Trends throwback: What activities have we kept up?

In previous bulletins we’ve picked up on a number of activities that people have taken to during the pandemic. The question is, were they short-lived fads or have people kept them going?

Revisiting and updating our previous data, we indexed mentions to March 12 (around the time they all began to first trend), to make their change over time comparable.

Here’s what we pulled out.

For the most part, the trends have stuck. DIY, for example, has actually jumped up much higher since we originally looked at it, and then maintained this level.

When it comes to discussions around TikTok and learning a new language, levels have remained fairly steady, although TikTok is showing early signs of an upwards trend.

Interest in sourdough has sustained itself for some time as people continue to bake. Despite reports of flour shortages in shops ongoing, people aren’t giving up.

Then we come to home gyms and exercise. I doubt many are surprised at the decline of this trend. Just as we quickly drop New Year resolutions, so too do we brush off lockdown exercise routines.

Having said that, we’ve recently reported on the rise of interest in running challenges, so maybe we’re being too pessimistic. It could be that people are abandoning their home setups to get some fresh air instead.

With Google searches for ‘running shoes’ at a five year high, this could well be the case.

Animal Crossing: The best-timed game release ever?

Given that we’re all spending more time at home and looking for distractions, Animal Crossing couldn’t have been released at a better time. In fact, it’s hard to think of internet culture under Covid-19 without the Tom Nook jokes, sea bass memes, and kooky ceremony screenshots.

The launch back in March was incredibly successful. According to The Metro, Animal Crossing “has become the third fastest selling Nintendo title of all-time in the US, behind only Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Brawl, and ahead of every Mario and Zelda ever.”

We’re just over a month since the game’s release, and we wanted to check out how conversations around Animal Crossing and Covid-19 have developed.

Three key spikes caught our attention.

1. The call for Animal Crossing to be released early

On March 12 2020, there was a spike of 27k mentions of the game and the virus. It was driven by this message, which called for Nintendo to ‘do the right thing’.

The popularity of this tweet was an excellent indicator of how successful the launch would go on to be.

2. Getting married on Animal Crossing

There have been all sorts of virtual events since the outbreak of Covid-19, and Animal Crossing has become one of the many platforms on which we can meet.

The game allowed this couple, who’d had to postpone their wedding, to spend a very special moment with their friends. The story drove another spike of around 27k mentions on March 24.

3. Animal Crossing as a space for protest

From weddings through to protests, Animal Crossing provides a space for all.

Around April 8 we found a whole bunch of shares of this article from Wired, which explains how Hong Kong protestors have been using the game to share artwork and virtual gatherings.

Animal Crossing has become both a means of escape and a new way for real world events to play out. And now the Nintendo Switch console itself is so popular that many have been unable to find them in stock. The company is expected to replenish supplies soon so more people can get their hands on the console and game.

Green thumb: Social distancing leads to uptake in gardening

Since March 1, 4m of us have been talking about heading into our backyards to give them some much needed attention. To find out why so many of us have turned our focus to gardens, we investigated using our Consumer Research platform.

Comparing mentions of gardening in March 2020 to March 2019, conversation was up 107%. For 1.3m users, this was directly related to social isolation and the resulting need to find things to fill our time with.

New gardeners took to social to ask for help to get started. There were 292k people looking for tips and tricks, and another 238k asking for help finding good websites for buying gardening equipment, plants, and furniture.

For those already equipped with gardening tools and knowledge, conversation focused on sprucing up some space for rest and relaxation. We found 139k mentions of this, with many talking about how vacations are off the cards.

But for 193k forward-thinking people, planting vegetables or asking for tips about growing vegetables was a priority.

Ultimately, consumers radiated happiness when they spoke about gardening online. Emotion-categorized conversation was 54% joyful, while there were 109k people talking about how their gardens made them feel relaxed or happy.

As lockdowns are lifted and temperatures rise, green spaces are going to be in high demand. Garden suppliers can help create relationships with potential new customers by providing tutorial content for gardeners of all levels.

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Thanks for reading

Another week down. Have a great week everyone.

Stay safe,

Brandwatch Response Team