Halloween hauls, homemade lattes and a hella lot of dancing

The Moments Matrix is a guide to what’s trending on the world’s leading social media sites. Find out what’s going viral and what's here to stay across mainstream and niche topics.

This week's matrix has been compiled by ViralMoment.

Image by: The Social Intelligence Lab

Pink homewares
Undoubtedly fueled by Barbie summer, #pinkhalloween (73M views) is experiencing peak popularity, and is notably making the biggest waves on Home Improvement Tok and CostumeTok. Home goods brands looking to stand out during the holiday should continue to think pink for their promotional decor – Barbie Szn is far from over. Overall, we’re seeing more activity in decor rather than costume inspo across the board – #halloweendecorations is the 3rd most popular topic surrounding Halloween. That said – CostumeTok is still just as – if not more inspired by #pinkoween (8.4M views) this year. #barbie is the #1 most talked about brand on CostumeTok, with #disney in 2nd place.
Data source: Short-form social video (TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Reddit)

Uggs
After going viral in 2021, we’re seeing Uggs continue to dominate the TikTok outfit scene – this year, the Tasman slippers take the cake in particular. Love em or hate em, the brand has re-captivated its fans for now a third season – the shoes selling out in droves. As we head into the winter months, expect to see these everywhere – and brands looking to compete should act quickly to make sure potential buyers can strike while the iron is hot (aka sold out in their size.)
Data Source: Short-form social video (TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Reddit)

Costco hauls
Folks are flocking to Costco for Halloween finds – #costcohaul (1B views) is the 5th most popular Halloween-related hashtag overall – and the #1 top brand we’re seeing mentioned in conversations surrounding the holiday on TikTok. #costcoTikTok and #costcobuys are also in the top percentile of Halloween-related hashtags, and this time last year, #costcohaul hit its highest point in mentions in all of 2022.
Data Source: Short-form social video (TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Reddit)

DIY coffee
One of this season’s most popular coffee-making trends is…making coffee at home. The average cost of a latte these days is between $7-$8 – and TikTokkers are battling coffee-flation by handcrafting their Halloween favorites in their kitchens. A consistent DIY seasonal beverage trend around this time involves repurposing Halloween candy and cookies by melting them directly into the cup – #halloweencoffee (9.3M views) is currently at its peak trend in 3 years – and our projections expect to see it stay there through at least the end of the month.
Data Source: Short-form social video (TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Reddit)

Football WAGS
More women have been tuning into football content via TikTok than ever thanks to Alix Earle’s GRWM videos following her hard launch with “NFL Man”. But after Taylor Swift’s game viewership record-setting cameo, TikTok exploded with Kelce discourse – the NFL player’s mentions amassing 3.5 billion views, shooting up by 2 billion since Taylor’s initial appearance totaling in a 3X bump since Super Bowl ‘23. The game (Taylor’s version) attracted 27 million viewers on NBC and Peacock, effectively becoming the most-watched Sunday game since the Super Bowl. As football season continues into its peak NFL event, there will be so many opportunities for female-focused brands to jump in on the conversation…so long as the girlies stay watching.
Data source: Short-form social video (TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Reddit)

Bite-sized streaming
Given TikTok’s new “picture-in-picture” feature – there has been an increase in broken-down content leaking into the FYP fold – long-form videos spread into smaller clips. Some argue that TikTok has broken Hollywood – others say this will drive traffic to streaming platforms as interest gets piqued and users will then seek out the real deal. Peacock is testing the waters by betting on the latter – recently uploading entire pilot episodes onto its platform. Paramount has also jumped on the trend – releasing ‘Mean Girls’ in 23 parts on TikTok – for one day only.
Data source: Short-form social video (TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Reddit)

MomTok <3s Pumpkins
We tracked down the data behind pumpkin season to see when it officially kicks off, noticing the expected surge between Labor Day and Thanksgiving. We also noticed that this year, #PSL and #pumpkin -related things are on pace to be bigger than last year by a 300% increase in popularity. Some communities are more pumpkin-friendly than others. We’re seeing lots of action in the land of #MomTok, with #momsoftiktok in the top 5% of hashtags surrounding the trend. Cookies and coffee are the most popular topics being mentioned in relation to pumpkin.
Data source: Short-form social video (TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Reddit)

Spooky shows
This Halloween season, MovieTok is becoming a hub of Halloween UGC inspo. #tvshow is the 15th most popular topic throughout conversations at 1.5M views – with #moviescenes, #horrorrecommendation, and #cinephile as runners-up. Although #Netflix is dominating the #tvshow topic with #Hulu and #HBOMax coming in tied as second most popular – #Disney is still making its mark with its anticipated Goosebumps reboot dropping on Disney Plus on the 13th. A recent trailer posted by @movieweb has seen 1.5M views.
Data source: Short-form social video (TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Reddit)

ElectionTok
The 2024 presidential campaigns have officially kicked off with GOP debate szn. Given TikTok's ban on political ad content, we're keeping tabs on what role UGC will play in the election cycle. Besides Vivek Ramaswamy, as of now, none of the candidates are directly engaging with the Gen Z audience on their top platform. However, his decision to open up the free-for-all comment section has the potential to affect other candidates' social media presence on #politicstok. These conversations are in their early aughts, but have enough traction to challenge TikTok’s ability to be an entirely campaign-free zone as the year goes on.
Data source: Short-form social video (TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Reddit)

Someone cooked here
The "someone cooked here" trend on TikTok is gaining popularity, prompting people to reflect on their partners' past relationships. This viral trend showcases positive traits, like proper hair care and photography skills, acquired from previous partners. It's an evolution of the "Let him cook" phrase, suggesting that partners have learned and improved from past relationships, resulting in a better experience for their current significant other. Self-care brands (i.e. skincare, haircare, etc.) have the potential to jump on the trend by paying attention to the kinds of products are being deemed as signifiers of personal growth.
Data source: Short-form social video (TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Reddit)

TubeGirl
The "Tube Girl" trend on TikTok involves people dancing fearlessly on public transportation, inspired by Londoner Sabrina Bahsoon's viral video dancing on The London Underground. Her initial video, with over 9.6 million views, sparked the movement. People admired her confidence and began re-creating similar videos using the hashtag "tubegirl," accumulating over 534 million views. The trend expanded globally, including New York City, with individuals like Lohanny Santos and model Haley Kalil joining in. Bahsoon views it as a way to boost self-confidence and make commutes more enjoyable. It's not just about dancing; it's about inspiring self-assurance and spreading joy during everyday journeys – important to pay attention to given its cross-continental reach.
Data source: Short-form social video (TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Reddit)

Roman Empire x Suits
This month, TikTok proved that somehow, the legacy of ancient Rome is still on the minds of guys around the world after a creator asked her boyfriend about it. Since then, the platform has blown up with 87.3M videos of more boyfriends, dads, brothers, and friends admitting that they think about the Roman Empire often – sometimes even multiple times a day – even if they've never set foot in Italy. Although the trend is in its sunset phase, its sparked new waves in the show #Suits – which has been hinting at a possible reboot recently. The trend led some OG "Suits" fans to recall a scene between Meghan Markle's character and Patrick J. Adams' character – where he mentions listening to the "Fall of the Roman Empire” on audiobook. As a result, #meganmarkle has also reached the top 5% of conversations about the Roman Empire – along with her character’s name #rachelzane.
Data source: Short-form social video (TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Reddit)

Maximalism Tok
#CodeOrange2023 (52.9M views) – TikTok's code word for Halloween – on the other hand is dominating bargain hunting Tok – HomeGoods, Dollar Tree, TJMaxx, and Marshalls (in addition to Costco). One of the more niche communities particularly likely to be inspired by the trend is #maximalism Tok – another undercurrent topic we’re seeing dominate the holiday discourse at 746K views and counting. Since last month’s drama in the community went viral, we’ve noticed Maximalism Tok has retained its front row seat, and has drawn the attention of mainstream and niche brands alike.
Data source: Short-form social video (TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Reddit)

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