#BlackMirror: Fans are freaking out as season 6 of Black Mirror dropped on Netflix today 🍿🎬
How brands can jump in: If your brand is big in the entertainment space or your consumers are clear sci-fi stans, enter this conversation in a way that brings a little suspense or satire to your content that feels Black Mirror-esque.
Modelo: Following backlash against Bud Light & their partnership with Dylan Mulvaney, Modelo has taken the throne as America's new top-selling beer brand 🍺
What brands should be aware of: Many brands have taken notes from Bud Light's recent campaign, with some now choosing to stay silent in their advocacy for the LGBTQIA+ community. Brands should consider this as an important moment to acknowledge an example of brand advocacy gone awry.
Class of 2025: Today marks day 1 of the official recruiting cycle for athletes in the Class of 2025. 🏈
How brands can jump in: While this topic is trending amongst universities & athletic recruiters, this can be an opportunity for brands to talk to their younger audiences approaching college. With the Class of 2023 officially graduated, many high school students have their first semester of college on their minds.
WITHOUT GOOGLING... Name a historic battle
What it is: A tweet from May asking for “famous historic battles” has regained popularity after a users began replying with their favorite fights and feuds from movies and television. From Regina King’s infamous cheating revenge scene from This Christmas to the epic tensions between The Office’s Michael and Toby, users are showing off their pop culture prowess with their favorite pop culture rivalries.
How brands can jump in: Brands can enter this conversation on Twitter or opt to turn this trend into an Instagram carousel documenting hilarious historical "battles" that involve their product, brand, and/or mascot. Many tweets feature movie/TV characters - making this a prime opportunity for streaming platforms.
Examples: 1, 2, 3
Urgency level: Some historic battles never go out of style, so we classify this trend as evergreen. But, while it's recirculating on the internet, it could be great to get in on this trend now as it’s hot on the feeds!
Influencers > Journalists these days 💅
What it is: Yes, you heard it here: influencers are outranking journalists as news sources on TikTok and other platforms that win with younger audiences. This follows the Tuesday release of the 2023 Reuters Institute Digital News Report that reviewed news consumption trends around the world. The reason? TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat are where users go to consume fun or satirical posts that relate to news rather than harder—hitting subjects such as politics and business.
What we can learn: Influencers have the verifiable power in reaching Gen Z & Gen Alpha audiences on social, with more prominence than traditional journalists. While this seems to counter recent news that 90% of consumers no longer trust influencers, this new data shows that influencers are great for reach and trusted recommendations. However, sponsored content still hurts their performance. Younger generations seek authenticity & know a sales pitch when they see it, brands!
Wes Anderson has seen your Wes Anderson memes and he's not feeling it...🎥
Ke$ha's reflecting on her viral red carpet hug rejection by Jerry Seinfeld 😬
Still shocked by Scandoval? TikTok users are finding more evidence in their VPR re-watches 👀
MSCHF’s latest creation: a microscopic Louis Vuitton handbag? 🔬👜
Thanks for reading! Today’s issue was created by Brooke Erlich and Gianna Barone. Want to subscribe? Reach out to Steph Caruso and Shelby Jacobs.