The Internet Is Bedazzling Everything. And My Marketing Brain Has Thoughts.

If you've been anywhere near my side of the internet recently, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about.

Gemstones are everywhere.

On cakes. On coffee cups. On nails. On phone cases. On skincare. On face masks. I've even seen the AI photos of cats completely covered in rhinestones, which frankly might be where the trend peaked for me.

And naturally, I am completely here for it.

In fact, I recently found myself adding gemstones to my Amazon cart because I had seen girls online bedazzling their skincare and face masks and immediately thought, well obviously I need to do that too.

Do I need tiny rhinestones stuck to my face mask while I sit on the sofa?

Absolutely not.

Did the internet convince me that my skincare routine would be significantly more fun if I did?

Absolutely.

And somewhere between saving another rhinestone covered photo and filling my Amazon cart, my marketing brain switched on.

Because this silly little trend actually says a lot about how we behave as consumers.

I Am Easily Influenced, And I'm Fine With It

I will happily admit that I am one of the most easily influenced girlies out there.

If I see someone wearing an outfit I love, I'm immediately wondering where it's from.

If a beautiful coffee shop goes viral, I'll happily make a day of going there and ordering the exact coffee I've seen all over my feed.

If the girls online suddenly decide we're sticking gemstones all over our face masks?

Apparently I'm doing that too.

And I don't actually think that's a bad thing.

We're influenced every single day by the people, brands, aesthetics, places, and communities we surround ourselves with. Social media has just made that influence faster and much more visible.

We see something. We like it. We imagine ourselves being part of it.

And then sometimes, we buy it.

That tiny journey is basically marketing happening right in front of us.

But Here's the Part I Find Really Interesting

The exact opposite is also true.

If someone is wearing an outfit I would never wear, I'm probably scrolling.

If a trend doesn't fit my personality or interests, I'm probably not paying attention to it.

And if a brand jumps onto something that feels completely disconnected from who they are, I can usually tell immediately.

That's where I think there's a really interesting lesson for marketers.

Trends don't work simply because they're trending. They work when the right trend meets the right audience at the right time.

The gemstones worked on me because they already fit into a world I enjoy. They're fun, feminine, a little ridiculous, visually satisfying, and easy to recreate.

Someone else might see the exact same video and scroll straight past it.

And that's completely fine.

Because good marketing isn't supposed to make everybody care.

This Is Where Brands Can Win

When something starts taking over the internet, I think the instinct for businesses can sometimes be, quick, how do we get involved?

But I think there's a better question:

Why are our customers getting involved?

That's where it gets interesting.

Maybe it's playful. Maybe it's nostalgic. Maybe it's aspirational. Maybe people want to recreate it themselves. Maybe it's simply so visually satisfying that everyone wants their own version.

Understanding why people love something is much more valuable than simply copying what everyone else is doing.

Because once you understand the behavior behind the trend, you can decide whether your brand actually has a place in it.

And when it does? Have fun with it.

If your audience is already talking about something, recreating it, buying into it, and sharing it with their friends, there is an opportunity to meet them exactly where their attention already is.

You don't have to force your way into the conversation.

You're already invited.

Know Your People

I think that's probably my biggest takeaway from my current rhinestone obsession.

Knowing your audience isn't just knowing their age, location, job title, and spending power.

It's knowing what they send to their friends.

What they save.

What they find funny.

What they're influenced by.

What they would never wear.

What they'll happily spend money on because TikTok convinced them they suddenly couldn't live without it.

That's the stuff that makes an audience feel like actual people rather than a demographic on a marketing deck.

And when businesses genuinely understand those little behaviors, their marketing gets so much better.

You don't need to participate in every trend. You probably shouldn't.

But when something comes along that makes perfect sense for your brand and your audience?

That's when you lean in.

Have some personality. Be quick. Make it feel natural. And most importantly, understand why your audience cared about it in the first place.

Because sometimes marketing really is that deep.

And sometimes it's just a girl on Amazon ordering a packet of rhinestones because the internet told her they'd look cute on her face mask.

Either way, consider me influenced.