A brief overview of what is currently trending in news, culture, and/or trending hashtags and formats.
April Fools: Today is April Fools Day with users and brands alike sharing jokes and pranks for their followers.
Kid Rock: After his visit to the White House yesterday, users are discussing the difference in reaction to Kid Rock and Ukranian President Zelensky’s outfits.
Brand New Day: Marvel has revealed the name for the upcoming Spiderman movie, as well as a release date on July 31, 2026.
A deeper dive into a subject that is impacting culture on a macro level, beyond just the social space.
Marvel Studios and the 5 Hour Long Chair Shot
What It Is: Last week, Marvel Studios took to social media to share the latest cast announcements for their upcoming film, Avengers Doomsday. However, instead of a simple static image listing the names of the actors, the studio did something rather unique. An over five and a half long livestream of nothing but directors' chairs. On the back of each of these chairs read the name of an actor confirmed to be in the movie, yet they weren’t all revealed at once. Over the course of the live stream, chairs were unveiled one at a time with gaps as long as 20 minutes in time between reveals, building suspense for the audience. The stream went incredibly well for the studio, breaking records, pulling in over 275 million views during its runtime, an,d importantly, garnering a massive 3.1 million mentions across social media.
Brand Takeaway: Now, for brands looking at this and thinking, “Simple enough, me next!” - think again. This stunt isn’t easily replicable, with much thought going into the execution. The most important part of this live stream was the incredibly unique selling point that it provided to viewers; a selling point so strong that it kept people on the hook for 5 hours. When taking your own stab at a live stream like this you must think about what the overall impact is going to be. Is there a reason for people to tune in? If yes, what’s the reason for them to stay tuned in - and, vitally, what is the payout for their commitment? While any brand account can start a live stream, it’s the value that we can provide viewers that retains their fandom and encourages them to keep coming back.
Examples: 1, 2, 3
Four must-click links that crossed our feeds today.
It’s not easy being green, Kermit the Frog has been announced as the commencement speaker for this year's University of Maryland graduation ceremony.
When memes collide, Big Justice and AJ have jumped in on the Lebron song trend.
Lumon might have a tight budget, but Milchick needs his marching band.
Mikey Madison takes on a daring new role as Squidward in SNL’s parody of a new dramatized Spongebob live action show.
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