Last year, ‘girl’ culture was the dominant trend.

Girl dinner, girl math, hot girl walks. If something could be girl-ified, it was.

But moving into 2024, it looks like there might be a new trend that could dominate the year, especially in the health and wellness sphere.

The ‘soft’ trend.

What is the ‘soft’ trend?

This week, a Huffington Post article highlighted the trend of ‘soft hiking’, which has been popularised by TikTokkers @softwomenwhohike. The principle behind this trend is what you would expect from the name: hiking, but softer.

With more of a focus on the enjoyment of the hike, and activities like photography, birdwatching and picnics being a part of the overall experience, it encourages people to focus on the overall activity and the fun it can bring, instead of making a hike difficult because you feel ‘it should be’.

And it’s not limited to one sport. Towards the end of last year we saw the ‘cozy cardio’ trend emerge, and that’s been gathering momentum in the months since, no doubt helped by the fact we’re in winter and anything cozy sounds great.

Hope Zuckerbrow, who coined the term ‘cozy cardio’, talks about how this form of exercising is all about romanticising the act of exercise, and making it fun.

This is part of a wider macrotrend that we’re seeing around health and wellness becoming more manageable. You no longer need to have a strict exercise diet routine, mindfulness practice and diet in order to embrace wellness.

For every 75Hard, there’s pushback with a 75Soft.

Wellness is no longer something unattainable, that people aspire to. It is for everyone, and that means setting the bar a little lower, focusing on enjoyment and sustainability. Consumers want wellness and self-improvement, but not at the expense of enjoying their lives. Balance is key.

How can brands encourage this trend?

People want little pockets of wellness in their everyday lives. That looks different for everyone but it means that brands can offer their products in a range of different contexts. Think about how your brand can be a part of these pockets of wellness, these ‘soft’ activities. And within different sports and activities, how can your brand amplify the moments of enjoyment that are so crucial to this trend? How can you romanticise the activity linked to your brand?

Part of this can be through community-building. According to Vice, 71% of Gen Z say community is essential to “being healthy”. Being a part of a community increases enjoyment in sport, and means people are more likely to maintain consistent habits within that.

How can your brand build an engaged community? What events, online or in-person, can you host to give your customers a sense of community, and build this feeling of social wellness.

It doesn’t need to be as complicated as building an in-person community though.

Encourage your customers to share their routines and practices. Show how your product fits into their everyday routine and gives them a moment of wellness. Build an online community of voices that show the positive impact of your product, and how easy and accessible they are to incorporate into a routine.

Remember, these are ‘soft’ activities. Don’t overcomplicate things.

Incorporate ‘soft’ into your marketing activity

As the ‘soft’ trend continues to grow, you can apply its principles to any sporting or wellness activity. Take the activity itself, but make it easier, add more enjoyable elements to the activity. It can also incorporate how you encourage people to approach the activity as a consistent part of their lives, by helping them to set ‘soft’ goals or plan ‘soft’ training.

There are some brands for whom this trend is less relevant. For example, a company that produces high-end mountain bikes is probably not going to appeal to people taking a ‘softer’ approach to off-road riding. And that’s fine.

But for a lot of brands, leaning into this trend can encourage more people to get involved in your sport, showing that your brand is supportive of those who aren’t dedicating hours on end to a sport, and removing some of the barriers that people may see.

It can encourage more people to get involved, and earn you more customers. Everyone’s a winner.