Every marketer knows the power of a perfectly timed post. But hitting a cultural moment as it's happening is tough, especially when content calendars, approvals, and budgets are locked weeks in advance. That’s where predicting viral trends becomes key.

Predicting Viral Trends: How Brands Can Get Ahead

Some moments take us by surprise. Others, you can see them coming. The trick is knowing where to look.

Love Island and the Power of the Comeback

Take Love Island USA Season 6. In July 2024, it became the #1 most-watched original streaming series in the U.S. (919.1 million minutes watched, per Luminate). A year later, with Season 7 on the horizon, fans returned in full force, and so did the buzz.

Brands like CeraVe were ready. They didn’t treat Season 6 as old news; they anticipated the cultural rebound. When the show spiked in attention again, they activated partnerships with former cast members, scoring over 11 million views and 925,000 likes.

That's predicting viral trends in action: spotting the moment before it trends again.

Forecasting Virality: What to Watch

Not all virality is random. Some trends follow patterns, new seasons, sequels, anniversaries, and seasonal drops. Here are a few high-probability signals to track:

• New seasons of culturally relevant TV (think Love Island, Squid Games, White Lotus)
• Significant music drops and tour dates (like Sabrina Carpenter)
• Award shows and red carpets
• TikTok audio surges and trends

Strategy Over Speed

Planning around a likely cultural moment gives us time to lock in partnerships, produce thoughtful creative, and get ahead of the wave instead of chasing it. Platforms tend to reward the first-movers, not the brands arriving late to the party.

At Cherry Pick Talent, we help brands read the signs. Our team stays plugged into emerging culture, talent trends, and platform signals to help clients plan content that feels timely, not reactive.

Curious how this could work for your brand? Reach out!