Inspire's Favorite Communications & Business Trends of 2022
To say “so long” to 2022, the Inspire PR team shared some of our favorite trends from the past 365 days. From new social media sensations that entertain and influence to lifestyle movements resulting from a global pandemic, see the trends that topped of the charts this year for some of our team members.
Digital Trend: Celebrity PR and Reputation Insights on Social Media
Submitted By: Gillian Janicki, Account Associate
As Inspire’s resident pop culture guru, I’ve really enjoyed seeing the celebrity PR predictions being shared on social media. On TikTok, Robyn DelMonte, better known as GirlBossTown, has built a huge online community by sharing her predictions, along with PR and marketing tips for celebrities, brands, and influencers. I believe that GirlBossTown and other like-minded creators will help to redefine brand identities and encourage PR professionals to be more authentic, creative, and transparent to appeal to the gen-z audience.
Digital Trend: Social Media Photo Dumps
Submitted By: Anne Parker, Account Manager
My favorite trend that really took off in 2022 would have to be photo dumps. Over the past few years, social media – especially Instagram – has started to feel very polished. There’s more pressure around everything you post and the need for it to be absolutely perfect. With photo dumps, I feel like we’re moving back to the ways of social media in the early days, when everything was more authentic and there wasn’t so much emphasis on an aesthetically pleasing feed.
Digital Trend: Humanizing Brands Online
Submitted By: Sam Cioffi, Account Coordinator
My favorite trend of the year was seeing brands and businesses become more human on their social media channels. The trend, as predicted by Forbes early in the year, makes social media more interesting and entertaining and helps align brand voice with business values. Wendy’s does a great job of this on their Twitter. Even some more formal brands, such as government and state organizations and agencies, have started adding more humor like New Jersey’s Twitter page.
Food & Beverage Trend: Espresso Martinis
Submitted By: Hannah Schuller, Account Associate
As someone who works with many of Inspire’s restaurant clients, my favorite food and beverage trend of the year is espresso martinis making a huge comeback. I feel like in 2022, espresso martinis were everywhere, which I noticed within restaurant trend reports, clients’ menus and my own personal adventures. Within the year, espresso martinis have become my go-to order everywhere – I always know it’ll be good!
Travel Trend: Wellness Getaways
Submitted By: Logan Trautman, Account Supervisor
Following two years of little to no travel and worldly events that have impacted so many people’s heath, I loved seeing a spike in wellness travel in 2022. This year I noticed more friends and family (and influencers) taking trips that focused on mental, social and physical well-being. Whether it was an escape to nature, a wellness retreat, or simply taking a day off work to focus on being mindful, I applauded those who were using their PTO to benefit their health. A Booking.com survey found that around 45% of travelers were interested in taking a vacation focused on meditation and mindfulness in 2023 – so I’m hoping that this is a trend that continues into the coming year!
Business Trend: Long-Term Remote and Hybrid Work
Submitted By: Leah Hooks, Digital Associate
As someone who worked multiple remote and hybrid jobs pre-COVID, I am excited to see companies expanding into remote work long-term after experiencing successes with it during the height of COVID. While remote options won't make sense for all positions, the option for some roles to become fully or mostly remote has many benefits to employers as well as employees. Employers can expand their applicant pool to find the right person for the job, no matter where they live. With so many new and improved digital tools to make remote work possible, limitations to finding the perfect employee no longer include their geographic location. Employees can skip daily commutes and, in some cases, choose to live wherever they feel most comfortable, while still achieving career success in a big city role. Remote work offers increased flexibility and cost savings to both companies and workers while reducing overall environmental impact.