emojis that took over our digital communications this year.

Learn which emojis your audience uses most when talking about your brand, industry, or market with a demo of the Meltwater Suite.

Which emojis were most popular on each social platform in 2024?

Which emojis were most popular in different countries in 2024?

😭, or loudly crying face, was the most-used emoji on social media in 2024, surpassing last year’s winner 😂, or face with tears of joy. From January 1 to November 30, 2024, 😭 was used about 761 million times across social media channels. Daily mentions spiked highest on November 23 when multiple posts featuring  😭 went viral on X.

As always, the top emoji on social media fluctuates, with some seasonal consistencies like ❤️ being the most popular emoji on Valentine’s Day. In 2024, there were two notable trends that we didn’t see last year. 

First, 😂 briefly rose to become the most-used emoji on November 6, 2024, the same day it was announced that Donald Trump had won the U.S. presidential election.  

Second, 🔥 was the most popular emoji on November 18, as well as from November 27 to November 29, due surges of posts on X about cryptocurrency, new music releases, and Hindu rights protests in Bangladesh. Otherwise, 😭 was the most popular emoji for most of the days in 2024.

What words are most associated with the top emojis of 2024?

The most common keywords mentioned alongside each emoji gives us a window into how they are often used. Some of these keywords remained consistent to last year:

“love” was the top keyword for 🥰, ❤️, and 😍

“life” was the top keyword for 😭 and 😂

However, the top keywords changed for four out of the 10 emojis analyzed, highlighting how their associations have shifted. In 2024:

“smile” was the top keyword for 😊, in 2023 it was “friend”

“world” was the top keyword for ✨, in 2023 it was “life”

“family” was the top keyword for 🙏, in 2023 it was “life”

“video” was the top keyword for 🤣, in 2023 it was “life”

In general, these shifts point to how the emotional resonance of each emoji has evolved. More specifically, 🤣 seems to be growing more associated with funny videos than descriptions about life and personal experiences. 

Check out our blog about the changing meanings of emojis to learn more about how consumers and marketers alike use them to communicate.

😭 was most popular on X, while 😂 took the top spot on Reddit and Facebook, as well as in comments. Interestingly, though ✨ was the seventh most popular emoji overall, it was the most-used one on Pinterest, Instagram, Twitch, and blogs. On Pinterest in particular, which had the highest volume of ✨ mentions, the emoji is the go-to way to give a pin a little pizzazz. 

Get more stats on social media usage trends in our Global Digital Report.

In 2023, we analyzed the top emojis for five countries with the highest volumes of English-language emoji usage. In 2024, two of those countries gained a new favorite emoji:

The most popular emoji in the United States was 😭, in 2023 it was 😂. 

The most popular emoji in India was 🔥, in 2023 it was ❤️. 

The most popular emoji in Nigeria and the United Kingdom, 😂, remained consistent from 2023 to 2024, as did South Africa’s top emoji, 😭. In the end, it seems that South Africa’s emoji users were ahead of the global curve.

In 2024, Unicode, the organization behind emoji standardization, rolled out six new concepts along with four new family combinations. Our analysis focused on four of the new emoji concepts:

🙂‍↔️, or Head Shaking Horizontally

🙂‍↕️, or Head Shaking Vertically

(Note: Some of these emojis may not appear correctly on your device depending on how up-to-date its operating system is.)

Of those emojis, 🙂‍↕️, or head shaking vertically, was the most popular by far, followed by 🙂‍↔️, or head shaking horizontally.

While all four emojis began with relatively the same amount of usage, 🙂‍↔️ and 🙂‍↕️quickly became the leading favorites. Since, April, however, 🙂‍↕️has consistently been the most popular of them all. 

Looking at mentions by location reveals that 🙂‍↕️is the most popular new emoji concept in the United States, China, the United Kingdom, India, the Philippines, Thailand, South Africa, and France. Meanwhile, 🙂‍↔️is most popular in Nigeria and Indonesia. In 2025, as more mobile software updates bring these new emojis to more users, the usage of the head shaking emojis will only continue to take shape.

In 2025, as always, cultural, political, and social shifts will be reflected in how people communicate with one another, including how they use emojis. Stay ahead of those trends and start speaking your audience’s language — see how with a demo of the Meltwater Suite. 🙂‍

The Most-Used Emojis of 2024

The end of another year brings another opportunity to survey how digital language and behavior have evolved over the past 12 months. Last year, the non-negotiable dislikes better known as “the ick” beat out “nepo baby” and “girl dinner” to be the most viral phrase of 2023. 2024 gave us a whole new collection of viral internet slang to assess for their impacts on digital culture and communication.  This year, we used our social listening and analytics solution to analyze a new crop of viral phrases:

Brainrot: This year, “brainrot” and “brain rot” became internet expressions referring to the often negative effects of being too steeped in social media and internet culture. It is also frequently used to describe absurdist, ironic digital content popular with young audiences.

Brat: Following the release of pop artist Charli XCX’s hit album brat in June 2024, using the phrases “is brat” and “brat summer” became a trendy way of describing someone or something as carefree, confident, and, often, kind of messy.

Demure: Thanks to content creator Jools Lebron, the phrase “very demure, very mindful” took the internet by storm this year. As a result, “demure” has become synonymous with quiet, unbothered sophistication.

Rizz: Particularly popular among Gen-Zers, “rizz” is shorthand for “charisma”. Content creator Kai Cenat is often credited with popularizing the term online. 

Yap: In internet parlance, to yap is to chat at length, often about light-hearted or inconsequential topics. “Yap”, and its variations “yapper”, “yapping”, and “yapped”, became newly popular on social media in 2024.

Here’s how English-language usage of these viral terms across 21 sources — including social media platforms, digital media outlets, podcasts, broadcast programs, comments, and blogs — measured up against each other.

Learn more about the cultural shifts driving “brainrot”, “brat”, and other examples of today’s irreverent internet culture in the 2025 Webby Trend Report.

What was the most viral slang term of 2024?

“Brainrot” (Oxford University Press’s Word of the Year) was mentioned 2.92 million times from January through November 2024. Its biggest day of usage was October 1 when mentions spiked five times higher than average. This was partly due to a viral post on X proclaiming, “they hate it when you serve internet brainrot along with critical thinking while also serving fits.”

This post on X helped the term “brainrot” go viral in October. 

The phrases “is brat” and “brat summer” were used about 786,000 times from January through November. The biggest day for brat slang was September 3, 2024, just after Charli XCX declared “goodbye forever brat summer” in an X post. Far-reaching media outlets like BBC and The Independent reported on the post as the official end of brat summer.

Learn more about the ins and outs of hopping on social media trends with our Ultimate Guide to Trendjacking.

“Demure” (Dictionary.com’s Word of the Year) was mentioned more than 3.19 million times in 2024. Its biggest day for usage was August 17, 2024, when mentions spiked 165 times higher than average. 

That day, the most common keyword mentioned along with “demure” was “vocabulary” thanks to a popular post on X praising viral slang for introducing people to new words. 

There were about 10,400 daily mentions of “rizz” from January to November 2024, or about 3.48 million total. Mentions soared 214% higher than average on February 22, 2024, after the release of a BuzzFeed interview in which actress Zendaya praised her boyfriend Tom Holland for having “rizz”.

“Yap” and its conjugations were mentioned about 6.63 million times across sources from January through November 2024. 

It went most viral on March 9, 2024, when mentions were 120% higher than average due to a viral post on X that used the term with another viral slang phrase, “rizz”.

This post on X helped drive the highest spike in mentions of “yap” on March 9, 2024.

Of the five slang words we analyzed, “Yap” was the most popular of 2024 by far. Social media users, journalists, bloggers, online commenters, and more used “yap” and its variations more than 6.63 million times. 

However, “demure” was much more acutely viral due to how quickly and dramatically it caught on. Despite being a relatively rarely mentioned word for most of the year, “demure” had a spike in mentions in August that was higher and longer than that of any other word, illustrating its massive cultural impact. So while “yapping” will likely continue to be a new favorite conversational term for many around the world, no word will go on to scream “2024” quite like “demure”.

From big names like Kai Cenat and Jools Lebron to the lesser-known accounts behind viral social media posts, content creators are the driving forces behind evolutions in mainstream slang. And as these phrases and terms gain prominence, many youth- and digital culture-focused brands rely on them to signal that they are on the same wavelength as their target audiences. The creator economy is poised to grow even larger in 2025, meaning the relationship between marketers and influencers will become even more complex. Learn more about these and other industry shifts to watch out for in our 2025 Marketing Trends Guide.

What Was the Most Viral Slang Term of 2024?

If video hadn’t already killed the radio star, podcasts would’ve done it. Everyone from celebrities to influencers to brands are trying their hand at podcasts, some with more success than others. 

Podcast popularity is at an all-time high. Last year, there were 3.2 million podcast listeners in South Africa, a figure that continues to rise as mainstream radio numbers taper off. Of those listeners, 68% engage with content for longer than an hour each week, and 1 in 4 listeners actively tune in to podcasts daily. 

That’s why we’ve curated a list of the top 10 South African podcasters – across any category or topic. Covering music, finance, real-world events and local conversation, these are the top podcasts in South Africa for good reason. Have a listen, and decide which ones deserve a spot on your playlist:


Piano Pulse EP 14 |NetfLix, SASMA, Music Video's, Msaki, Shakes & Les, Major Leauge Djz,Kreative Korner,Mclaren,Limpopo


One of the most popular SA podcasts, Podcast and Chill focuses on unfiltered conversations with celebrities, industry leaders, and public figures. Podcast and Chill has built up a loyal and diverse audience, with hosts Macgyver Mukwevho, Ghost Lady and Sol Phenduka talking about everything from cultural differences to personal stories.

Having started in 2018, there are well over 500 episodes for listeners to enjoy. New episodes come out every Tuesday and Thursday.

An electronic and amapiano performer, Djy Jaivane’s podcast is a curation of music mixes, focusing on house, electronic beats and amapiano rhythms. The perfect podcast for electronic music lovers, listeners will start to recognise Djy Jaivane’s signature sound.

Djy Jaivane’s deep connection to the South African music scene and regular session uploads have made his one of the biggest podcasts in South Africa.

Speaker, author and self-made businesswoman, Mpoomy Ledwaba’s podcast takes everything she has learned along her journey and delivers it in an authentic and relatable way. The focus on personal development and holistic well-being makes Wisdom & Wellness one of the most inspirational and practical South African podcasts for any listener. Wisdom & Wellness regularly features expert guests, and uploads once a week. 

Knight SA, real name Edwin Cornelius Fortune, is one of the most celebrated midtempo producers in South Africa. His podcast taps into this, attracting a devoted audience of midtempo fans.

With more than 75 sessions uploaded, and each between one and two hours long, MidTempo Sessions by Knight SA is a must-have on any music lover’s podcast playlist.

Above and Beyond


Hosted by entrepreneur Vusi Thembekwayo, Ideas That Matter covers all things business, strategy, and leadership. With his wealth of first-hand business knowledge, Vusi Thembekwayo leads thought-provoking discussions and provides innovative insights.

With episodes released biweekly, Ideas That Matter is an unmissable South African podcast for aspiring entrepreneurs and professionals.

If You Ruled the World: A Listener Grab Bag [VIDEO]


If ever there was a South African that podcasts were made for, it’s Trevor Noah.

What Now? is a Spotify-exclusive podcast revolving around social issues, current events, and human stories. Delivered in Trevor Noah’s signature style, What Now? releases episodes weekly on Spotify.

Episode 170 The Murder of Allison Plaatjies


This podcast is a must-listen for crime enthusiasts. True Crime South Africa examines local cases — whether solved, unsolved, or still ongoing. Hosted by writer Nicole Engelbrecht with meticulous attention to detail, episodes are published regularly.

BizNews Briefing: Cilliers Brink with latest on Tshwane, Jhb; Comrades Collective triumph; Overpriced Wall St


Closing in on nearly 6000 episodes, BizNews Radio brings listeners exclusive interviews with top business leaders, thinkers, and economists.

For investors and interested listeners alike, the South African podcast is an invaluable resource for the latest news on both local and global markets.

The Money Show: China Strikes Back: Rare Mineral Exports to U.S. Halted Amid Escalating Tech War


A longstanding financial staple in South Africa, The Money Show offers expert insight into business trends and market movements. Hosted by radio personality Bruce Whitfield, the podcast delivers new episodes every day.

My Deep Is Not Your Deep curates unique house music mixes. The podcast explores the diversity of deep house, providing listeners with new tracks and commentary about the genre.

Find the Right SA Podcasts for You with Meltwater

Tapping into South African podcasts can be a game-changer for brands. With Meltwater, brands can now monitor podcasts for all the keywords that are important to them. Additionally, they can surface opportunities to place thought leaders from their organization on podcasts that cover topics relevant to their expertise.

Learn more about which podcasts resonate with your audience, glean listener info, and request guest appearances or product placements. Discover more when you request a demo by filling out the form below.

Top 10 Podcasts in South Africa

Where do you go for peer-to-peer recommendations about gadgets? As our social listening deep dive into the retail sector found, Reddit is the top social channel for consumer research into apparel and beauty items, but most of all for consumer electronics. We used our social listening solution to see what discussions about some of the world’s leading electronics brands on Reddit can show us about how tech consumers and enthusiasts are using the platform. 

The following analysis is based on relevant brand and keyword mentions on Reddit from January 1 to November 15, 2024. 

What is the most discussed electronics brand on Reddit?

Apple gets Redditors’ keyboards fired up more than any of the nine other electronics brands we analyzed, largely thanks to the release of the iPhone 16 earlier this year. The top destination for discussing the brand is r/Apple, which has 5.8 million members. Microsoft was the second most discussed brand, generating the most mentions in r/technology, a subreddit of 17 million members where discussion about the brand often focuses on breaking news about products, services, and company practices.

What comes up most when Redditors discuss consumer electronics brands?

The top keywords for all 10 brands we analyzed reveal the items and use cases Redditors most associate with each one, like “phone” for Apple, “laptop” for Lenovo, and “gaming” for ASUS. Secondary top keywords included “issue,” “money,” and “budget” highlighting just how many Redditors are using the platform for troubleshooting and bargain hunting.

Spikes in each discussion over the year also reveal the topics and occasions that generate the most buzz. For example, though ASUS is in the middle of the pack for volume of mentions, it generated the highest discussion spike of all the brands on February 20. That day, mentions jumped by 2,502% due to a post in a popular gaming subreddit doing a giveaway of an ASUS gaming graphics processing unit. The now-deleted post received 60,000 comments from gamers explaining why they deserved to win the specialized hardware as well as why they use ASUS gaming products. Along with increasing ASUS’s Reddit visibility, the comments boosted positive sentiment about the brand 190x higher than average.

Meanwhile, Sony generated the second highest spike on May 5, when mentions increased by 44%. That surge was due to discussion around Sony’s newly-implemented rule that PC players of the game Helldivers 2, which was released three months earlier for PlayStation 5 and Windows, would be required to have a PlayStation account.

Finally, Apple achieved the third highest spike in discussion on September 9 for the company’s special "It's Glowtime" event debuting its new products, including the iPhone 16 lineup. A “megathread” of discussion dedicated to the event generated more than 11,000 engagement actions and had an estimated reach of about 5.5 million.

What are the most discussed laptop brands on Reddit?

Narrowing our analysis down to focus on discussion of laptops specifically, Lenovo is the most discussed brand, followed by HP and Apple. Lenovo’s popularity in laptop talk was thanks in large part to the company’s debut of the world’s first transparent laptop at the 2024 Mobile World Congress on February 25. The unveiling drove discussion of Lenovo laptops to surge by about 200% on Reddit the following day.

While Redditors generally discussed Lenovo laptops more than the other brands we analyzed, Apple and HP generated the highest and second highest spikes in discussion, respectively. HP’s spike on April 22 was the result of an image post showing a single, slightly misaligned vent hole on an HP laptop.

The post went viral in a subreddit dedicated to interesting photos, generating about 13,600 engagement actions and spiking mentions of HP laptops by 975%. Similarly, Apple’s spike in mentions on August 13 was also due to a post in a general interest forum. This one, in a 39-million member subreddit dedicated to recently learned facts, discussed a 2010 class action lawsuit alleging a Pennsylvania high school spied on its students using school-issued MacBooks. Though the lawsuit was against the school, the discussion still made mentions of Apple MacBooks surge by 1,474%. 

From product reviews and product debuts to gaming and visual oddities, the consumer electronics discussion on Reddit is alive and well in three key ways:

As we highlighted in our retail consumer insights report, the platform is a top destination for social media users comparison shopping for electronics. 

As our brand analysis reveals, Reddit is also a go-to channel for techies to discuss and debate the latest updates in real-time. 

Along with having a thriving community of Apple enthusiasts, Reddit joins networks like Twitch and Discord as a hub for niche gaming communities. 

For electronics marketers, following what’s happening on Reddit is valuable for much more than just revealing consumers’ top purchase considerations. Monitoring the site can also highlight the activations driving excitement in your core audience, reveal opportunities to connect with new ones, and uncover new and resurfacing narratives. Simply put, if you’re a gadget or software marketer who is not keeping tabs on Reddit, you’re missing out! 

Learn more about digital shopping habits in our retail industry report. 

Consumer Electronics on Reddit: Key Topics, Brands, and Trends

Internet trends come and go but perhaps none has been bigger this year than the ferociously adorable phenomenon that is Moo Deng. For the uninitiated, Moo Deng is a baby pygmy hippo who lives at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in the Chonburi Province of Thailand. She was born on July 10, 2024, but she has already risen to be one of the most famous animals in the world thanks to her playfulness and ferocity. The subject of countless memes, Moo Deng is a perfect case study in the lifecycle of internet trends. This year, she quickly became a global superstar, but is the Moo Deng hype “over”? We used our social listening and analytics solution to find out. 

From January 1 to November 11, 2024, there were nearly 6 million mentions of Moo Deng across all languages and channels, including social media, digital and broadcast news, blogs, and forums. That’s only 1 million fewer mentions than fellow breakout star Chappell Roan, an adult human being with a music career. Pretty impressive for a baby hippo who was just born this summer! 

Meltwater data shows that Moo Deng generated her first significant spike in conversation on September 2. That day she got her first taste of virality thanks to a post on X that simply exclaimed, “MOO DENG” along with four pictures of the shiny, plump creature looking ready to bite. 

This X post from @sighyam made Moo Deng go viral for the first time in September 2024.

However, it wasn’t until later that month that the then two-month-old began to reach mega virality.

Moo Deng mentions spiked even higher on September 10, when a photo of Moo Deng biting a leg went viral on X, kicking off a relatively steady rise. Just over half of all Moo Deng conversations so far this year occurred in September alone, when she averaged about 100,000 mentions each day.

The peak of Moo Deng-mania occurred on September 28, when her name was mentioned about 205,000 times. This was thanks to a Saturday Night Live skit in which comedian Bowen Wang portrayed Moo Deng complaining about the downsides of fame. The skit spiked the Moo Deng conversation to new heights as some praised it while others criticized it for potentially mocking Chappell Roan. That goes to show that, even for celebrities who are animals, controversy can generate the most buzz.

Mentions began to slide in early October and hit their lowest point in several weeks at about 34,000 mentions on November 3, 2024. So while Moo Deng is still massively popular, the height of the craze around her has passed. Overall, the Moo Deng hype lasted for about a month, but the precocious hippo is still a star we will hear more about in the future.

How did brands tap into the Moo Deng trend?

Brands and organizations across the world hopped on the Moo Deng trend, but the ones that timed their posts well had the best chance of hitting it big. 

This Instagram post from @thaisephora has gotten more than 11,000 likes since it was posted in September. 

For example, Sephora Thailand published its Moo Deng Instagram post on September 11, just after the Moo Deng leg bite photo went viral. Its clever take on the trend garnered thousands of likes and likely kicked off the Moo Deng makeup microtrend that took off a few weeks later. 

This post on X from @USDOL has been reposted about 9,400 times since September 20.

On September 20, the U.S. Department of Labor used a picture of Moo Deng getting sprayed with water to rack up tens of thousands of engagement actions on X and promote hydration at the same time. 

This Instagram post from @spotandtango has received more than 20,000 likes since it was posted on September 28, 2024.

Finally, dog food brand Spot & Tango drove a surge of social engagement with its post on September 28, the day Moo Deng mentions spiked highest.

For marketers, even the most viral of viral trends have a lifespan when it comes to visibility and engagement. So while Moo Deng is still a relevant and popular pop culture figure, for most brands, the time for trendjacking has passed.

Monitoring and assessing waves of online trends and conversations is key for marketers looking to connect with new audiences online. At the end of the day, the success of trendjacking comes down to timing, along with a few other key factors. Check out our Ultimate Guide to Trendjacking to learn more about how to leverage trends and use social listening to ensure you never miss the next Moo Deng. 

Is the Moo Deng Trend Over?

Arguably, no artist has had a bigger year than pop star Chappell Roan. The singer-songwriter’s debut album came out in September 2023, but she didn’t start drawing significant attention until nearly seven months later. Now, she is one of the music industry’s biggest rising stars, selling out her live shows and booking high-profile TV spots, like her recent performance on Saturday Night Live. Known for her theatrical, themed stage performances, Roan rivals the likes of other mega stars like Billie Eilish and Sabrina Carpenter when it comes to being Gen-Z’s favorite music icon. How big of a year has 2024 been for Roan really? We used our social listening and analytics solution to find out. 

How much did Chappell Roan’s visibility grow in 2024?

From January 1 to November 4, 2024, there were nearly seven million mentions of Chappell Roan across social and traditional media. 

Looking at the second half of the past 12 full months, from May to October 2024, mentions were a stunning 1,484% higher than they were in the first half, from October 2023 to April 2024.

What was Chappell Roan’s most talked about moment in 2024?

Chappell Roan’s visibility was boosted by a buildup of key live performances as well as a few viral social media moments. The ones that generated the biggest bumps in buzz were:

Social Listening

The Most-Used Emojis of 2024

What Was the Most Viral Slang Term of 2024?

Top 10 Podcasts in South Africa

Consumer Electronics on Reddit: Key Topics, Brands, and Trends

Is the Moo Deng Trend Over?

Charting Chappell Roan’s Rise to Fame: A Social Listening Analysis

Budgeting and Saving Buzz on Social Media

Exploring Tipping Culture: Insights from Social Media

What Consumers Think About Self-Checkout

What Is Trendjacking and How Can You Use It For Your Brand?

What Social Media Users Are Saying About Overtourism

Drive Business Growth with Social Media Intelligence

Social Listening

The Most-Used Emojis of 2024

What Was the Most Viral Slang Term of 2024?

Top 10 Podcasts in South Africa

Consumer Electronics on Reddit: Key Topics, Brands, and Trends

Is the Moo Deng Trend Over?

Charting Chappell Roan’s Rise to Fame: A Social Listening Analysis

Budgeting and Saving Buzz on Social Media

Exploring Tipping Culture: Insights from Social Media

What Consumers Think About Self-Checkout

What Is Trendjacking and How Can You Use It For Your Brand?

What Social Media Users Are Saying About Overtourism

Drive Business Growth with Social Media Intelligence

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