With new business calls, client onboarding and annual planning for existing clients, January was a long but productive month. We’ve emerged from the beginning of the year with a slew of trend updates and social media news. From an uptick in junk food and cold destination vacations to glassware accessories and 2025 social media benchmarks, here’s what we’re watching across the public relations and social media landscape as we near March.
Trendspotting
Cocktail Tasting Menus: This is a trend that’s been floating around for a bit, but we like the context a recent Punch article brings to the fine-dining space. This idea could apply to any concept that has a robust/pricy cocktail program – or even mocktails – and we specifically like the idea of giving guests the opportunity to try several drinks from the menu without overindulging.
Mid-Week Reservations on the Rise: With so many restaurants struggling to keep doors open, capitalizing on times when diners are most active feels more important than ever. Depending on operational bandwidth, this trend provides an opportunity to roll out specials or programming to coincide. We particularly enjoyed this FSR article that provides statistics around dining behavior, as well as ideas for capitalizing on weekday business.
Deeper Meaning of “Newstalgia” and Maximalism on Recession: This Eater piece is a great read and provides some new perspective on why restaurants are leaning heavily into nostalgia and junk food. For concepts with menu items that feel strongly influenced by the nostalgic junk category – like pizza rolls or Taco Bell – it could be a good time to get them in front of national writers.
Family Vacations on a Budget: Disney announced it’s raising ticket prices and there have been a handful of articles criticizing the company for making the all-American family vacation (even more) unattainable for most households. For hotels and resorts that offer budget-friendly family vacations, now’s a great time to tie in nature-focused activities or attractions that help your business compete with theme parks.
Pick me foods: Gen Z consumers are becoming aware that their love for pickles, tinned fish and weird martinis are on track to becoming as cringey as millennials’ love for avocados – calling them “pick me” foods (hint: it’s not a compliment). While their taste in these foods likely won’t change overnight, this might be an early sign that menu items like caprese martinis and tinned fish boards could soon be considered outdated. With food prices rising too, going back to the basics and enjoying simple, quality ingredients just might be the next cool thing.
Justi-vacation is out: Justi-vacations have lost their appeal as travelers scratched the itch for bucket list travel post-pandemic, and have come to terms with the fact that international globetrotting is likely not something in their annual budgets. This USA Today article dives deeper into debt and ways to avoid it – but it’s also a reminder that folks will be looking for affordable, close-to-home destinations in 2025.
It’s cool to be cold: While a winter beach vacation will probably always be in style, there’s been a rise in travelers flying north for experiences they would miss in other seasons. Destinations like Canada, Iceland, Norway and Antarctica are high on lists for the northern lights, drawing attention to new ways to reposition a destination for the winter season.
Edible Fashion: With the tiramisu purse video going viral on social media and plenty of shareable cocktails in similar glassware, it seems like consumers are re-embracing the accessory glassware trend. If you have a menu item that aligns with this trend, now is the time to spotlight it.
Social Media News
Ads are coming to Threads: With 300 million active users, there’s a new advertising avenue in the pipeline, with placement options starting to appear in Ads Manager. This will be an interesting option to experiment with in place of an active organic presence, and if you haven’t previously established your brand’s channel on the platform, we recommend doing so now. While you don’t necessarily need an active organic strategy in place, you’ll want a polished look ahead of ads running on Threads.
The impact of AI & marketing: LinkedIn released its latest B2B Marketing Benchmark Report, which reveals that two out of three marketers are currently using generative AI in their campaigns, with a 142% jump globally in the number of LinkedIn users including AI skills in their profile. The report highlights the shift to the “Relationship Economy,” where AI takes on much of the intellectual labor and leaves “soft skills” such as communication, empathy, adaptability and creativity as the most valuable job skills in the new AI-heavy world.
Download TikTok while you can! If you hastily deleted the app during the 14-hour TikTok prohibition, you’re in luck: Google and Apple app stores have reinstated TikTok for download following official assurances from the AG that they will not be fined for offering access to the banned app. While it’s currently sticking around, a formal plan for its long-term presence remains up in the air.
Comment downvotes being tested on Instagram: The platform is testing the option to downrank comments that users find undesirable or detrimental to their user experience, with some users now seeing an arrow to the right of comment functions that they can tap to signal they don’t like the remark. According to Adam Mosseri, the function is intended to remain private and no one will know if you tap the button.
Social media benchmarks for 2025: Social Insider’s annual report analyzed 125 million posts from 2023 to 2024 to inform trends and future strategies. Metrics include engagement rates, posting frequency, impressions and more, with highlights including:
- Instagram engagement dropped 28% YOY with a platform average of just 0.50% in 2025.
- TikTok is the most engaged platform at 2.50%.
- Brands are posting an average of five times per week on Instagram and two on TikTok.
- Facebook is currently sitting at a dismal engagement rate of 0.15%.
Brandwatch breaks down the Instagram algorithm in 2025: Not surprisingly, the platform analyzes the content your audience interacts with most (likes, shares, comments, saves) to prioritize which posts get served in their feed and the Explore feed. From prioritizing personal relationships in Stories to four factors that rank content to determine where and how it is served, this article is worth a read.
Instagram dimensions for 2025: Instagram released new graphics via Threads that outlines recommended image sizes for this year, available here. While you can still post carousels as square images, they should now be a 4:5 ratio (1080 x 1350 px) with a grid view of 3:4 (1012 x 1350 px). Reels cover images should be 9:16 ratio (1080 x 1920 px) with a grid view of 3:4 (1080 x 1440 px) with no text at the header or footer.
Instagram also introduced a new translation option for DMs at the end of January, allowing users to translate all messages into their preferred language, making it easier to connect with consumers across the world.
Thanks for reading! We hope you enjoyed this (B)rief look into February 2025’s trends—or that at the very least, it inspired you to book a vacation, or eat dessert from an accessory!
