A brief overview of what is currently trending in news, culture, and/or trending hashtags and formats.
Liza Minnelli: Fans and media celebrated the 79th birthday of Liza Minnelli, an iconic figure in entertainment known for her roles in 'Cabaret' and 'Arthur.'
Southwest: Known for its customer-friendly policy of free checked bags, the airline decided to implement baggage fees for the first time in its 54-year history, sparking outrage.
Lamine Yamal: A teenage prodigy from FC Barcelona has captured the football world's attention with his extraordinary performance in the UEFA Champions League.
A deeper dive into a subject that is impacting culture on a macro level, beyond just the social space.
A Traitors Takeover
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What It Is: Following an incredible, star-studded season full of “seduction” and “MURDER,” season 3 of the Traitors has become a cultural phenomenon that’s taken over the internet. For those of you who haven’t seen the show, it’s an extravagant take on mafia where players are secretly assigned roles as traitors or faithfuls. It’s the job of the faithful players to detect the traitors killing them off each night as they all vie for a $250K prize. In this game of deception amongst the beauty and intrigue of Alan Cumming’s ancient Scottish castle, viewers have seen the likes of their favorite gamers and public figures from cult shows duke it out (think Survivor, Big Brother, Bravo’s Housewives, The Bachelor, and more). Capitalizing on the show’s hype and this season’s unexpected friendships, Dunkin’ swiftly tapped Survivor icon Boston Rob and Summer House diva Ciara Miller in a genius move to promote their Dunkalatte. And Dunkin’ isn’t the only brand – in the days since the finale, viewers have seen content from Hot Ones, Toyota, Chomps, The Empire State Building, The Tonight Show, & Drunk Drawn.
Brand Takeaway: The Traitors' takeover points to brands and cultural entities on social effectively tapping into culture and talent in a way that lends them equity. Fandom online is a powerful tool to attract individuals who would otherwise be in their niche circles on Reddit, X, and more. Referencing relationships from Peacock’s viral show has enabled brands like those listed above to formulate messaging in ads with an organic feel. It’s in these instances that brands can (and will) reap the rewards of being on top of what’s trending, making nods to their knowledge.
Examples: 1, 2, 3
Four must-click links that crossed our feeds today.
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Top YouTube creators want TV ad dollars (and they might just get it) 💰
Othello ft. Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal has become the top-grossing Broadway play in a single week 🎭
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