AUCKLAND, Today: The local truth is clear: In Australia and New Zealand, the window to capture culture is much narrower than other markets in APAC.
The trends that drive actual growth aren’t just the ones that go viral – they are the ones that respect local content gravitational pulls, and ignite high-value audiences, not just views.
To provide a local lens to our regional Publicis Groupe APAC x TikTok whitepaper, Publicis Groupe ANZ analysed the last six months of trend data through our proprietary cultural intelligence engine, Cultural Fluency.
By mapping trend persistence against our ‘Culture Core Audiences’, the people that drive culture, we’ve identified the specific mechanics that allow a brand to survive the trend decay and build lasting relevance in the Trans-Tasman market.
Maurice Riley, Chief Data Officer at Publicis Groupe ANZ said, “Cultural Fluency shows us what audiences are really watching across trends, creators, and cultural categories to signal what’s about to stick.”
Three dynamics shaping the speed of cultural trends in ANZ
The Three-Day Trend Window: Persistence is a growth signal
Most trends in ANZ are ‘flash-in-the-pan’. In Australia, the median trend lifespan is just three days, with 55.9% of trends vanishing within a work week.
While brands that chase initial virality are often too late, the real implication isn’t to chase every fleeting spike. It’s that speed is now a baseline expectation. Brands must tighten timeframes and accelerate turnarounds to stay in the game, while identifying and doubling down on the subset of trends that carry deeper cultural gravity.
With speed now table stakes, cultural longevity is the currency. Publicis Groupe APAC found that 27% of trends sustain relevance beyond two weeks – and it’s here that the real strategic value is found. Brands must move fast and pick trends that have staying power, aligning with local cultural gravity and core audiences to turn short-term buzz into long-term growth.
“Cultural Fluency shows us what audiences are really watching across trends, creators, and cultural categories to signal what’s about to stick.” – Maurice Riley, Chief Data Officer at Publicis Groupe ANZ
The takeaway?
Move quickly to engage in emerging trends but invest in the ones that resonate with local audiences and persist. This is where true relevance and growth are earned.
The Tasman Divide: Different markets, different content gravities
The APAC study reveals that culture often spreads through regional corridors, not uniformly. However, while the Australian and New Zealand markets share structural similarities, the content themes that sustain attention differ significantly.
In New Zealand, ‘lifestyle’ and ‘vlog’ content hold for a notable median of 74 days – shattering the US benchmark of 29 days. Meanwhile, Australia finds its staying power in ‘self-transformation’ content (at a median 27 days). Success requires trend-sensing and a creator engine that helps your audiences take part in lasting themes.
Data (e.g.8.0 days) provided by Publicis Groupe ANZ Cultural Fluency, derived from TikTok.
The Persistent Audiences Principle: Trends fade; audiences don’t
A trend is a temporary signal, but the ‘Culture Core Audiences’ engaging with it across Australia and New Zealand are lasting. To not fall into content treadmill, focus on what spreads and who helps spread culture trends. For example, while a specific lifestyle and vlog trend might eventually dip, the 1.1 million New Zealanders who fit the audience segment fuelling that 74-day streak aren’t going anywhere. Brands must translate cultural signals into audiences, to identify the large, persistent communities that outlast the three-day cycle.
The takeaway?
Brands succeed when they follow trends through the lens of the creators who fuel them and the audiences who sustain them. Make participation easy, fit local style and engage the right communities. This moves a brand from being a fleeting guest in someone’s feed to owning a permanent seat at the cultural table.
Cat Wilkinson, General Manager of Influential Australia said, “A trend is a spark that fades fast, but the people engaging with them are a permanent flame. Effective brands focus on building creator partnerships and social content that maintains relevance and impact long after the trend may have disappeared.”
‘Globalisation of TikTok Trends: How Culture Travels, Transforms and Connects’ is a new study decoding how cultural moments emerge, spread, and evolve on TikTok. The report uses millions of data points analysed through Publicis Groupe APAC’s proprietary cultural intelligence engine to reveal the real-time mechanics behind how culture moves.
Influential, Publicis Groupe Australia’s influencer and social agency, uses proprietary cultural intelligence engine Cultural Fluency to spot trends early by following audiences, filtering noise, and identifying the signals that show real staying power, so brands know where to move fast and where to invest.
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