It is a universal truth that everyone is cringe to someone. Yet in an industry where seemingly every brand and agency is chasing cultural currency, is feeling cringe increasingly a marketing moment to embrace?

Perhaps you have already found yourself cringing at the 2016 trend itself. A trend which there is no way of avoiding, unless you have been sticking to your New Year resolution of sidestepping social media entirely, it is impossible to ignore  the sepia-toned images of 2016 hitting your feeds.

Searches for 2016 increased by 452% in a single week on TikTok. While Harper’s Bazaar memorably described 2016, (the year Trump came to power and Britain experienced the divisiveness of the Brexit vote), as ‘the last good year’.

While the universality of the 2016 trend, where social media users have shared their own snaps for the year feels unique. But the social media users looking back on the past with rose-tinted glasses are following a path well-trodden in marketing. Nostalgia is a marketing tool that pre-dates any given social media trend. 

In fact so established is nostalgia that it has become a mass market and commercialised form of  risk aversion. When consumers have historically gravitated towards brands that feel familiar, nostalgia has become one of the safest bets in marketing.

The irony being that brands have been so successful in this endeavour they have successfully created nostalgia for experiences, brands and feelings that younger consumers did not experience the first time around. The enduring appeal of the ever elusive ‘simpler times’ means that even if those times didn’t actually exist, we nonetheless collectively yearn for them. 

Yet surely chasing trends can’t be the key to successful and long-term brand building? With this in mind we asked industry experts if it's cringe for brands to jump on the 2016 bandwagon. 

Are brands ruining the 2016 trend? Well, that very much depends on the brand and how they are doing it.

The 2016 trend is a rose-tinted look back to a simpler time. Before we felt the full effect of Trump’s first presidency, of Brexit, when no one had ever even heard of Covid. For Gen Z, it’s a time of adolescence, childhood and a more carefree existence. So if a brand was having a moment ten years ago, or particularly resonates with a certain age range, there's no harm in joining in. 

However, there will be brands that see this as one of many opportunities to be heard. In that case, it feels less like a contribution to people trying to escape but instead a case of jumping on the bandwagon. If brands want to avoid ‘ruining the trend’, then they should answer a simple question before they participate:  do we have something meaningful to share here? If not, it’s best to stay quiet.

As someone born in 1996, the 2016 nostalgia trend has been so fun. A throwback of colourful hair, crazy eyeshadow and cringey tumblr posts. So when I see a brand that didn’t even exist back then joining in I have the urge to comment ‘You weren't even there!’. They didn’t earn that badge.

When brands jump on every hype, the trend gets watered down and their identity gets lost. And the more brands that jump in at once, the faster the whole trend burns out. Nostalgia hits when there are receipts, old photos, throwback products, real memories, a voice that actually lived it. Without that, it’s usually cringey. But If it’s actually authentic it certainly can work.

Brands should pick trends that match them, not just ones that help their algorithm. Authenticity is crucial on social media, especially TikTok. People want real personality, even from big brands, they don’t want to feel like they’re following a marketing team.

The ‘2026 is the new 2016’ trend isn’t cringe in itself but lazy use of it is.

2016 is resurfacing because it represents a pre-pandemic, pre-AI moment when culture felt looser, more optimistic and less engineered. People aren’t just missing the look, they’re missing the feeling. That’s where brands need to be careful. When nostalgia is treated as an aesthetic or a meme grab, it drains meaning and quickly tips into parody.

Strong brands don’t cosplay the past, they reinterpret it. They understand why people want to look back and use that insight to say something relevant now. Used well, 2016 becomes a way to talk about freedom, fun and cultural spontaneity again, not a gimmick.

Chasing the trend won’t build brand health. Using it to reinforce what you stand for might.