The TikTokification of Taste—Is Culture Moving at Scroll Speed?

A Trend Desk on how taste gets lost in the skim — and what happens when you slow down.

Taste used to be slow. It took time to simmer. You found it in record shops, in restaurants with handwritten menus, in the cute ice cream shop on the corner. You found it over French fries and extra-filthy martinis at Bemelmans in New York. You found it in music venues and roller rinks playing 90s songs.

You found it swapping stories with strangers at 5am.

Taste had context — it was a ritual of discovery. It took time to know what was good, to argue about it, to let it grow on you. For you to experience it.

Now it’s 2025. What is taste? Three seconds. That’s all you get — to feel, to react, to decide. Sometimes you don’t even decide; the algorithm does it for you.

Screaming typefaces, neon palettes, chaotic layouts. Why does copy now opens like a punchline instead of a prelude. Why strategy has to start with a hook before it can build a story.

Let's slow down.

The algorithm is loud, but it isn’t law. And because we’re slowing down, let’s really slow down — and flip the script to spotlight work worth pausing for.

Let's take a look at campaigns that remind us that attention can be earned. That story still matters. That benefit still matters. That insight still matters. Work that doesn’t vanish in three seconds but lingers in your head, in your gut, and in culture.

On × Zendaya — “Zone Dreamers”

A cinematic short that plays more like a film trailer than a product spot. Futuristic, atmospheric, and immersive — the sneaker is present but never the main point.

Why it works: It builds a world first, then lets the product live inside it.

Jacquemus – “The Jacquemus Beach Club”

An activation staged as spectacle — a beach transformed into a playful, surreal runway. It feels directed, cinematic, and unmistakably on brand.

Why it works: It proves mood and setting can carry as much narrative weight as plot.

Patagonia — “What The Hands Do”

A quiet, slow-paced film that lingers on the details of craft and labor. No celebrity, no flash — just authenticity rendered beautifully.

Why it works: It shows that restraint and patience can hold attention longer than noise.

Bottega Veneta — “Craft is Our Language”

A quiet film built on close-ups: hands weaving leather, light hitting texture, silence as punctuation. No celebrities, no spectacle — just craft shot like cinema.

So yes — taste is moving at scroll speed. But these campaigns prove you can still hold attention if you build worlds worth stepping into. Whether it’s a futuristic dreamscape, a surreal beach, or the quiet rhythm of someone's passion, the story doesn’t need to shout. It just needs to resonate.

The challenge for brands isn’t to keep up with the algorithm’s tempo — it’s to bend it. To make space for depth inside speed. To remind people that taste isn’t dead, it’s just impatient. Slow it down, give it context, and you’ll find that attention isn’t gone — it’s just waiting for something worth stopping for.

Stop throwing back campaigns

like cheap beer.

And yes, I’m talking to you, the one behind this screen. If you're even still here. Give brands a second to breathe. Don’t be so impatient. Let us do our work — to build, to seduce, to tell you stories that you are going to like. Trust us, we know what we are doing.

Stop the fast scroll. Do it for us.

Thank you for spending time at the Trend Desk