Interpreting the Popularity Index

The Spate Popularity Index is a proprietary, standardized metric that shows how popular a trend, category, or brand is relative to all other topics in the same space. It combines data from Google searches, TikTok views, and Instagram posts to give a unified view of consumer interest across platforms, adjusting for differences in growth and platform behavior over time and allowing for apple to apple comparisons.

Rather than looking at one platform’s data in isolation, the Popularity Index answers:

"How established is this trend or brand in the market right now?"

Interpreting Popularity - What Different Levels Mean

Popularity Level	What It Indicates	Typical Use
Very High / High	Trend is widely recognized	Retail strategy, mainstream innovations, claims validation
Medium	Gaining awareness or momentum	Near-term launches, marketing tests, early retail pilots
Low / Very Low	Emerging or niche	Early innovation, whitespace exploration

How to Use the Popularity Index in Practice

To make the Popularity Index actionable, pair it with trend growth or brand performance over time. This helps teams understand current scale and momentum — crucial for prioritization.

Trend Growth:

Low Popularity + High Growth→ Early opportunity / emerging trend
Mid Popularity + High Growth→ Sweet spot for innovation and marketing
High Popularity + Slowing Growth→ Crowded space / table stakes
High Popularity + Declining Growth→ Risk of saturation

Brand Performance Over Time:

Low Popularity Index + High Growth→ Early traction for the brand Signals a growing consumer interest that hasn’t yet reached broad awareness.
Mid Popularity Index + High Growth→ Strong momentum Indicates the brand is gaining meaningful visibility and demand.
High Popularity Index + Slowing Growth→ Established but stabilizing The brand has strong awareness, but growth may be leveling off.
High Popularity Index + Declining Growth→ At-risk performance Awareness remains high, but consumer interest is softening.

Putting It Into Everyday Workflows

For Innovation Teams:

Spot trends before they hit mainstream, validate ideas with consumer intent, and build pipelines around rising demand.