Demure trend sparks brands’ acknowledgment of creators’ contributions to viral trends

See how brands like Netflix, Zillow, and Lyft are hiring viral TikTok creator Jools Lebron for marketing campaigns? Very demure. Very mindful.

Creators from historically marginalized communities have been pushing to be credited for viral trends for years; it seems brands are finally starting to respond to the call. Those brands, among others, have spent the last week scrambling to hire Lebron, a TikToker with 1.9 million followers who started the “Very demure. Very mindful” trend in early August. Lebron is transgender and uses she/her pronouns. Her agency did not respond to a request for comment.

Brands have been eager to participate in viral trends, making an effort to appear more authentically in culture rather than intrusively around it. It’s one of the reasons these brands are partnering with Lebron as opposed to creating their own “demure” content, according to Jen Winston, director of social at Lyft.

Continue reading this article on digiday.com. Sign up for Digiday newsletters to get the latest on media, marketing and the future of TV.