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AI adoption is no longer the challenge—trusted context is. Most organizations have AI tools, but many still rely on disconnected, stale, or unverified data, limiting the quality and trustworthiness of AI-generated outputs. Meltwater MCP brings trusted, real-time intelligence into AI assistants.

Your Best Context is Already in the Room

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?
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

TikTok has captured the attention of social media users around the world, making it a place businesses and brands want to be. What exactly does TikTok have to offer marketers that other platforms don’t? After looking at some general social media statistics it's time to dive into some of the most essential TikTok stats, facts, and details that will help you craft a winning social media strategy.

Before we dive into the specific TikTok numbers and statistics, it’s important for you to know more about the platform itself. Here’s what you need to know about TikTok:

TikTok is a Chinese-based social media app that specializes in short-form videos.

In 2026, TikTok in the U.S. became U.S. owned, avoiding an outright ban. 

ByteDance purchased and merged the lip-syncing app Musical.ly with TikTok in 2018.

In China, where the original app was released in 2016, TikTok is known as Douyin.

TikTok is available in over 75 different languages and more than 155 countries.

As more and more companies use TikTok for marketing and brand awareness, it's important to always have up-to-date information on TikTok usage stats, demographics, and more.

Though some may have once deemed the app a passing fad, its sustained growth, usage, and revenue have declared it anything but temporary.

These TikTok numbers present a compelling picture:

TikTok earned over 500 million users during its first year. (Business of Apps)

TikTok is the fifth most-popular social network by active users, but takes second place by total time spent using the app. (Global Digital Report)

How many people use TikTok? The app currently boasts more than 955 million active users worldwide. (Statista)

15.5% of active social media users between the ages of 16-24 say TikTok is their favorite social platform. (Global Digital Report)

TikTok was the most downloaded app in the world in 2022, earning over 850 million downloads. (Business of Apps)

TikTok was the first non-Meta-owned app to surpass 3 billion downloads globally. (Sensor Tower)

TikTok’s rapid growth is backed by a surge of revenue that continues to grow year over year. Here’s a snapshot of TikTok revenue, its valuation, and where its revenue comes from.

TikTok earned 6 billion from in-app purchases in Q4 2024 (Sensor Tower) 

ByteDance saw revenue growth of about 30% in 2023 to reach more than $110 billion. (Bloomberg)

In December of 2025, ByteDance was valued at $500 billion. (Yahoo Finance)

TikTok is expected to generate about $58 billion in global ad revenue by 2027. (DemandSage)

TikTok demographics help brands learn more about who is using TikTok. What’s the typical TikTok user age range? Where are the most active TikTok users located? 

We've rounded up some key TikTok user statistics to help you find your TikTok target audience. See how much time they’re spending on the platform and discover effective ways to connect with them.

TikTok average age: over 88% of TikTok users and creators worldwide are between the ages of 16 and 24. (Global Digital Report)

The largest age-group of TikTok users are women aged 16 to 24 years (47%). (Global Digital Report)

The largest ad audience on TikTok is men between the ages of 25-34 (Global Digital Report)

TikTok even has users in the 65+ age range: 16.4% women and 16.3% men (Global Digital Report)

How many users will there be on TikTok by 2027? By 2027, there are expected to be more than 1.7 billion TikTok users worldwide. (Statista)

How many TikTok users are there in the US? The United States has one of the most active TikTok audience, with more than 150 million users. (TikTok)

Users in Nigeria spend the most time per month on TikTok (Global Digital Report)

The highest advertising audience (22.3%) can be found in Southeast Asia (Global Digital Report) 

63% of U.S. teens use TikTok. (Pew Research Center)

TikTok is used slightly more by men (55%) than women (44%). (Statista)

Marketers can reach an ad audience of 1.5 billion on TikTok as of February 2025. (Global Digital Report)

TikTok users are among the most engaged social media users. They’re leveraging the app to create and share videos, get news, discover new products, make purchases, and of course find a never-ending source of entertainment.

How many videos are on TikTok? It's hard to say, but what we do know is that more than 1 million TikTok videos are viewed each day.

TikTok is the second most popular platform for brand research, behind Facebook (Global Digital Report)

#Capcut is the top used hashtag, used on more than 8.7 billion posts since the app launched. (Global Digital Report)

#FYP is the second most popular hashtag on TikTok (7.7 billion posts) (Global Digital Report)

81% of TikTok users are also active Facebook users (Global Digital Report)

TikTok is the most popular app for finding "funny or entertaining content" among 80% of social media users. (Global Digital Report)

It is the least popular app for connecting with friends or family. (Global Digital Report)

TikTok marketing for businesses has only grown in popularity. With such a massive user base and a direct gateway to Gen-Z and millennial consumers, it’s no surprise that more companies and brands are focusing their video sharing and content marketing budgets here.

Between 2024 and 2025 TikTok saw a 17.6% increase in potential ad reach (Global Digital Report)

Brands can advertise themselves on TikTok using TikTok hashtags and via brand takeovers, hashtag challenges, video ads, influencer marketing, augmented reality lenses, branded filters, and more.

A brand takeover can cost anywhere from $50K to $120K per day. (Influencer Marketing Hub)

A hashtag challenge originally had a flat-fee of $150K for six days (Influencer Marketing Hub). In 2025 the starting price for an HTC was $50K (HeadsOnPillows). 

Videos on TikTok can be up to 30 minutes long, but the optimal time is between 3-10 minutes on average. (Buffer)

TikTok ads start at $10 per 1000 views with a $500 minimum per campaign. (Influencer Marketing Hub)

Despite the higher costs, engagement rate tends to be higher on TikTok. On average, brands are seeing an average engagement rate of 2.6% per follower — 4x higher than Instagram. (RivalIQ)

TikTok has become a major hot spot for mega-influencers and micro-influencers alike.

Here’s more on the platform’s influencer marketing statistics:

Khabane Lame is TikTok’s most popular influencer as of 2025 and has more than 161.5 million followers. (Global Digital Report)

TikTok created a $1 billion Creator Fund to support influencers and build stronger relationships with them. (Wallaroo Media)

Influencer Charli D'Amelio is the highest-earning influencer on TikTok, making a reported $17.5 million per year. (Influencer Marketing Hub)

Tip: Take a look at these global TikTok accounts with the most followers. If you're looking for local TikTokers to partner with, take a look at the top TikTok influencers in Malaysia and the top South African TikTokers.

There’s a lot of truth to the “TikTok made me buy it” phrase.

Here’s what the platform brings to the world of eCommerce:

78% of users have purchased a product after watching creator content about it. (TikTok)

Half of all TikTok users have made a purchase after watching a TikTok Live. (TikTok)

TikTok is 150% better at convincing users to try a product or service. (Material and TikTok)

Users are twice as likely to recommend a product or service they discovered on TikTok compared to other social media networks. (Material and TikTok)

TikTok is unlike any of the other social media networks, and that’s a good thing! The app gives brands new ways to build connections with their audiences, especially those in the Gen-Z age group, show a different side of their company, and build ongoing trust and brand loyalty. TikTok monitoring tools help you stay on top.

At Meltwater, we’re helping brands keep up with consumers in real-time and discover trending topics. Identify what users are into, see what they’re engaging with, and use real data-driven insights to grow your strategy. Fill out the form below to learn more!

According to various sources, TikTok boasts roughly 1.5 billion monthly active users globally.

Yes, TikTok is largely dominated by Gen Z, however the user demographics are expanding to include older users and younger Gen Alpha users.

What percentage of users are male vs. female?

The percentage of male TikTok users (ad audience, age 18+) is 37.3%, and the percentage of female users (ad audience, age 18+) is 45.5%.

How influential is TikTok in purchase decisions?

45 TikTok Stats You Need To Know [2026]

Lattes hold a special place in today’s “little treat” culture, still going strong decades into becoming a mainstream offering around the world. With that kind of longevity, it’s no wonder that these caffeinated concoctions are constantly moving through waves of flavor trends. From the matcha craze to the ube emergence, marketers can mine valuable lessons from this dynamic corner of the food and beverage sector. 

We used Explore+, our enterprise-level media, social, and consumer intelligence solution, to do just that, diving into three leading flavors: matcha, ube, and pistachio. What we found is that while one flavor undoubtedly dominates, all three offer interesting insight into the contours of trend adoption stages.

Note: This analysis examines data from Explore+ sourced from traditional, digital, and social media sources (including Pinterest, Instagram, and X), from December 16, 2025, to January 16, 2026. Percent change figures compare data from December 16, 2025, to January 16, 2026, to that from November 16, 2025, to December 16, 2025.  

Matcha vs. Ube vs. Pistachio: Which Latte Flavor Is Most Popular?

Our social listening analysis found that matcha is by far the most talked about latte flavor, compared to ube and pistachio.

<table style="width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; font-family:Arial, sans-serif;">
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th style="background:#28bbbb; color:#fff; padding:12px; text-align:left;">Flavor</th>

      <th style="background:#28bbbb; color:#fff; padding:12px; text-align:center;">Mentions (12/16/25 to 1/16/26)</th>
      <th style="background:#28bbbb; color:#fff; padding:12px; text-align:center;">Mentions (11/16/25 to 12/15/25)</th>
      <th style="background:#28bbbb; color:#fff; padding:12px; text-align:center;">Mentions % Change</th>

      <th style="background:#28bbbb; color:#fff; padding:12px; text-align:center;">Engagement (12/16/25 to 1/16/26)</th>
      <th style="background:#28bbbb; color:#fff; padding:12px; text-align:center;">Engagement (11/16/25 to 12/15/25)</th>
      <th style="background:#28bbbb; color:#fff; padding:12px; text-align:center;">Engagement % Change</th>
      <th style="background:#28bbbb; color:#fff; padding:12px; text-align:center;">Engagement / Post</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td style="padding:10px; font-weight:bold; color:#000000;">Matcha</td>

      <td style="padding:10px; text-align:center;">50,046</td>
      <td style="padding:10px; text-align:center;">46,144</td>
      <td style="padding:10px; text-align:center; color:#28bbbb; font-weight:bold;">▲ 8.5%</td>

      <td style="padding:10px; text-align:center;">16,079,842</td>
      <td style="padding:10px; text-align:center;">15,446,939</td>
      <td style="padding:10px; text-align:center; color:#28bbbb; font-weight:bold;">▲ 4%</td>
      <td style="padding:10px; text-align:center;">321</td>
    </tr>

    <tr style="background:#f4fafa;">
      <td style="padding:10px; font-weight:bold; color:#000000;">Pistachio</td>

      <td style="padding:10px; text-align:center;">4,662</td>
      <td style="padding:10px; text-align:center;">3,527</td>
      <td style="padding:10px; text-align:center; color:#28bbbb; font-weight:bold;">▲ 32%</td>

      <td style="padding:10px; text-align:center;">389,200</td>
      <td style="padding:10px; text-align:center;">449,947</td>
      <td style="padding:10px; text-align:center; color:#b627a1; font-weight:bold;">▼ 13%</td>
      <td style="padding:10px; text-align:center;">83.5</td>
    </tr>

    <tr>
      <td style="padding:10px; font-weight:bold; color:#000000;">Ube</td>

      <td style="padding:10px; text-align:center;">1,341</td>
      <td style="padding:10px; text-align:center;">1,112</td>
      <td style="padding:10px; text-align:center; color:#28bbbb; font-weight:bold;">▲ 21%</td>

      <td style="padding:10px; text-align:center;">171,231</td>
      <td style="padding:10px; text-align:center;">83,494</td>
      <td style="padding:10px; text-align:center; color:#28bbbb; font-weight:bold;">▲ 105%</td>
      <td style="padding:10px; text-align:center;">127.7</td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

From December 16, 2025, to January 16, 2026, there were about 50,000 mentions of matcha lattes across traditional, digital, and social media channels. This represents an 8.5% increase in matcha mentions from the six-months prior (period-over-period, or PoP), with engagement actions also growing by 4% in that time. 

Pistachio and ube generated significantly fewer mentions than matcha, but showed significantly higher growth at 32% and 21% respectively. We’ll dive further into these evolutions below, but by conversation volume, matcha is the clear winner, demonstrating the level of popularity we would expect from an established trend.

Flavor Trend Adoption Stages Explained: Matcha, Ube, and Pistachio

To understand how these flavors reached such different levels of popularity, we analyzed them through the lens of trend adoption stages. By looking beyond raw conversation volume and factoring in growth rates, engagement patterns, and where discussions are happening, clearer distinctions emerge between saturated, re-emerging, and emerging trends.

Matcha is a centuries old Japanese tea, but it first hit the global coffeeshop mainstream in the 2010s. Today, it’s a leading force in the flavored lattes conversation. During the time period analyzed, matcha had about 11x more mentions than pistachio and 37x more mentions than ube. It also dominated in terms of engagement actions with about 41x more than pistachio and 94x more than ube.

Averaging at 321 engagements per mention, the digital buzz and enthusiasm around matcha is robust, signaling its status as an established trend with longevity among consumers, rather than a fleeting fad.

Platform dynamics further underscore this maturity, with matcha mentions flourishing on multiple social channels. For example, an impressive 24% of matcha mentions and 80% of engagement occurred on Pinterest, fueling users’ inspiration for recipes and showing off at-home creations. Meanwhile, Instagram accounted for 14% of mentions and about 9% of engagement, highlighting matcha’s role in lifestyle content.

Pinterest users have liked this matcha latte recipe video (presented as a Starbucks dupe) over 5,800 times. 

No longer a novelty, matcha has officially reached the saturation trend stage, with widespread familiarity among consumers and high engagement across visual-first platforms. For brands and marketers across sectors working with trends at this stage, differentiation, rather than awareness-building, is key to remaining relevant in the cultural conversation.

Like matcha, pistachio lattes also became popular in the 2010s, debuting as a limited-edition Starbucks offering in 2019 and joining its winter menu a few years later. However, in 2025, it enjoyed a new boost of virality, helped along by the rise of Dubai chocolate. 

Though they generated less than a tenth of the conversation matcha did in the time period analyzed, pistachio lattes showed the highest growth with a 32% PoP increase in mentions. At the same time, that growth was also accompanied by the biggest decline in engagement (-13% PoP), resulting in the lowest engagement per post (83.5). 

This disconnect between volume and engagement can be explained by looking at where that buzz occurred. About 23% of pistachio latte mentions came from online news sources covering it as a viral trend or announcing the launches of related products. 

In particular, news and broadcast mentions of the flavor spiked on January 6, 2026, with the release of Starbucks’s 2026 winter menu featuring pistachio lattes, cold brew, and cortado drinks. Overall, a whopping 73.4% of pistachio mentions came from news and broadcast sources, highlighting that the discussion was driven primarily by editorial coverage rather than organic consumer engagement.

This Instagram Reel from Starbucks generated about 35,700 engagement actions in just over two weeks. 

Together, pistachio’s lower, but growing, discussion volume and lagging engagement signal its status as both a seasonal trend as well as re-emerging one. For marketers and brands working with trends in a similar stage, driving excitement is a matter of careful timing within a relatively narrow window of consumer interest. 

Ube has a rich history and great importance in Filipino culture, but in recent years it has become a trendy flavor across a range of sweet treats including lattes. Last year, Starbucks even included an Ube Espresso Martini and Iced Ube Coconut Latte on limited-edition menus at select Reserve Roasteries, suggesting a potential wider release to come.

As a relatively newer trend, ube lattes generated the lowest conversation volume compared to matcha and pistachio in the time period analyzed, but the strongest engagement growth at +105% PoP. 

With 127.7 engagements per post, ube outperformed pistachio despite its smaller audience, suggesting higher novelty and consumer interest. Mentions were concentrated on Instagram (about 24%) and online news (about 21%), where coverage often placed ube within broader food and wellness trend narratives.

A significant contributor to this engagement surge was a paid Instagram post on January 13 foodie influencers @topjaw. The Reel spotlighting London-based, Filipino bakery Panadera — along with its ube lattes — generated about 44,000 engagement actions in just three days. According to Meltwater’s AI-powered influencer marketing solution, that single post generated over $650,000 in Estimated Media Value (EMV) for Panadera and partnering brand Square UK.

Overall, ube latte’s limited conversation but surging engagement point to its novelty. Unlike matcha or pistachio, consumers are still discovering this trend. Related content still has the ability to surprise and intrigue viewers, prompting their own digital and IRL journeys of discovery. For marketers and brands working with niche and emerging trends like this one, the playing field is wide open for creative activations that spark interest and establish brand associations.

Final Takeaways: How to Analyze a Trend’s Adoption Stage 

Consider our latte flavor analysis as a jumping off point for your own trend analyses. When using social listening and consumer intelligence solutions like Explore+, follow these simple steps to determine which phase a trend is currently in.

Step 1: Look at conversation and engagement evolutions 

Our latte flavor analysis underscored how mentions volume isn’t the end all be all of understanding trend lifecycles. Instead, seeing how those metrics are changing over time can help you predict where trends are headed.

Step 2: Analyze platform distribution and concentration

Editorial coverage can accelerate trends, but most often it’s the consumers themselves who spark them. Breaking down discussions by their sources lets you see what the driving forces behind trends are. Those concentrated on social platforms like Pinterest and Instagram have the most promising momentum behind them.

Knowing who is driving visibility and engagement for a trend — along with how they are doing it — gives you valuable insight into where new opportunities may lie. For niche and emerging trends especially, influencers can help your brand enter the current cultural conversation in a meaningful way. Use consumer intelligence and influencer marketing solutions in tandem to make the most of every activation.

Frequently Asked Questions About Trend Adoption Stages

Trend adoption stages describe how a product, behavior, or idea moves from early discovery to mainstream use and eventual saturation. According to a Meltwater Explore+ analysis, these stages can be identified by examining changes in conversation volume, engagement growth, and where discussions are taking place across media and social platforms.

How can brands identify which stage a trend is in?

Brands can determine a trend’s adoption stage by analyzing how quickly mentions are growing, whether engagement is increasing or declining, and which platforms are driving visibility. For example, Meltwater’s Explore+ analysis of latte trends combined media, social, and consumer intelligence data to reveal whether momentum was coming from organic consumer interest, influencer activity, or editorial coverage.

Why isn’t conversation volume enough to understand trend maturity?

High conversation volume alone does not indicate whether a trend is emerging, re-emerging, or saturated. For example, Meltwater’s Explore+ analysis of latte trends showed that engagement per post, growth rate, and platform concentration provided clearer signals of trend novelty, longevity, or decline than raw mentions alone.

What distinguishes an emerging trend from a re-emerging one?

As Meltwater’s January 2026 Explore+ analysis of latte flavor trends showed, emerging trends can show low overall volume but high engagement growth driven by discovery and influencer-led content. A re-emerging trend, by contrast, can show renewed visibility tied to seasonal moments or product launches. Tracking visibility drivers and audience response is key to making the distinction.

How do platform dynamics affect trend adoption?

Meltwater Explore+ analysis of latte flavor trends found that mentions volume and engagement concentrated on different platforms signal different stages of adoption. Visual and inspiration-driven platforms like Instagram and Pinterest can indicate organic consumer momentum, while spikes in news and broadcast coverage can reflect short-term visibility.

How can marketers use trend adoption insights to guide strategy?

Understanding a trend’s adoption stage helps marketers decide whether to focus on awareness, differentiation, or timing. Meltwater’s Explore+ enables brands to uncover insights allowing them to align messaging, partnerships, and launches with how consumers are currently engaging with a trend rather than relying on assumptions or surface-level popularity.

Trend Adoption Stages Explained: Matcha, Ube, and Pistachio Lattes

In this article, we’ll explain why LLM misinformation has become a frontline crisis issue, how misinformation shows up in AI systems, and what you can do about it to safeguard your brand reputation. You will find a practical crisis communications playbook, guidance on prevention and measurement, common mistakes to avoid, and clear answers to the most common questions communications leaders are asking right now. 

Why LLM misinformation is a crisis comms issue now

How misinformation shows up in LLMs (and why it’s hard to correct)

A practical crisis comms playbook for correcting LLM misinformation

Prevention: “Pre-bunking” your brand narrative for AI

Brand safety measurement: How to report progress to leadership

What are common AI brand safety mistakes to avoid?

How Meltwater can help you spot and correct LLM misinformation

For growing numbers of consumers, AI is a convenient first port of call when they’re seeking information and recommendations. When someone asks a chatbot about your company, that answer often forms their first impression before they even visit your website. They may not visit your website at all, if they feel the large language model (LLM) has given them all the details they need. 

A single incorrect sentence about pricing, safety, leadership, or legal status can shape perception at scale in minutes. Unlike traditional media, there is no editor to call and no correction box to negotiate, the answer simply appears, confidently, and moves on.

Misinformation in this context includes hallucinations, which are fabricated details presented as fact, as well as outdated or miscontextualized information that is stitched together from partial sources. These risks are well documented in the AI field, but for communications leaders, the issue is practical, not theoretical. 

PR teams are responsible for protecting trust, managing reputation, and responding to issues before they escalate. AI-generated misinformation cuts across all three.

This becomes a crisis when the misinformation involves executive impersonation, safety or compliance claims, financial or pricing errors, or narratives tied to scandals or litigation. In those moments, AI answers are not just inaccurate. They can be harmful. They can influence investors, regulators, customers, and employees before your team even knows there is a problem. Treating this as an edge case or a future concern leaves your organization exposed.

As AI continues to shape how audiences discover and evaluate brands, AI in brand reputation management will become an essential discipline for safeguarding trust and credibility.

To manage the problem, you need to understand how it happens. Most LLMs generate responses by synthesizing patterns from training data and retrieved sources, but when those sources are outdated, incomplete, or inconsistent, the output reflects those flaws. Missing context is another major driver, because AI systems often compress complex topics into short answers, which increases the risk of oversimplification or distortion.

Misinformation appears in several distinct ways. For example, LLM  outputs can include direct errors or invented details. Search-style generative summaries, such as Google AI Overviews, can blend multiple sources into a single answer that looks authoritative but lacks nuance.

Correction is hard because you are not correcting a single article or post, but attempting to influence a system that draws from many inputs. You cannot force an instant update, although what you can do is increase the likelihood that accurate, authoritative information is retrieved and repeated. 

This requires a different mindset from traditional crisis response.

Step 1: Detect and document (within hours)

Speed matters, the first step is identifying problems early, and that means running a consistent set of prompts that reflect how real people might ask about your brand, executives, products, and industry. When you find an error, capture it carefully, save screenshots, note the prompt used, the date and time, the model or platform, and any cited sources. 

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