The steampunk aesthetic -- retro-mechanical elements fused with a modern style -- has seen it's popularity swell because of the ability of fans to follow the trend via social media, writes Trevor Davis. Brand marketers can learn from steampunk's emergence how to find new customers. "The advent of social media and sophisticated analytics software enables marketers to identify trends that develop online, and chart how fast they develop and spread via social media from city to city around the world," Davis writes.