Do we like brand comments on social media, or are they cringe? From Ryanair to Nike, how TikTok has made comments the new brand identity tool

For years, the comments section was considered a secondary space within the social media ecosystem. Published content represented the center of communication, while comments were perceived as a simple audience reaction. Today, this distinction has changed radically. On TikTok and Instagram, brands are entering the comments no longer as observers, but as active participants. Not just to respond to users in an institutional tone or manage customer care, but by intervening directly under viral videos, memes, and in pursuit of the viral moment. The goal is to appear present, spontaneous, and close to the community.

As Vogue Business also points out, brands like Subway Germany have leveraged ironic comments to boost their visibility under highly popular TikTok content. Skims, Kim Kardashian's brand, commented on Nike's posts during the collaboration between the two labels, using the comments as an extension of the campaign itself. Nike also frequently engages under videos posted by users on TikTok, building a more direct relationship with the community and turning comments into a tool for ongoing engagement.

From feeds to comments: where online attention is shifting

This dynamic is no coincidence, it is a precise visibility strategy. Brands in the food, beauty, and lifestyle industries are adopting an increasingly fast, informal language built on the codes of pop culture. The comments section thus becomes a space where the brand no longer communicates solely to its audience, but communicates alongside it, using the same tone and the same cultural references. This shift is closely tied to the evolution of social platforms. In recent years, organic reach on Instagram and TikTok has dropped dramatically, due to the rise of AI, making the traditional feed-based model less effective. Content published by brands reaches an increasingly limited percentage of users, forcing companies to seek out new surfaces for attention.

This is where comments take on a central role. They are no longer a marginal element, but a dynamic, constantly updated space where visibility depends on the ability to insert oneself into ongoing conversations. Today, brands no longer wait for audiences to find their content: they go directly to where attention is already concentrated.

The risk of cringe marketing

As Vogue Business has noted, for Gen Z the comments section directly affects brand image: negative comments, reports, or unsatisfactory user experiences can influence the overall perception of a product, just as the presence of bots or artificial interactions can undermine an account's credibility. At the same time, this transformation is producing an increasingly visible side effect, the homogenization of brand language. In their attempt to appear authentic, spontaneous, and close to their audience, many companies are adopting exactly the same communicative tone.

There is also another increasingly evident risk: the cringe effect. Many comments posted by brands come across as forced, artificially constructed to seem likable. This is the case, for example, with some interventions by brands like Ryanair on TikTok, often based on heavy irony and meme references, or accounts that replicate trending slang without any real coherence with their own identity. When the attempt to be relatable appears too deliberate, audiences immediately sense the strategy behind the interaction. Rather than creating closeness, the result can be the opposite: a loss of credibility and authenticity.

Can luxury really be "relatable"?

In the fashion and luxury sector, this dynamic is less straightforward than in other areas. Fashion brands rarely use the comments section as a structured space for daily interaction, maintaining a more controlled approach to digital communication. Nevertheless, they are progressively experimenting with more informal forms of presence within social platforms, seeking to bring their language closer to the language of Gen Z without compromising their brand positioning. In this sense, the logic of relatability is expressed not so much through comments as through a broader evolution in the way fashion brands communicate and insert themselves into digital conversations.

Jacquemus is probably one of the most effective examples of this strategy. Over recent years, the brand has built its communication around simple, ironic, and immediate videos that encourage strong engagement in the comments and a continuous connection with its audience. In this case, the sense of closeness does not appear accidental, but is an integral part of the brand's identity construction. Not all luxury brands, however, can afford this level of exposure. Many still maintain a more cautious approach, opting for a limited or mediated presence. In some cases, interaction is entrusted directly to creative directors or individual figures, who can adopt a more personal tone without compromising the entire symbolic system of the brand. In other cases, the choice is to refrain from engaging altogether, allowing the conversation to develop on its own.

Between cultural relevance and loss of identity

The question is no longer simply about online presence, but about how that presence is constructed. Every intervention in the comments becomes a strategic choice that directly influences brand perception. Excessive distance risks rendering Maisons irrelevant in the contemporary cultural landscape, while excessive closeness can diminish their symbolic value and recognizability. For this reason, a presence in the comments can only work if managed with strategic precision. When the interaction appears consistent with the brand's identity, it reinforces cultural relevance. When it instead seems constructed solely to chase engagement and immediate approval, it risks undermining the very value of the brand.

The shift from feed to comments marks a transition: from controlled communication to continuous participation. And it is precisely in this fast, unstable, and highly reactive space that an increasingly significant part of contemporary branding culture is being redefined. The real challenge for brands is no longer simply to capture attention, but to maintain a recognizable voice within a digital space where everyone speaks the same language.