The news: Virality can push brand awareness and sales, but the pressure to stay relevant online is exhausting marketers and even leading to rushed, imperfect campaigns.

• 22% of marketers feel compelled to respond to viral social media moments daily or multiple times per week, per an Adobe Express survey.
• 40% said skipping trends costs them engagement, and more than one-quarter report missing out on reach (27%) or brand visibility (26%).

This constant pressure is causing over one-third (37%) of marketers to report a high level of burnout, including 47% of Gen Z marketers.

Hitting the mark: Capitalizing on trends can drive solid results for brands that manage to grab users’ attention.

• Over two-thirds (67%) of marketers say these efforts deliver measurable conversions.
• Although only one-quarter of marketers have had content go viral, 79% of them gained new followers as a result.

Quick generation: To move faster, many marketers are leaning on generative AI (genAI). In addition to helping create reactive content, AI is driving referral traffic, underscoring the importance of generative engine optimization (GEO).

• 30% of marketers use genAI tools to act quickly when viral moments emerge.
• 1 in 10 marketers have seen this kind of content drive referrals from large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, showing that LLMs are becoming an important part of the discovery and conversion funnel.

The risk: Speed can have a downside, as moving too quickly can make posts seem disingenuous, messy, or off-brand.

• 39% of marketers say rushing led to lower engagement, and 16% said it diluted their brand or confused users.
• 9% discovered too late that the trend they jumped on had negative or controversial origins, even resulting in backlash.

Our take: Trend-chasing can boost growth, but the emotional and strategic costs can be real. The most successful marketers will focus on brand fit, understanding that the key isn't just speed, but thoughtful alignment and knowing when not to post.