People Are Calling Out The Most Forced Brand Behaviours Online Right Now, And Some Of These Are Brutal

There is a very specific kind of brand behaviour online that makes people recoil instantly.

Not because it is evil. Not because it is offensive. Just because it is trying way too hard.

That feeling is becoming harder for brands to ignore.

Hootsuite’s 2026 trends report points to audiences wanting more authenticity and less polished filler, while The Drum summed up the mood pretty bluntly: people are tired of “slop” in their feeds and want more intentional content.

And honestly, fair.

A few forced brand behaviours that feel especially cooked right now:

1. The “we’re just a girl” brand voice when it clearly came from a boardroom

If your brand sounds like it discovered personality in a strategy meeting, people can tell. Think of that mortgage broker who suddenly started calling everyone “bestie” online like she’s (he's) in the group chat and not trying to refinance your home loan.

2. Commenting on every trending post like your social manager is fighting for their life

Not every meme needs a brand reply. Sometimes silence is genuinely sexier. We do not need to see a candle brand commenting “you ate” under a viral political video at 11:47pm just because the admin got a bit too confident.

3. Acting like a therapist, best friend and lifestyle coach all at once

Pick a lane. Selling protein bars is enough. If your caption sounds like it’s trying to heal my inner child, optimise my morning routine and remind me to romanticise my life, I’m already exhausted.

4. Posting “raw” content that is obviously over-produced

If it took three lights, a stylist and a script, it is not behind the scenes. Yes, you know THAT founder who posts content like “just jumping on here quickly” in a video that clearly took 19 takes, 3 costume changes and a ring light.

5. Using internet slang six months too late

Nothing ages faster than a brand trying to sound in on the joke after the joke has already died. Cheugy, girlboss, very demure, it’s giving. The minute a law firm starts saying “slay” in a caption, it’s time for everyone to log off.

The common thread is pretty simple. People do not hate brand personality. They hate calculated personality that still feels fake.

That is the real shift in 2026. Audiences are not asking brands to be perfect. They are asking them to be less embarrassing. Which, depending on the marketing team, may actually be the harder brief.