Gen Z is Pushing Back Against Cultural Numbness

The TL;DR: There’s a growing appetite among Gen Z to be more emotionally invested and reject societal pressure to always appear cool and unfazed. As seen at this weekend’s Daisy Chain Fields music festival led by Olivia Rodrigo, tapping into this cultural shift means giving young consumers a reason to feel and something real to care about.

@daisychainfieldsthese festival go-ers got us in our Daisy Chain feels 🥹 what inspires you about Daisy Chain Fields? #DaisyChainFields #WomenInMusic #MusicFestival #Interview #Irvine

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In the time since Rachel Sennott declared “Numb is in” on the 2025 Met Gala red carpet, the cultural embrace of emotional detachment has become challenged by younger generations who are ready to feel emotions again. Between trends like “lobotomy core,” Botox making actors less expressive on screen, or the rise of Ozempic as an impulse suppressant, numbness has taken on many forms in culture and on social media. This collective nonchalance may be a defense mechanism for an overwhelming media landscape, where the pressure to constantly react meets the risk of going viral or feeling surveilled. Emotional avoidance became a safer choice, but it came with a cultural cost and loss of community.

Gen Z is continuing to realize that this is no way to live. Olivia Rodrigo’s Daisy Chain Fields Music Festival this past weekend is a prime example of this shift in action. Built around an all-women lineup and centered on empowerment, festivalgoers felt safe to express both girlish aesthetics and revolutionary, progressive ideals. The one-day fest raised $20M for nonprofits supporting girls and women, including a $10M gift from Melinda Gates given on stage. The initiative demonstrated how purpose can become a source of cultural relevance and real community for Gen Z. In a culture that has rewarded emotional distance, the success of artists and creators who speak passionately about the issues they care about suggests that audiences are increasingly hungry for sincerity and genuine emotional investment.

In rejecting the pressure to always appear cool and unfazed, Gen Z is filling the stoic void with things they actually care about. The current turbulent state of the world could be inspiring young people to be more vocal about their opinions and beliefs rather than adopting a je ne sais quoi demeanor of indifference. As consumers push back against nonchalance, brands have an opportunity to make caring feel cool again. Messaging that stands out won’t be diluted or overly cautious, but actually make a statement and showcase that a brand genuinely stands behind its values.

A snapshot of buzz-worthy communities and fandoms to guide community engagement

✨ Dancing With the (TikTok?) Stars

• What’s Going On: DWTS announced their season 35 cast, surprising fans with their choice of TikTok and reality TV participants like Connor Leavitt, the husband of last season’s breakout star Whitney Leavitt.

🏝️ Not-So-Loving Island Reunion

• What’s Going On: Love Island dropped their season 8 reunion episode on Monday, with many fans choosing sides and dropping favorites. Kayda lost over 100,000+ followers and became the most unfollowed Islander of the season after backlash of her commentary in the episode.

🫣 It’s Giving Obsessed

• What’s Going On: Universal Studios introduced Nikki from the 2026 horror movie Obsession as one of their new roaming characters for Halloween Horror Nights. Many fans have mixed reviews as they view Bear as the true villain of the movie.

Four must-click links that crossed our feeds today.

• Amelia Dimoldenberg is wrapping up her popular YouTube series Chicken Shop Date after 12 years.

• The Met Gala canceled an exhibit on John Galliano amid backlash to past controversial statements.

• Jason Isbell and other artists are suing AI company Suno for using their names to generate music.

• Newlywed Travis Kelce debuted a new pet dog shared with Taylor Swift in a Tommy Hilfiger campaign.

• TV/Streaming: Influencer Alix Earle’s new reality TV series Earle Meets World premieres on Netflix Friday, September 4.

• Movies: Onslaught and Fall 2: Deadpoint release in theaters on September 4.

• Music: I Know Too Much by Ellie Goulding and PRIMA by Adéla release on September 4.

Snarky brand reactions ran the feed a decade ago, but brands who continue to follow this playbook risk missing the mark in the current social landscape.

The TL;DR: A recent reactive post from couch company LoveSac has stirred the pot as the company faces massive backlash for its response to complaints. While this type of reaction may have done numbers 10 years ago, it doesn’t resonate the same way today - at least not in the way they intended.

@sipteawithbrittneyDeric Cahill & Lovesac drama FULL BREAKDOWN #dericcahill #lovesac #couch #drama #breakdown

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Is old social dead for brands? That case may be building after the recent backfire of a reactive post. Taking it back to 2017 - Wendy’s had just taken over the internet with their savage roasts of followers and fans alike. It was something new, niche, and fresh (never frozen) to the social space. I mean a brand roasting people? That’s a risk, but it worked. And then everyone did it. Now users have grown tired of watching brands chase the high of old social.

Lovesac most recently fell into this trap with a reactive post. Comedian Deric Cahilll posted a reel to his 1.3M followers on Instagram showcasing the process he had to go through to assemble his LoveSac couch, and the shortcomings of that process. The Reel has over 11 million views and 14k+ comments. The video was meant to be funny and the audience laughed alongside him. LoveSac saw the video’s traction and posted a response 3 days later.

Instead of offering help or compensation, LoveSac responded with their own comedic video, showing a girl zipping her couch covers closed with the art copy, “This and not getting the ick from a grown man needing tiny little gloves to assemble a couch”. It fell incredibly flat. The CEO of LoveSac, Shawn Nelson, then doubled down on posting on his TikTok account announcing that Deric was in fact eligible for compensation for new “size small floral print gardening gloves.” This personal attack and defensive reaction drove users to comment with their own LoveSac construction horror stories and shared they wouldn’t shop at LoveSac in the future.

Not every viral moment needs a response. When they do, stay humble. Take the feedback and avoid defensive personal attacks - especially when in response to valid criticism from your customers. Take Levi’s during the 2026 World Cup. After their branding on Levi’s Stadium was covered to adhere to FIFA standards they reacted but by poking fun at themselves, a post that now has over 2.5M likes. When Kit-Kat lost 12 metric tons of their chocolate. They created a “Stolen Kit-Kat tracker”, and stirred the conversation in a way they were able to control. Through their reactive posts they were able to turn a serious brand dilemma into a social stunt.

This is the shift away from the old social playbook. While roasting got fans curious back then, those days are behind us. Users have become increasingly fed up with brands on social, insert silence brand meme, and when a brand begins putting negativity out onto the feed it only intensifies the negative sentiment they’ll receive back.

A snapshot of buzz-worthy communities and fandoms to guide community engagement

🤍 Beloved Dolly Parton has sadly passed

• What’s Going On: Dolly Parton passed away on Tuesday, August 25, at 80 years old. Brin Seaver, son of Cassie Parton, broke the news on Dolly’s Instagram through a video paying tribute to all of Dolly’s feats and achievements. Many have taken to social to express their sadness, share their memories of Dolly and the wonderful impact she made on this world.

🎃☕ Pumpkin Spice Latte is back

• What’s Going On: Starbucks brought back their fall menu including Pumpkin Spice on August 25. Leading up to the release, Starbucks teased on socials, creating a burner account for PSL, then announced the return with Martha Stewart and Belmont Cameli.

🎾 Tennis Tournament Szn

• What’s Going On: The US Open began on August 24 and runs until September 14. This tournament closely followed the conclusion of the Cincinnati Open final on August 23, where Coco Gauff and Arthur Fils won the titles and made history. Gauff is now the third woman to win the Cincinnati Open twice and Fils is the first Frenchman to win since Guy Forget in 1991. The final match against Fils and Tiafoe was the first ATP Masters 1000 final featuring two Black players.

Four must-click links that crossed our feeds today.

• Instagram rolled out another new feature, First Drafts, where your Reels are already trimmed and cut to give you a starting point

• A new study has revealed that we are talking less now than we did 14 years ago

• Practical Magic 2 kicked off its press tour in London on Wednesday

• Meta reaches landmark $18 billion settlement in the trial over teen social media addiction

• TV/Streaming - Season 2 of Adults premieres on August 27 on Hulu, as well as season 2 of Leanne on Netflix

• Movies - Finding Emily, Idiots, and The Salt Path come to theaters August 28

• Music - I Must Be Dreaming by Alabama Shakes, Don't Look Down by Rod Wave, So Much for Goodbyes by Billy Strings, and Wildchild by Alex Warren are all releasing on August 28

Formula 1 has come a long way from being a sport followed by die-hard racing fans. Today, it’s just as likely to spark conversations about fashion, travel, or pop culture as it is about what’s happening on the track.

We spoke with Ivonne Malagon Arreola, Manager, Social Marketing & Strategy, and a few themes came up in our conversations:

• Formula 1 is as much about storytelling as it is about racing.

• The fandom lives across platforms, with each serving a different role.

• Authenticity matters. Fans can quickly tell when brands don’t understand the culture.

What makes Formula 1 particularly interesting is how much happens between race weekends. Fans follow driver rivalries, team drama, paddock style, memes, podcasts, and social content with the same enthusiasm they bring to the races.

Read on for Ivonne’s perspective on the Formula 1 fandom, from what drew her to the sport to how she sees the community evolving today and what brands can learn from it.

When did you join this fandom and what drew you to it?

“I became a fan about four years ago when Drive to Survive became popular on Netflix. What initially drew me in was the excitement and adrenaline of Formula 1. Every race is different, and factors like strategy, weather, or even one small mistake can completely change the outcome. The unpredictability keeps every race engaging. Beyond the racing itself, I was captivated by the stories inherent to F1. The series does a great job of exploring the world around the sport and makes you feel connected to the drivers by highlighting their personal journeys, rivalries, and challenges.

I also became fascinated by everything surrounding the sport, including the politics between drivers and constructors, the paddock fashion, and the lifestyle that comes with Formula 1. Drive to Survive has made what was once a relatively exclusive sport much more accessible to a wider audience while showcasing the culture around it. Formula 1 has grown beyond motorsport into a cultural phenomenon that blends sport, fashion, and luxury lifestyle.”

Where does this fandom live online? Do different social platforms play different roles for the fans?

“I’ve primarily engaged with the Formula 1 fandom on Instagram, where I’ve seen a huge rise in F1-focused creators and influencers. Creators like @lissiemackintosh have helped make the sport much more approachable by breaking down races, explaining storylines, and creating lifestyle content around Formula 1.

Different platforms tend to serve different purposes. Instagram is where fans engage with highlights, memes, and driver content. TikTok has worked to introduce new fans through short, digestible videos and edits of drivers. X is where fans react to races in real time and discuss news, while YouTube offers longer-form analysis, race breakdowns, and behind-the-scenes content. Each platform contributes something different, but together they create an ecosystem where fans can engage with Formula 1 every day, not just on race weekends.”

F1 has become increasingly mainstream over the past few years. How do longtime fans feel about this? What assumptions do newer fans often get wrong?

“Formula 1 has grown tremendously over the past few years, and longtime fans have mixed feelings about its mainstream success. Many appreciate that the sport is reaching a wider audience, but others feel it has become more of a spectacle than a pure motorsport. There is a greater emphasis on entertainment, celebrity culture, and social media than there was in the past. Drivers have become full-fledged celebrities. As the fan base has grown, parasocial relationships with drivers have also become more common. Fans are more invested than ever in the personalities, friendships, and off-track lives of the drivers, which can sometimes overshadow the racing itself.

One assumption newer fans often get wrong is that you need to understand every technical detail to enjoy Formula 1. While the engineering and strategy are important, many people are initially drawn in by the rivalries, personalities, and storytelling. Over time, they naturally learn more about the technical side of the sport. There are many different ways to be a fan, and not everyone enters the sport with the same level of knowledge.”

Despite a relatively small grid, F1 inspires obsessive fandom. Why do you think that is?

“Despite having a relatively small grid, Formula 1 inspires incredibly passionate fandom because it offers much more than just racing. The sport is built around iconic brands, which represent luxury, performance, and ambition. Fans are drawn to these aspirational brands, as well as to the incredibly talented drivers who race cutting-edge cars and live lifestyles that most people can only imagine.

Formula 1 also shares many characteristics with K-pop and boy band fandoms. I’ve seen people joke about the pipeline from being a fan of a boy band group to becoming an F1 fan because the communities operate in similar ways. Fans pick favorites, follow personalities, celebrate friendships and rivalries, and create a constant stream of online content and discussion.

On top of that, F1 is a content powerhouse. Every constructor is its own brand with a distinct identity, making it easy for fans to find a team to support. The drivers also build their own personal brands through social media by posting vlogs, streaming games, and sharing behind-the-scenes moments. Each constructor has its own social media strategy, so there is always something new for fans to engage with, even when there isn’t a race. That constant stream of content helps deepen fans’ connection to the sport.”

What’s something that brands get wrong about this fandom, or the sport itself?

“One thing brands often get wrong is assuming that Formula 1 is only about the racing. While the on-track action is at the heart of the sport, the fandom has evolved into something much larger. Formula 1 has become a lifestyle, with fans engaging through fashion, beauty, travel, luxury, and pop culture just as much as the races themselves.

As more sports evolve into lifestyle brands, Formula 1 has become one of the strongest examples of that shift. Brands don’t have to limit themselves to race-day activations or sponsorships. There are opportunities to connect with fans through paddock style, beauty trends, wellness, travel, creator partnerships, and the personalities of the drivers.”

How do you think brands can tap into this fandom in ways that feel authentic to the community? What are the non-negotiables?

“Brands can’t think of Formula 1 as just fast cars. Fans are drawn to the sport because of the engineering, race strategy, team dynamics, and the rich history behind every team and driver. Formula 1 is built on rivalries, comeback stories, underdogs, and decades of legacy, so understanding those narratives is essential.

Brands can tap into the fandom by recognizing that fans are deeply invested in the drivers as individuals, not just as athletes. Each driver has a distinct personality and a loyal fan base, so partnerships need to feel authentic and align with who they are. Formula 1 has also evolved into a cultural ecosystem with touchpoints that extend far beyond the track. Fashion, travel, luxury, and lifestyle all play a role in how fans engage with the sport, creating opportunities for brands outside of traditional motorsports categories.

Community is another key part of the fandom. Formula 1 is no longer something fans only follow on race weekends. It’s a year-round conversation fueled by social media, creator content, podcasts, and live events. Brands that embrace this participatory culture through watch parties, fan experiences, interactive content are more likely to build authentic connections with the community. The non-negotiable is authenticity. Formula 1 fans are incredibly engaged and knowledgeable, so brands need to respect the sport, understand its culture, and contribute to the fan experience.”

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How Lucky Charms Showed Up For 2026’s Rush Season

The TL;DR: As sorority rush content continues to dominate social each fall, brands are evolving how they show up: from simple product gifting to more creative, immersive, culturally relevant experiences. Standout activations from brands like Lucky Charms, Nike and Poppi show that effective partnerships mean connecting with chapter values and traditions as well as with on-campus and social audiences.

Each fall, thousands of new students across US college campuses participate in rush week: the recruitment process for students to enter into a sorority. It’s become both a huge part of the student experience and a social experience the entire world can tap into in real time. As the virality grows year after year, brand activations are also on the rise.

While the University of Alabama leads in the nation in rush with nearly 8,000 sorority members and some of the most viral content, the phenomenon has spread to viral rush processes at UT Austin, University of Arkansas, and more. Poppi was one of the first big brands to invest in this cultural moment, with one of their early bets being sponsoring Zeta at UT Austin primarily through product gifting. Since then, brand involvement has only grown. This year, Poppi is bringing back their product gifting along with influencers like Kayda from Love Island. Nike has shown up with Alabama’s Gamma Phi Beta and Arizona State’s Delta Zeta by bringing out a custom embroidery truck.

Most notably so far this year, Lucky Charms partnered with Arkansas’ Kappa Delta’s Zeta Gamma chapter to deck out an entire house for Bid Day. The brand went beyond generic product gifting to align themselves with their most ownable brand attribute: shamrocks and rainbows. KD’s philanthropy efforts include its “Shamrock” events, giving Lucky Charms a genuine reason to be involved that not only resonated for the brand, but also those joining the sorority. In this activation, there was a rainbow wall that served as a photo opportunity, a branded filmstrip photo booth, personal name plate shamrocks, a DIY-charm bar and a cereal bar, and swag including charm-covered water bottles, hair clips, and T-shirts. They even made a custom lucky charm bandana for the KD house dog Honey. It all created a full experience for the chapter as well as the many virtual onlookers.

With rush season being an annual opportunity where brands can plan to activate, it’s important to find the natural connection to student culture rather than go for a basic giveaway. Lucky Charms took what could have been a quick product placement and became a big part of an emotional day that these students will remember. Instead of ending at product gifting, brands can tie into the values of the chapters they are partnering with to create unforgettable memories at key moments in young people’s lives.

A snapshot of buzz-worthy communities and fandoms to guide community engagement

🦹 Marvel Unveils the New X-Men Cast

• What’s Going On: MCU fans are dissecting Marvel’s latest casting choices, with stars like Sadie Sink and Obsession breakout star, Inde Navarrette joining the highly anticipated X-Men lineup.

📚 BookTok Is Gearing Up for the Next A Court of Thorns and Roses Installment

• What’s Going On: The beloved fantasy series has teased new cover art and titles for upcoming releases, sending BookTok into a frenzy as fans speculate about potential plotlines, characters, and what’s next in the series.

⚽️ The Premier League is Landing in the U.S.

• What’s Going On: The Premier League is looking to turn the World Cup’s U.S. boom into lasting fandom with a new campaign featuring fan activations across the country during opening weekend.

Four must-click links that crossed our feeds today.

• A look back at the beloved filmography of Hayden Panettiere, who died this week at age 36.

• Can AI help Gen Z find love? The creator of Hinge is back with Overtone, an AI matchmaking app learns your personality and preferences to help find more compatible matches.

• The beauty industry’s next target: Gen Alpha boys. A growing fascination with skincare is creating a new wave of young male beauty shoppers, from luxury fragrances to TikTok-famous hair and skincare products.

• Mahjong, a centuries-old Chinese tile game, is becoming the new “running club,” growing rapidly from casual parties to dedicated social groups.

• TV/Streaming: Love Is Blind UK Season 3 premiered August 19, Outerbanks Season 5 premieres August 20, and The Girls: A Khloe Kardashian Project premieres August 21.

• Movies: Tony, Anthony Bourdain’s biopic, Insidious: Out Further, and Mutiny all premiere on August 21.

• Music: Sam Smith’s Hazel Eyes and Weezer’s Weezer (The Gold Album) both release on August 21.

On platforms like Instagram and TikTok, follower count does not meaningfully impact content distribution. Nor is followership a reliable proxy for audience “belonging”. Instead of measuring follower growth, focus on what algorithms rank instead: content relevance, engagement, and watch-time.

To understand what success looks like today, it’s worth taking a closer look at how content is distributed, what signals algorithms prioritize, and which metrics are most closely tied to impact.

The “Discovery Experience”

TikTok made discovery explicit and central to its positioning. Instagram now decides what’s visible, and to whom, based on content quality and user behavior rather than audience size — which is how TikTok has always operated. Both algorithms are interest-based, not follower-based. As of mid-2026, video is served mostly to non-followers.

A follow is one small node in that system. It signals interest — that a user is willing to be associated with the brand and would welcome related content –– but it is rarely a request to see every post that is published.

What Drives Performance and Why?

Engagement drives reach. Content with more shares, comments, and saves is amplified to larger audiences, which is why a smaller brand can routinely outperform a larger one.

The same is true of potential influential partners. Research found that deeper, more engaging interactions are key to building long-term brand relationships, and recommends brands select influencers who can engage audiences meaningfully rather than focusing solely on follower counts.

A million-follower profile with a handful of engagements per post invites the worst question a buyer can ask — did this audience choose to be here? — and once that skepticism is triggered, it erodes credibility faster than a small following ever would. According to a Sprout Social Pulse Survey, 76% of users say social media has influenced purchases.

Every post (paid or organic) is first shown to a machine-selected test audience. Quality signals decide whether it expands or stalls, and the test resets each time:

• Video watch time

• View completion rate

• Share rate

• Skip rate

For example, the 7-ELEVEn (a dentsu client) #CarsOf7ELEVEn pivot added ~600K Instagram followers and once drove 45K in a single 24-hour window. Not because they chased followers, but because they spoke to a subculture in a way they wanted to spread.

Resetting How to Define Success

• Followers don’t see most of what a brand posts. Reach is earned, not owned. Platforms filter feeds; a large follower base doesn’t guarantee exposure. A follow is permission to appear sometimes, not a subscription to everything.

• Most reach comes from outside existing audiences. Non-paid video is served mostly to non-followers. Across our client portfolios, we see 60–80% of non-promoted Instagram Reels views are from non-followers, according to dentsu proprietary data.

• Engagement outweighs size, as a credibility signal. A large following with thin engagement now erodes trust rather than building it. The “more followers = more trustworthy” effect is real but conditional, and it mainly benefits small, unproven brands.

• Distribution resets with every post. Each post auditions for a fresh test group; momentum doesn’t compound. We earn reach every single time.

KPIs Aligned to What Algorithms Actually Reward

Followers tell only part of the story. To better understand the true impact of a social presence, we’ve built a measurement equation that assesses not just audience size, but the quality of attention, engagement, advocacy, and brand influence generated over time.

• Reach/impressions — scale of distribution

• Engagement rate — depth of interaction

• Shares + saves — resonance (scale can be bought; resonance must be earned)

• Video completion/watch time — attention

• Skip rate — relevance

• Social Media Value (SMV) — the working-media-dollar equivalent of our non-paid performance

• Share of Voice — word-of-mouth health

• Sentiment — brand perception

What This Means for You

1. Reset the scoreboard. Retire follower growth as a headline KPI; lead with reach, engagement rate, shares/saves, completion, and Earned Media Value (EMV)/Social Media Value (SMV).

2. Build for travel, not accumulation. Brief and resource content to be shareable and completable — the unit of growth is the post that spreads, not the follower added.

3. Set expectations with the rest of leadership. Growth is punctuated and demands sustained investment; it won’t look like a smooth line, and short bursts won’t move the metrics that matter.

For inquiries, partnerships, or to discuss what this means for your brand, reach out.

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References

Information is not intended to serve as consultation, nor considered a directive by 360i (or any dentsu entity). In all circumstances, you should consult with your dedicated agency partners and teams before considering any action that may be inferred in this post.

• Beichert, M., Bayerl, A., Goldenberg, J., & Lanz, A. (2025, September 1). Follower count vs. engagement: Uncovering the best influencer strategy. Keller Center for Research, Baylor University.

• CreatorIQ (n.d.). Earned Media Value (EMV) methodology.

• Cucu, E. (2026, January 1). 2026 Social Media Benchmarks. Socialinsider.

• Dentsu. (n.d.). Social Media Value (SMV) methodology.

• Dentsu. (2026). 60-80% non-follower reach on non-paid video: Internal composite analysis across 40+ brands (2026 YTD) [Internal survey].

• Dentsu. (2026). 7-Eleven social media performance data [Client data].

• Influencer Marketing Hub. (2026, May 4). Influencer Marketing Benchmark Report 2026. Influencer Marketing Hub.

• Martin, M. (2026, May 7). Social media algorithms in 2026: How they rank content. Hootsuite.

• Mazloumian, T. (2026, April 21). How the Instagram algorithm works in 2026. Later.

• Mundaden, M. (2026, March 5). 2026 Social Media Industry Benchmark Report. Quid.

• Newberry, C. (2026, June 30). How to calculate engagement rate: 2026 formulas & benchmarks. Hootsuite.

• Sprout Social. (2026, May 8). Social media marketing: What it is and how to build your strategy. Sprout Social.

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In a world where everyone has access to the same creative tools, the brands that are standing out are the ones with the strongest point of view.

The TL;DR: As AI makes content creation accessible to everyone, taste becomes the competitive advantage. The brands that stand out won't be the ones creating the most content, they'll be the ones with a recognizable creative signature.

AI has fundamentally changed the creative landscape. Ideas, copy, images, videos, and campaigns can now be generated in seconds, giving brands access to the same powerful creative tools. In fact, 97% of marketing leaders now use AI in their daily creative work, and nearly all plan to increase investment. As production becomes faster and more accessible, the competitive advantage is no longer the ability to create content, it’s deciding what’s worth creating.

Yet consumers are becoming more discerning. A recent Gartner survey found that 49% of U.S. consumers believe generative AI has made content quality worse. The challenge isn’t AI itself, it’s standing out in a world where everyone has access to the same tools. That’s where taste becomes a differentiator.

Taste isn’t simply having a great aesthetic or jumping on the latest trend, it’s creative judgment. It’s knowing what aligns with your brand, what resonates culturally, and what deserves your audience’s attention. While AI can generate ideas, it can’t develop taste. That comes from curiosity, cultural awareness, experimentation, and continuously refining a brand’s perspective over time.

Brand strategist Oana Leonte argues in The Creative Power of Invisibility that as content becomes easier to produce, meaning becomes increasingly valuable. For marketers, that means being intentional, not just about what we create, but what we choose not to publish.

The brands people remember aren’t the loudest, they’re the most recognizable. Every creator partnership, campaign, and conversation reinforces a recognizable point of view. Take Grüns. In the crowded health and wellness space, the brand doesn’t chase every trend or mimic what competitors are doing. Instead, it filters culture through its own playful personality, adapting trends to fit its voice rather than changing its voice to fit the trend. That’s what taste looks like in practice: using creative judgment to decide what aligns with your brand and what doesn’t, creating content that’s recognizable before you even see the logo.

For social teams, the most important question before hitting publish is: Could this have come from anyone else, or is it unmistakably our brand?

As AI continues to reshape marketing, the brands that stand out won’t be the ones creating the most content, they’ll be the ones with the clearest point of view and the discipline to stay true to it.

A snapshot of buzz-worthy communities and fandoms to guide community engagement

🏟️ Bills Respond to Stadium View Complaints

• What’s Going On: Fans raised concerns about obstructed views from some seats in the new Highmark Stadium. The Buffalo Bills said they're reviewing feedback and making adjustments ahead of the stadium's home opener, noting that less than 1% of PSL holders have reported sightline issues.

🎸 Camp Rock Is Back!

• What’s Going On: Camp Rock 3 premieres this week, reuniting the Jonas Brothers and Demi Lovato while introducing a new generation of Camp Rock stars and users online have mixed feelings about the new movie trailer.

🏝️ Love Island Red Carpet Reunion

• What’s Going On: Fans are buzzing over the Love Island S8 cast's reunion looks and speculating about relationship updates, drama, and surprise moments, while an anonymous social account fuels the conversation with rumored reunion spoilers.

Four must-click links that crossed our feeds today.

• Spotify is introducing an AI Persona badge to label artist profiles that are AI-generated, helping listeners distinguish between real and AI-created identities.

• Disney is expanding its video podcast strategy through a new partnership with iHeartMedia, bringing popular shows like Hey Jonas! to Disney+ and Hulu.

• Levi’s, Zara, and Uniqlo are investing in clothing repair services and mending workshops to appeal to Gen Z’s desire for sustainability, affordability, and longer-lasting wardrobes.

• A 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck Colombia, killing over 100 people and causing widespread destruction.

• TV/Streaming - Lanterns premieres Sunday, August 16.

• Movies: The End of Oak Street, starring Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor, and Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie premiere on Friday, August 14.

• Music: Becky G's Baraja Bendita, KATSEYE's WILD, and PROLIFIC by Nipsey Hussle and Bino Rideaux drop August 14.

Prediction Markets Bet on Pop Culture to Attract Women

The TL;DR: Betting apps such as Kalshi and Polymarket are actively expanding their marketing to women by tapping into celebrity and pop culture rather than traditional sports betting. This shift has sparked debate on the ethicality of the platforms’ approach to acquiring a new audience at the expense of undisclosed risk.

@heythereitsmaemaei love this years cast #loveisland

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You might associate prediction market platforms such as Polymarket and Kalshi with sports betting, but today, those platforms are positioning themselves more like financial markets rather than online casinos. In order to cater to the interests of women and non-traditional gamblers, these apps are adopting the same tactics that more traditional brands have been leveraging for social marketing: hijacking pop culture.

The shift may be working: 2026 has seen a spike in female users on Kalshi, making up 26% of account holders as of this March, up from 13% 10 months prior. Prediction markets based on pop culture can be an easier sell to women than gambling on sports. By framing bets on reality TV and celebrity moments as financial opportunities, prediction markets are advertising gambling as a form of investing without mentioning the associated risk. During Love Island’s most recent season, Kalshi experienced a 106% increase in female user activity. As noted in a recent features on Marie Claire and The Cut, this signals that cultural knowledge has an economic value associated with it.

This new pop-culture approach has strengthened the platforms’ relevancy while also raising ethical red flags. For example, specific ads state that betting is just “girl math” to buy your daily sweet treat. In response, the general sentiment of social media users is that ads targeting women fail to disclose the risk of betting, and it can come off as tone-deaf in a time when economic uncertainty is a real issue impacting many American women.

The takeaway? While tapping into new segments to grow can be advantageous, the strategy will make or break the expansion. By sugarcoating gambling as a form of investing made accessible to women, the approach inadvertently undermined the sophistication that already existed among the audience. Instead of trend or pop culture jacking to reach a new group that’s seen as “low lift,” first consider how the strategy itself should shift to reflect the unique insights and best interests of the given audience.

A snapshot of buzz-worthy communities and fandoms to guide community engagement

💋 Thank U, Next: Ariana Says Goodbye to the Spotlight (For Now)

• What’s Going On: Ariana Grande announced she will step away from her role in Sunday in the Park with George as well as her commitment from the London West End production and take an extended break upon wrapping up her Eternal Sunshine Tour. Ari’s fans have been both concerned and supportive on social as the Wicked star deals with ongoing and intense public scrutiny.

👗 Galliano Gala 2027 Theme Announced

• What’s Going On: The 2027 Met Gala theme has been announced by Anna Wintour and the Costume Institute which will be John Galliano: Horizons. The exhibit would follow Galliano’s career from Givenchy to Dior to Maison Margiela. This has created backlash since this is only the third time in Met history a living designer has been given a solo exhibition. As well as in 2011 Galliano was fired from Dior for going on an antisemitic rant in a Paris cafe.

🕷️Brand New Day, Brand New Record

• What’s Going On: Spider-Man: Brand New Day shattered box office records by earning $169.8 million on opening day alone, surpassing Avengers: Endgame and becoming the biggest opening day ever. Brand New Day also set a new benchmark generating $360 million domestic opening weekend, the largest in history.

Four must-click links that crossed our feeds today.

• Amazon just made Prime Video into a gaming app, by letting subscribers play games like Hogwarts Legacy and Luna games directly on their TVs.

• Disney and TikTok have reached a deal to allow TikTok users to use characters and scenes from Disney movies in short form videos.

• OpenAI’s first influencer brand trip ended in backlash, as critics accused creators of being sell outs by ignoring the environmental impacts of using AI.

• MySpace’s owners want to bring it back. Are Millennials ready to pick their top 8 again?

• TV/Streaming - On August 5, FX and Hulu premiere The Shards, the highly anticipated new series from Ryan Murphy. Camp Rock 3, starring the Jonas Brothers, releases August 13 on Disney +.

• Movies: Romantic comedy One Night Only premieres in theaters on August 7.

• Music: Karol G’s No Me Arrepiento de Sentir Tanto and Stray Kids’ THIS & THAT are two new albums releasing on August 7.

Personal FYPs Give Users Their Own Versions of “Monoculture”

The TL;DR: In the era of algorithmic relevance and cultural fragmentation, it’s becoming increasingly difficult for a single song to dominate culture and be labeled the “Song of the Summer.” Algorithmic personalization and new ways of discovering music are leading fandoms to crown their own songs of the summer and leaving room for more nontraditional music, like AI-generated songs, to go viral instead.

@jaydensalaamlike seriously what is the song of the summer for 2026? #2026 #summer #song #music

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In the past, the summer seasons have been defined by breakout songs. Catchy, carefree anthems like “Call Me Maybe” or “Espresso” were crowned the “Songs of the Summer,” becoming cultural anchors representing collective optimism and joy during the warmer months. In recent years, however, global crises and increasing social anxiety may be impacting that kind of “monocultural” celebration. While events like the World Cup brought people together, this summer has also seen extreme weather, parasitic outbreaks, and wildfires, making it difficult to capture the collective enthusiasm and carefree fantasies songs of the summer often provide.

This isn’t totally new — after 2024’s Brat Summer, last year saw a similar SOS vacuum that ended up being filled by an emotional Ben Platt cover of Addison Rae’s “Diet Pepsi,” an unlikely contender. But it makes sense: Music and media consumption has become increasingly fragmented thanks to the streaming era and hyper-personalized FYPs. Audiences are now discovering new music while scrolling through their feeds, which likely look very different from their peers’ feeds. Instead of rallying behind one universally shared song, niche communities and fandoms are now choosing their own summer songs based on what resonates with them personally. This even includes AI-generated “songs,” like this summer’s viral “Melissa, I’m drunk and outside” TikTok track, getting more exposure than radio hits.

The death of the “Song of the Summer” concept isn’t about the music — it’s further evidence that music audiences are getting their recommendations from social feeds more than traditional entertainment outlets, and that they are getting more personalized versions of culture through their feeds. For brands, this means that understanding fandoms and their niche community-specific trends is more valuable than chasing the mainstream. A “one-size-fits-all” approach to audiences no longer works when culture has broken into many passionate micro-cultures that defy traditional expectations. Audiences are now often looking for something more personal, even if it sounds more like “trending audio” than music.

A snapshot of buzz-worthy communities and fandoms to guide community engagement

🏀 The Lebron Long Game

• What’s Going On: Philadelphia 76ers fans are still rejoicing after Lebron James announced his joining the team. As social exploded with fan reaction, one major Sixers fan decided to revive his “Is Lebron a 76er yet?” account after an 8-year hiatus since giving up hope for a transfer in 2018.

🎶 BTS Bows Out Of Grammys

• What’s Going On: The iconic K-pop group BTS announced that they will not submit their latest album Arirang for the 2027 Grammys. This comes after the Recording Academy announced five new categories, including Best Asian Pop Music Performance. Many fans and industry professionals believe these categories promote segregation in music based on language and region.

🔥 The MCU is So Back

• What’s Going On: At San Diego Comic Con, Marvel confirmed that the third Black Panther movie will hit theaters in late December 2028. Additionally, fans of the franchise were excited to learn that David Jonsson will take on the leading role as Prince T’Challa, the son of Chadwick Boseman’s T’Challa.

Four must-click links that crossed our feeds today.

• X users sparked a debate about oat milk and whether it’s a healthy milk alternative or not.

• This year’s San Diego Comic Con had some big announcements, including the return of Air Bud.

• Katseye’s Manon fueled speculation among fans on whether she will exit the group after archiving posts on Instagram.

• The Recording Academy announced new guidelines and categories that will take effect for the 2027 Grammys.

• TV/Streaming: On July 31, Zendaya and Robert Pattinson’s The Drama starts streaming on HBO Max. Apple TV’s hit Ted Lasso returns for Season 4 on Aug. 4.

• Movies: Spider-Man: Brand New Day premieres in theaters on July 31.

• Music: Highly anticipated music releases this week include albums and EPs from Ariana Grande, Shaboozey, Five Finger Death Punch, Tyga, and more.

Parasocial relationships have taken new heights this summer, blurring the lines between creators and consumers

The TL;DR: Social media makes it feel like you know someone, giving you visibility into someone's life and that visibility gets mistaken for access and viewers start to feel entitled to weigh in on a stranger's character and personal life. This summer made that clear, as both Love Island USA and the World Cup pulled millions of viewers into the same storylines for weeks, and the backlash that followed showed how easily a curated glimpse gets mistaken for the full picture. When you feel like part of someone's story, it's easy to forget there's a real person on the other end of your comment, one who now has to answer for judgment they never actually earned.

Social media makes it feel like you know someone. It has moved in a way that has normalized creators sharing aspects of their lives once reserved for close friends, creating deep connections with their audience that can feel like two-way relationships but the line between connection and obsession is thin, and this summer made it hard to ignore. Between Love Island USA and the World Cup, millions were locked into the same storylines for weeks, and when both wrapped, viewers didn’t just walk away with opinions, they felt entitled to investigate, critique, and try to intervene in the lives of people they’d been watching. But watching someone on a heavily edited show doesn’t mean you know them; it means you’ve seen a version of them shaped by producers and cut down to a few conflicts and confessionals. That’s a glimpse, not a full picture, yet a glimpse was all it took for people to feel entitled to judge.

Take Zach Georgiou from this season of Love Island USA. He wasn’t always shown in the best light, but criticism of how he came across on TV escalated into his TikTok account getting banned and fans assuming his sexuality based on his bromance with a fellow islander. Or Lamine Yamal’s girlfriend, Inés García Santos, who posted a photo celebrating Spain’s World Cup win—only to have her comments flooded with a rumor that she’d left a five-year relationship for him, alongside amateur investigations into her romantic past. The pattern is the same in both cases: someone becomes visible for a few weeks, and that visibility gets mistaken for access, and viewers start weighing in on someone’s character, relationships, or sexuality even though nobody in those comment sections actually knows these people. They know an edited, broadcast version built for entertainment, not accuracy, and it’s easy to forget a real person with a real life exists on the other end of that post.

As brands lean heavier into creators and celebrities, they need to be aware of this shift that these creators aren’t just marketing channels anymore, they’re being treated like entertainment properties, with all the scrutiny and fandom that comes with that territory. And that shift changes what a brand is actually signing up for. Choosing someone who aligns with the brand is still step one, that part hasn’t changed. But once that partnership goes live, the brand inherits whatever judgment gets thrown at that person, fair or not. For brands, that means partnership decisions can’t stop at “does this person fit our values.” They need a read on how contested someone currently is in the court of public opinion and on how their fandom behaves, because that scrutiny doesn’t stay in the creator’s comment section. It can follow the brand home.

A snapshot of buzz-worthy communities and fandoms to guide community engagement

🦝 Jimothy Takeover

• What’s Going On: The small yet mighty racoon, Jimothy, has taken over the internet. Based in Seattle, this loveable creature has been an internet sensation after a video of him went viral showing that he has a shorter spine than the average raccoon.

👠 The Law of Fashion

• What’s Going On: Zendaya’s stylist, Law Roach, is known for his iconic premiere looks he puts Z in and with 4 movies this year, he has put in overtime. From The Drama, The Odyssey, Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Dune: Part 3, Zendaya’s red carpet looks have been turning heads and making waves.

⚽ The Summer of Football continues?

• What’s Going On: Unfortunately for us all, the 2026 FIFA World Cup has come to an end. But, that doesn’t mean your - potentially new - soccer obsession has to come to an end as well. The European club soccer season kicks off in just under a month meaning there’s still time to find your club!

Four must-click links that crossed our feeds today.

• You can now change your audio on a post or carousel that you have already shared on Instagram.

• Ever wonder why keyboard letters are set up the way that they are? Here’s a rap song to explain it.

• A 1972 NBA Finals jacket worn by the great Wilt Chamberlain was found in an Oregon thrift store by a teen. It sold for $89,000.

• The Odyssey opened last week and managed to pull in $264.1 million globally, a testament to box office blockbusting director Christopher Nolan.

• TV/Streaming: Releasing on Friday, July 24th is the Apple TV movie, The Dink, starring Jake Johnson, Ben Stiller, and Mary Steenburgen. The film follows a washed up tennis player who takes up pickleball.

• Movies: Releasing on Friday, July 24th, is Pinocchio Unstrung. Looking ahead, the highly anticipated Spider-Man: Brand New Day is releasing on July 31st.

• Music: Lots of music is being released tomorrow, July 24th, with Charli XCX releasing Music, Fashion, Film; WILLOW: The Thread; Shania Twain: Little Miss Twain; and Tyla releasing A*POP.

Americans Aren’t Having as Much Fun Anymore. Can we?

The TL;DR: Over the last 20+ years, traditional American outlets of fun like bowling alleys, bars and nightclubs, and movie theaters have become more scarce. The desire for social “third” spaces hasn't gone away, but fewer options and higher costs are pricing people out of the fun. In response, brands with a cultural pulse have begun to prioritize experiential marketing and acts of whimsy that cater to their audience having fun IRL.

If it feels like “spontaneous fun” has become increasingly rare, you’re not imagining it. A recent Bloomberg article notes that bars and clubs have been on the decline for decades, the US has lost 20% of its movie theaters and 30% of bowling alleys since 2001, and the number of resorts has leveled off while room rates grow higher. While these fun spaces may be on the decline, individuals are still seeking these shared experiences and want to get the most fun for their buck.

For example, Gen Z is pursuing more travel opportunities despite the rise of costs. 93% of young adults plan on traveling this summer, with 91% attending more concerts and events than they did in 2025. And while IRL experiences offer a break from screens, social is definitely part of the draw: intentionally capturing these events for social media adds value and offers a greater sense of community and fun.

Oatly is a one example of a brand that understands this desire for fun, shared experiences and finds unique ways for their fans to have fun IRL. Their recent Oatly Bike-Thru, a fast-drink pop-up establishment that allows bikers in Amsterdam to pedal in and place their beverage order, is a whimsical, interactive ad that prioritizes fun in addition to function. Oatly’s pivot to focusing on events have resulted in wholesome “hangouts” that generate genuine brand love and shared fun, not just people lining up for free stuff.

For modern brands, reach is only half of the social equation. As IRL social establishments decline and Americans seek new outlets for fun, it’s more important than ever to prioritize engagement on a human level: what does your audience find fun, and how can you (literally) give that to them? Seamlessly marrying IRL “Fun” activations with social content creates greater brand recognition and builds a social community that lasts.

A snapshot of buzz-worthy communities and fandoms to guide community engagement

🔥 Jonas Brothers Burnin’ Up MSG

• What’s Going On: The Jonas Brothers have announced a 3-night MSG takeover this August to throwback to their 2008 Burnin’ Up era. Fans have flooded each post with comments recounting their original concert experience almost 18 years ago.

🐷 Peppa Pig Beef??

• What’s Going On: Singers PinkPantheress and Charli XCX started internet beef with the kid’s cartoon Peppa Pig after a surprisingly shady comment in a Pitchfork interview: the animated icon was asked if she thought artist Clairo was overrated, to which she replied, “I don’t know her.”

🎤 La vida es una movie, and Benito is the director

• What’s Going On: The 2026 Emmy Nominees were announced and Bad Bunny’s halftime show recieved 9 total nominations, breaking the record for most nominated halftime show in history.

Four must-click links that crossed our feeds today.

• Justin Bieber joins the lineup for the World Cup halftime show alongside Madonna, Shakira and BTS.

• McDonald’s announces their BT21 meal, marking their third collaboration with K-Pop group BTS.

• Telemundo announcer Andrés Cantor solidifies his place in sports culture with his 10th men’s World Cup.

• Actor Justin Baldoni breaks his silence on the ‘It Ends With Us’ dispute with a thank you post on Instagram.

• TV/Streaming: Obsession hits streaming services only 2 months after its debut in theaters. Netflix debuted its new series adaptation of Little House on The Prairie.

• Movies: The live action Moana release in theaters this Friday, July 10.

• Music: Albums dropping this week include Finn Wolfhard’s second album Fire From the Hip, Jack White’s newest Frozen Charlotte, and Suki Waterhouse’s third studio album Loveland.

We have since corrected the piece with appropriate attribution, publicly apologized in the comments, and reached out directly to Rachel to acknowledge the error and make it right. While there was no malintent or intentional use of someone else’s work without credit, this incident highlights a very real implication of using AI. It can help us move faster, but it can also produce results that are imperfect and require careful human oversight. We acknowledge that, apologize for this mistake, and are enforcing protocols to help prevent it from happening again.

People aren’t seeing brands the way they used to. And the brands that haven’t noticed yet are already losing ground — not just with consumers, but with the machines that increasingly decide what gets seen at all.

Key takeaways:

• Social feeds are no longer a free ride for distribution.

• Earned isn’t a ‘nice to have’, it’s how the machines see you. If the machines don’t understand your value, you’re invisible to humans.

• Trend jacking is on life support as algorithms suppress sameness.

• Engagement behavior has migrated from public to private.

• Community engagement is an investment imperative.

• Clarity in programming outperforms volumes of content.

360i // Social as you know it is dead.

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Brand visibility is no longer a guarantee

The numbers are unambiguous:

• 85% — the average collapse in reach of owned feed content on TikTok post-U.S. sale. The feed is no longer a free distribution channel.

• 78% of people are fatigued by the brand social they do see. Algorithms are actively suppressing sameness.

• 7x — connectivity in narrative improves recall by 7x compared to information presented in isolation. Design for what sustains today & compounds tomorrow.

• 84% of what large language models (LLMs) cite about a brand comes from earned sources. If the machines don’t see you, you’re invisible to humans.

That last stat is the one most brands are still sleeping on. AI-powered search and chat interfaces are becoming a primary discovery layer. If your brand isn’t showing up in earned media, in community conversations, in third-party coverage — you don’t exist in that layer at all.

And yet most brands remain distracted, treating trends and content volume as the path to relevance. The math no longer supports it: if 500 brands participate in a trend, your brand has to be in the top 3–5% to be seen. The rest get suppressed.

Social isn’t where you post. It’s where visibility originates — by people, and by the machines that dictate what’s seen.

Your brand must win social twice

The new mandate requires winning on two simultaneous fronts:

EQ — For Humans. Emotional stories that humans remember and share. Content that moves into private spaces via DMs, group chats, and word of mouth.

IQ — For Machines. Easy-to-categorize patterns that algorithms and LLMs can recall and recount. Consistent brand signals that compound into authority over time.

Most social strategies are built for one or the other. The brands pulling ahead are engineered for both.

Five forces reshaping social in 2026

Force 1 — Public engagement behavior has changed

Public engagement — comments, likes, public replies — is shrinking. But views and private sharing are growing.

On TikTok, comments per post are down -24%; on Instagram, down -16%. Yet views and watch time held or grew on both platforms. Meanwhile, shares per post climbed — up +45% on TikTok and +12% on Instagram.

This means the audience has restructured itself into three distinct groups you need to design for simultaneously:

• Watchers — silent observers who consume but never interact publicly.

• Senders — the carriers who move your content into private spaces (DMs, group chats, shares).

• Machines — the gatekeepers who decide what gets recommended and surfaced.

Your move: Adjust your measurement methodology to weigh share-rate more heavily. Measure LLM visibility through Share of Answer (SOA) to understand where and how your brand is being retrieved by AI systems.

Force 2 — Creative itself is the new way to target paid media

Paid media bidding, targeting, and placement are becoming automated. Creative is the last durable control lever you have — because algorithms match creative context to audience interests in real-time.

The strategic implication: make one idea land a dozen different ways for every campaign with media support. Same core truth, different doorways in. Algorithms will determine what resonates best, based on credibility, consistency, and authority. Reach is no longer based on pre-set least common denominator audience demographics.

The pro-tip here is counterintuitive: universal specific contexts — not generic, not hyper-niche — serve as psychographic subsegments that increase the likelihood of resonance at scale. Think of a paper towel brand creating variations to appeal to new parents. Not all messes to be cleaned up are from the kids. There are messes from home cooks, messes from outdoor enthusiasts, and laterally, life itself is messy — same product truth, different emotional entry points.

Force 3 — Free distribution of owned content is on life support

Followers are no longer a signal that impacts reach. Algorithms nor LLMs derive brand value based on popularity in that way. Further, as platforms increase monetization efforts, it’s in their best interest to suppress free reach.

Instagram now distributes based on content quality, not quantity of followers — this is the same way TikTok has always worked. Distribution is algorithmic and interest-based, not follower-based: video content is now mostly served to non-followers through the Discover/Explore feed, surfaced to people the algorithm thinks will engage rather than to your existing audience.

Every post (paid or not) gets a machine-driven test audience first; quality signals determine whether it expands. The content “auditions” for a different test audience each time — and most marketers assume those test audiences are their followers, but that’s untrue. The process resets with each post.

We consistently see brands’ video content reach 60–90% non-followers — the majority of reach comes from outside the existing audience. That share only grows as a video gains traction.

The reframe: treat your owned social pages as destinations, not distribution channels. Think of owned as a storefront — an evergreen landing page with a clear, immediately identifiable value. And yes — the grid view is back. A purposeful grid will communicate a brand vibe and value at a glance. Aesthetics are old school Instagram currency. Vanity is no longer a differentiator. How your brand looks is a subjective, human consideration. What your brand means is the currency, felt by humans and understood by machines.

Pro-tip: Stop using “organic” and “owned” interchangeably. Organic creative is native, community-first content and insight that is sometimes referred to as UGC — it can live in paid and owned, or be earned. Owned is a place, a brand-operated property that is a site, page, channel, or grid.

Force 4 — Community compounds brand growth

Every other channel resets from campaign to campaign. Community doesn’t. Community conversations happening today will become LLMs’ answers tomorrow. The earned signal from an active, engaged community is one of the most durable brand assets you can build — and one of the least reflected in traditional measurement models.

The data backs this up: community engagement can drive interactions of up to 93x that of owned content without any media support. A great example is the Lodge Cast Iron case, where their team bet on Facebook to build community and set a strategy that involved the brand’s long-time users on that platform.

Your move: Invest in community and participation off your owned properties. That’s where the compounding happens.

Force 5 — Earned traction is a must for machine understanding

Social doesn’t just capture demand anymore. It creates the signals that other channels optimize against.

84% of LLM learning about a brand comes from earned signals — third-party coverage, creator content, community conversations, reviews. If you’re only investing in owned and paid, you’re only feeding 16% of the machine’s understanding of your brand.

The influencer and creator layer is no longer just a fame play. It’s a machine-training play. The content creators produce, the conversations they spark, the third-party signals they generate — these are becoming the raw material from which AI systems construct brand understanding.

Your move: Tap third parties to seed brand clarity and increase authority. Be precise about the message the activation signals — keep it consistent with the rest of your brand ecosystem — but let go of controlling the activation itself.

Pro-tip: The sweet spot is with “middle class” creators. They deliver over 3x the engagement rate of mega-influencers — and their content reads as more credible to both humans and machines.

Social isn’t merely an amplifier anymore. It’s essential to compounding growth.

This is the fundamental reframe. Social used to sit downstream of brand strategy — a place to amplify what was built elsewhere. That model is obsolete.

Social is now the operating system through which brand clarity compounds, earned authority accumulates, and machine understanding is built. The brands treating it as a posting channel are training algorithms that they have low uniqueness — and paying for it in suppressed reach and LLM invisibility.

A brand that produces consistent patterns of language, proof, and association — across many surfaces, over time — creates a kind of recognizable signal density that a brand running one-off campaigns simply doesn’t. This resonates with human eyes and is clearly understood by machines.

On that last point: flooding algorithms with one-off content trains them that your brand has low uniqueness. In our analysis, just 30 posts accounted for 50% of total social value — out of 5,000 posts annually.

Stop doing → Start doing

Where to start: A practical roadmap

If you’re ready to act, here’s a sequenced starting point — prioritizing progress over perfection:

1. Re-establish accountability. Assign one owner and one team to the path forward, with explicit focus on the space between campaigns.

2. Understand your LLM visibility. Audit which questions your brand answers — and which prompts it’s completely absent from.

3. Re-evaluate ways of working. Align on a modern review process that recognizes algorithms as the final approvers. If earned content (social, influencer, creator, PR) requires more than three rounds of review, it’s no longer objectively earned.

4. Adjust measurement. Shift primary KPIs toward Share-Rate (a proxy for brand word-of-mouth) and Share of Answer (how your brand is understood and retrieved by LLMs).

5. Parse your community investment. Use EMV or SMV to arrive at a value of the impact of earned seeding, influential partnerships, and community engagement as those efforts aren’t reflected in traditional marketing mix models.

6. Value outcomes, not output. Consider adjusting the value exchange in your next scope of work. Metrics like Social Media Value hold more accountability than a set number of posts.

For inquiries, partnerships, or to discuss what this means for your brand, reach out.

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Findings are drawn from real-world performance data across an active portfolio of 40+ brands across all categories, benchmarked against enterprise intelligence with consultation of 30+ social experts. Landscape shifts were examined by four multi-model engines to cross-reference findings. Quote by Matthew Stasoff as published in“Your campaign needs more on-ramps” via Rachel Karten’s Link in Bio.

Information is not intended to serve as consultation, nor considered a directive by 360i (or any dentsu entity). In all circumstances you should consult with your dedicated agency partners and teams prior to considering any action that may be inferred in this post.

• Definitions: Share of Answer (SOA): How often and how favorably a brand is surfaced and retrieved by LLMs and AI search interfaces — the machine-era analog to share of voice.

• Share-Rate: The rate at which content is privately shared; a proxy for brand word-of-mouth.

• Watchers / Senders / Machines: The three audiences social must now serve simultaneously — silent consumers, private re-distributors, and the algorithms that decide what gets surfaced.

• Universal specific: A creative context that is neither generic nor hyper-niche, functioning as a psychographic subsegment that resonates at scale.

• Middle-class creators: Mid-tier creators who deliver higher engagement and credibility than mega-influencers.

• Social Media Value (SMV): An outcome-based metric for the total value generated by social activity, used in place of asset/post counts.

• Sources: Reach decline & portfolio performance: Dentsu internal portfolio data; GWI; Hootsuite

• 84% of LLM citations from earned sources: Muck Rack

• 7x memorability from narrative clarity: Bower, G. H. & Clark, M. C. (1969)

• Top 3–5% trend visibility: industry roundup via @jsstansel

• Public-vs-private engagement shift: Dentsu internal engagement data; Social Insider

• 93x community interaction: Dentsu internal engagement data (portfolio of brands over six months); Spiralytics

• Middle-class creator engagement (3x): Goldman Sachs; Spiralytics; Muck Rack

• 30 posts = 50% of value; Social Media Value: Dentsu internal Social Media Value data

AI Wearables Bring POV with Privacy Concerns

The TL;DR: Meta has partnered with Kylie Jenner to release a new, cheaper line of Meta Glasses and is facing backlash from social users concerned about privacy and those who have a general distaste for expensive celebrity spokespeople pushing AI tech. While the POV-style filming tech is being made more accessible, it’s also sparking conversation about living in a 24-hour surveillance state.

In partnership with mega-celebrity Kylie Jenner, Meta released the latest iteration of their Meta Glasses, “Starfire” starting at $299 — vastly cheaper than previous collaborations with Oakley or Ray-Ban. They still include the contested camera feature but boast a unique AI spin: a built-in assistant voiced by Kylie herself. Why Google something when you can ask Kylie Jenner, right on your face?

With one commenter calling the glasses “Cybertrucks for the face,” Meta’s use of Jenner has been criticized as an attempt to normalize the inclusion of these hands-free filming devices in everyday life. In the launch video, Kylie shows how she captures photos, showing off a manicure, and even pets her cat. But, there’s no mention of one of the more pervasive use cases seen online: creators recording incognito videos interacting with people without their knowing.

Privacy has become a growing point of concern among Americans who use social media, but content shot in the often-misnamed “POV” style (which Meta glasses allow the user to properly record in) can be highly engaging and well-received. Grillos Pickles saw over 70 Million views on a single reel using Meta glasses, with commenters even saying they hope they’ll appear in a future video. Food influencer Natashahasthemunchies has seen similar success on her Meta glasses content. Her reviews have garnered attention for their authenticity and for her level of respect whilst wearing the recording device. These executions have come across incredibly authentic and even wholesome, while entirely avoiding the incognito “rage bait” recording of it all.

While unconfirmed, there are theories that Meta glasses content is rewarded in Meta’s algorithm with increased views. This would make sense, as the platform promoting content filmed with their own product in turn promotes the product itself. The intimate style of content the glasses provide could also be why it performs well: it places the viewer in the eyes of the creator, allowing them to feel fully immersed, as if they were the ones wearing the glasses.

For brands, before diving into content using Meta glasses with hopes of pleasing the algorithm, it’s important to ask if your audience will appreciate the tactic or if they have privacy concerns that might be amplified. The general consensus around AI is also a consideration when promoting the use of tools that leverage it. Consider how your brand would benefit from POV-style content weighted against the current conversations so that you can properly read the room.

A snapshot of buzz-worthy communities and fandoms to guide community engagement

💍 Inside the Taylor Wedding Multiverse

• What’s Going On: Signs of a potential Taylor Swift & Travis Kelce wedding this weekend at Madison Square Garden have sparked a wave of fan theories across social media. Fans are imagining an event blending romance, spectacle, and nods to Taylor and Travis’ music and sports careers at the iconic venue known for both. While there is no confirmation of any wedding plans, the speculation shows how Swift’s fandom turns even the smallest clues into elaborate storylines and shared cultural moments.

🇲🇽 Mexico Ends the Knockout Curse

• What’s Going On: Mexico fans are celebrating a historic milestone after El Tri won its first World Cup knockout-stage match in 40 years, ending one of the longest-running storylines in the nation’s soccer history. The breakthrough victory sparked emotional reactions online, with supporters calling it a defining moment for Mexican soccer after decades of near-misses and Round of 16 heartbreak.

💖 Barbie goes Miley Cyrus

• What’s Going On: Barbie has officially released a Miley Cyrus doll, sending both Miley fans and collectors into celebration mode on social. The doll pays tribute to Miley’s impact on pop culture and joins Barbie’s growing lineup of music-inspired collectibles. Fans are praising the doll’s styling and attention to detail, while sharing unboxings and nostalgia-filled reactions across social media.

Four must-click links that crossed our feeds today.

• Tour de France is kicking off this weekend with Tadej Pogačar one win away from earning his fifth yellow jersey.

• A Couple climbed the Empire State Building with a pro-peace banner and got engaged (and arrested.)

• A 21-year-old founder created an AI-powered phone farm that runs thousands of fake social media accounts designed to make content appear organically viral.

• Need something to binge over the long weekend? Try some of the best TV shows of 2026 (so far.)

• TV/Streaming: The Legally Blonde prequel series following a teenage Elle Woods’ years before Harvard Law) is now streaming on Prime Video.

• Movies: Young Washington hits theaters Friday and Millie Bobby Brown returns as Enola Holmes in Netflix’s highly anticipated third installment of the mystery franchise.

• Music: Madonna’s Confessions II drops July 3, serving as a sequel to her iconic Confessions on a Dance Floor album.

• Brands lose soccer fans by bandwagoning teams, sending unconnected influencers, and getting the language wrong.

• The non-negotiable entry to the Cup is vocabulary (its a goal not score or point, its a draw, not tie).

• The untapped white space is fantasy (FPL, Fantrax).

Hear it first-hand:

This Fandom runs deep. Fandoms aren’t just audiences with a shared passion – they’re thriving communities built on shared identity, rituals, and a deep emotional investment.

In general, communities don’t require co-presence. They can exist as distributed systems (fandoms, cultural cohorts) where connection is expressed through shared behaviors, language, and signals—even without direct interaction.

Spaces strengthen communities—but don’t define them. Platforms (Discord, TikTok comments, events) act as accelerators of connection, but the community can persist beyond any single place.

Those facts are a double edged sword. On one side, brands can utilize their existing channels to impact distributed fans. On the other side, the perception of a low barrier (why not chime in?!) gets confused with an easy “win.”

For brands, a deep understanding of fandom is key to building a community-first approach because it shifts the focus from simply reaching audiences to creating a strong sense of belonging. The strongest fandoms don’t just consume content - they participate in it, shape it, and advocate for it.

We cornered Aidan Maloney, Social Manager and certified real fan™️ to find out what a real soccer fan looks like.

From the 2014 Cup to Liverpool: A Fan’s Origin Story

“Is water wet? I’ve been a diehard fan of watching soccer since the 2014 Cup, but have been playing since I was young and grew up around the game. On a national stage I root for the USA and Italian teams, but at a club level I’m a Liverpool FC fan to the end. I was finally able to see Liverpool this past fall and it was one of the most unbelievable experiences of my life. If we’re being honest, most weekend plans are built around what matches I need to watch.”

Soccer Fandom Builds Lifelong Friendships

“Soccer really means a lot to me, it’s essentially my life. I grew up playing the sport through high school and because of it, met my best friends who I’m still extremely close with today. Beyond the love of the sport, the communities built supporting (or rooting against) teams is one of my favorite parts - watching with others is always better than watching alone.”

Where does the fandom gather online?

“Through my experience the best hub for footy conversations is X (FKA Twitter). It acts as a real-time conversation hub during games and allows for fans to connect with others supporting their teams. X is also THE hub for transfer rumors and news. Outside of the pitch, transfers are probably the most exciting part of the game. The most reliable voices in this space - Fabrizio Romano and David Ornstein - live on the X platform primarily as they can break news instantaneously.”

What are a few ways brands get the fandom wrong?

“Brands tapping into the Cup shouldn’t just bandwagon teams. Actual footy fans ride or die for their teams, so it doesn’t feel authentic when brands immediately latch onto the next best, or most popular team when things go south. There are heated rivalries with decades of history in the sport - bandwagoning downplays this and also ignores necessary context as to why certain games are so important.

Additionally, fans have already been frustrated with pricing for this tournament. Watching brands send popular influencers who have no previous connection to the sport could feel like a slap in the face to the average fan who isn’t able to attend.”

What’s the non-negotiable if a brand wanted to enter this fandom?

“The non-negotiable in this space is the language. It’s a goal, not a score or a point. It’s a draw, not a tie. Using the wrong language is an instant sign to fans that brands are just diving in because it’s trending. If a brand anticipates shooting content at watch parties or man on the street style, it’s also important for brand ambassadors to have a base knowledge of the teams and expectations for the tournament. As much as I would love for the USA to win it all, starting an interview or a post by saying we’re the clear favorites is an instant flag in authenticity.”

What is an untapped opportunity to win with this fandom? What would you like to see happen?

“There’s a lot of untapped potential in the American soccer fandom as the sport begins to gain more popularity and grow in the United States. But, a specific space I would love to see a brand activate in is fantasy sports. The largest fantasy sport in this space is FPL, which follows the English Premier League and currently holds a following of 6.7M on X. I’ve played fantasy soccer on the app Fantrax for 8 years now with my best friends and it’s something that connects us all every single day. It’s a community builder that doesn’t require physical sports capabilities.”

The TL;DR: We’re living in the age of pre-consumed culture. Before we watch, read, or listen, an algorithm has already delivered a verdict. Reaction clips, AI summaries, and spoiler clips mean most people aren’t forming original opinions on their own, they’re recycling ones they’ve already absorbed. It’s not that social media influences what we think after the fact. It’s increasingly shaping what we expect, feel, and believe before first contact even happens. For brands, this is both a warning and an opportunity; the work that breaks through creates genuine first impressions, experiences that land before the reactions do.

@shaythetheyThe world is lacking thought and thinkers. Everyone can regurgitate and report the sayings of others but so few can produce their own. When you can think for yourself it becomes draining because everyone wants to take who you are as their own act. Many people cannot think for themselves so they settle for being told what to think. #thinker #idea #metacognition #philosophy #shaythethey @YT: ShaytheThey

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There used to be a moment between experiencing something and having an opinion about it. You would walk out of the theater, sit in the car, and just feel it – before the group chat, before the takes, before the algorithm influenced what you thought. Those moments are disappearing. The more urgent question now isn’t whether social media shapes our opinions after the fact, but whether we even arrive at an experience with a blank slate at all.

Today, opinions are formed before the experience happens. Social feeds collapse the gap between encountering something and reacting to it, pre-framing what’s “good” or “bad” before we get there. By the time something drops, there’s already a consensus, and instead of forming our own reactions, we follow suit. If the discourse says it’s bad, we skip it. If it says it’s good, we show up.

Layer in AI, and the gap closes completely. Before you’ve had a single original thought, the algorithm has already summarized the conversation, assigned a verdict, and delivered it to you. You’re no longer discovering, validating, or confirming; you’re inheriting. The opinion was assembled before you arrived.

A brand’s impact no longer starts when someone experiences your work, it starts when the verdict on that work gets written. Shape it, and you’re part of what people believe. Miss it, and you’re not recovering; you’re arguing with a decision that’s already closed.

A snapshot of buzz-worthy communities and fandoms to guide community engagement

🌼 Olivia Rodrigo Announces Daisy Chain Fields Festival

• What’s Going On: Happening at Great Park in Irvine, California, Rodrigo’s inaugural music festival touts an all-female lineup, featuring artists like Chappell Roan, KATSEYE, Doechii, and Stevie Nicks. 100% of net proceeds from the festival will go to charities such as Baby2Baby, Planned Parenthood, National Women’s Law Center, and more dedicated to advocacy for women and girls.

🏝️ Brinity’s Emotional Casa Amor Journey

• What’s Going On: As Love Island USA gets deep into Casa Amor, fan-favorite couple Trinity Tatum and Bryce Alakai (AKA Brinity) is causing buzz for their tearful displays of yearning for each other while separated. Both Islanders have expressed insecurities about what the other may be thinking or feeling, making many viewers emotional as they root for the two to stay loyal to each other leading up to the show’s next recoupling.

🕸️ Zendaya’s Spider-Man Looks are Back

• What’s Going On: Zendaya has long been known for method dressing for her projects’ press tours, and the spidey-themed looks are back for Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Fans were quick to notice that black has been a central color for Zendaya on this press tour, sparking speculation and fears around her character MJ’s fate in the upcoming film.

Four must-click links that crossed our feeds today.

• LinkedIn is testing a new collaborative posts feature that is set to roll out in the coming months.

• Coach launched their new Gen Z-focused campaign “&Coach,” featuring stars like Charli XCX, PinkPantheress, and Avantika Vandanapu.

• Kylie Jenner and Meta collaborated on an exclusive new collection of Meta glasses inspired by Jenner’s personal style.

• Jordyn Woods’ lucky orange bag is going on display at the Guggenheim Museum.

• TV/Streaming: The Bear Season 5 and Avatar: The Last Airbender Season 2 are dropping on Hulu and Netflix respectively on June 25th.

• Movies: Supergirl and Jackass: Best and Last hit theaters on June 26th.

• Music: Debbii Dawson is set to release her EP Where Have All The Good Men Gone? on June 26th. Madeon is also set to drop his new album Victory on the same day.

The TL;DR: Rising movie attendance is being fueled by younger people who see the cinema as more than a movie. Movie theaters are cultural hubs that foster communities, online fandoms, and are a welcome escape from the endless scroll. In an age of short-form entertainment, movies offer people a chance to connect and participate in the increasingly rare experience of giving one, thoughtfully crafted story your whole attention.

@thealibakerbackrooms movie… #movietheater #obession #backrooms

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Gen Z’s return to the cinema has become more than a viewing habit. It is a cultural signal and an extension of digital identity. With Gen Z driving 40% of movie theater attendance, moviegoing is evolving into a social ritual. Friends coordinate outfits, plan themed outings, share memes, and post reactions across social platforms. Films no longer end when the credits roll — they continue through online conversations, fandoms, and content creation.

Apps like Letterboxd have turned movie watching into a participatory hobby where users build curated collections, share witty reviews, and showcase their taste as a form of self-expression. Much like a digital bookshelf, a Letterboxd profile has become a new cultural flex. The rise of indie studios like A24 further demonstrates how films can transcend entertainment and become lifestyle brands with devoted communities. The recent success of movies like Obsession and The Backrooms, both created by Gen Z directors with roots in social media, highlights how internet culture is increasingly influencing what gets made and what captures attention. Internet-born stories, fandoms, and theories are capable of generating the kind of anticipation that once required massive studio marketing budgets.

Movie theaters offer something rare: uninterrupted, shared experiences. Audiences willingly put their phones away and immerse themselves in a story alongside strangers. In a culture dominated by endless scrolling, that collective focus has become a premium experience. The resurgence of moviegoing signals a broader desire for participation-based culture. People are not just showing up to watch a film; they are showing up to be part of a cultural moment they can discuss, share, and remember together.

This summer’s much-anticipated film The Odyssey is taking note of this trend by partnering with Letterboxd to create digital punch cards for users to track views of the film in various formats like IMAX like IMAX and 35mm. In an age of quick clips and short attention spans, experiences that break through culture are often ones that give people a reason to participate, not just consume. Brands that create opportunities for collective participation can earn a place in culture by giving audiences something to engage with together, not just another piece of content to scroll past.

A snapshot of buzz-worthy communities and fandoms to guide community engagement

🧡💙 Knicks in 5!

• What’s Going On: For the first time in over 50 years, the New York Knicks are NBA Champions. The city hasn’t been this united in decades, with fans flooding the streets and social feeds celebrating the historic win. With the championship parade today, the excitement shows no signs of slowing down. We’re also seeing major brands join the conversation, highlighting how sports fandoms can bring communities together during divisive times.

⚽ Cape Verde’s Viral Goalkeeper Moment

• What’s Going On: Cape Verde, ranked No. 67 in the world, held tournament favorite Spain (No. 2) to a draw thanks to an incredible performance from 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha. After making seven crucial saves and earning FIFA’s Man of the Match award, his Instagram following skyrocketed from 50K to over 9 million overnight. A perfect example of how the World Cup can turn an underdog into a global star.

🇺🇸 World Cup Attendees Embrace American Culture

• What’s Going On: The World Cup has brought fans from around the globe to the U.S., and they’re fully immersing themselves in American culture. From marveling at the size of Texas Costcos to trying iconic regional foods, visitors are sharing their reactions across social media. One Scottish fan group even made headlines after reportedly drinking a Boston bar out of beer. Social feeds have been flooded with videos of international fans experiencing the quirks, scale, and spectacle of America for the first time creating a wholesome and hilarious fandom moment that extends far beyond the matches themselves.

Four must-click links that crossed our feeds today.

• Gen Z loves nostalgia: a recent poll showed that nearly half of young adults want to live in the past.

• Oliver Tree tragically passed away during a helicopter accident in Rio De Janeiro.

• Meta announced a range of new features to help users celebrate the FIFA World Cup 2026 across platforms.

• Why are brands spending billions of dollars on the World Cup?

• TV/Streaming: America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders returns on Netflix June 16, followed by House of the Dragon (Season 3) on HBO Max June 21, and The Bear (Season 5) on Hulu June 25.

• Movies: Toy Story 5 (with Taylor Swift on the soundtrack) hits theaters June 19 along with The Death of Robin Hood.

• Music: Dropping on June 19: Key Glock’s PROJECT X, Pond’s Terrestrials, and Jon Batiste’s Black Mozart.

Instagram now lets you reorganize your grid, officially cementing its resurgence

The TL;DR: This week Instagram announced a new feature that users have been begging for - the ability for accounts to reorganize their grids. Social marketers have spent the last decade (nearly) trying to convince brands to focus on the feed, not their grid. This news, coupled with declining feed distribution of brand-owned content, reverses that direction.

This revival of the grid is a convergence of a few different factors we’re seeing:

• A growing emphasis on perceived effort in content, as Rachel Karten outlined in Link in Bio, to be distinctive to algorithms and prove when AI isn’t being used.

• A return to 2015-style social (long live the cinemagraph).

• The fact that followers are no longer an indicator that a brand’s owned content will travel.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

• Shift your mindset from push, to pull on Instagram. Give people a reason to care consistently and make yourself findable.

• Off-page community engagement remains the single most important organic action a brand can take day-to-day to fuel discovery and participate with potential customers. When you land a killer comment on someone else’ s post, people want to see what you’re all about via your profile. Make sure your grid immediately and consistently communicates your brand world aesthetically and narratively.

• Think of the grid as more of a “business card” or a landing page for users to see what you’re about, understand your vibe, and see if it’s a world they’re interested in or if they want to further the relationship.

Craving more? 360i is now live. Missed the news? Catch up here.

A snapshot of buzz-worthy communities and fandoms to guide community engagement

Summer House Final Scene ☀️🏠

• What’s Going On: The three-part series that dove into the highly talked about relationship of Amanda Batula and West Wilson concluded on Tuesday however, a bonus episode will be released on June 16 at 8 p.m. on Bravo that will show three separate conversations among cast members which were filmed three weeks after the reunion.

World Cup Mania ⚽🏆

• What’s Going On: The World Cup kicks off today with Mexico playing South Africa and South Korea playing Czechia. This world wide event has taken over social with countless brand activations and fan excitement as they prep for the matches.

Arianators Activated 🎤

• What’s Going On: Ariana Grande started The Eternal Sunshine Tour last Saturday, marking her first tour in six years. People are taking to social to compare her previous tours and songs and what has changed in the setlist and vocals.

Four must-click links that crossed our feeds today.

• Rhode Beauty released their summer collection on Tuesday, June 9th and the internet is going crazy over it

• Taylor Swift surprised fans after the Toy Story 5 premiere with a performance of her new song

• This week, Instagram released a new feature where you are able to re-order your profile grid

• The Monaco Grand Prix 2026 had lots of eyes this weekend with celebrities and influencers like Kim Kardashian and Alix Earle in attendance with 19 year old Kimi Antonelli taking home the trophy

• TV/Streaming: Every Year After premiered June 10th on Prime Video, Game 5 of the NBA Finals is on Saturday, June 13th

• Movies: The Furious, with a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes, comes to theaters Friday, June 12th as well as Steven Spielberg’s Disclosure Day

• Music: Olivia Rodrigo’s new album, You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love, releases tomorrow, June 12th

The industry is at an inflection point. Algorithms are forming opinions about you whether you like it or not. The old agency model — layers, handoffs, channel silos — is not working for modern brands. And AI is reshaping how everything gets discovered. Everyone knows it, but not everyone is doing something about it.

We are.

As of today, Wednesday, June 10, 2026, 360i is back. Rewired for exactly this moment.

Let’s get the obvious question out of the way.

You probably remember 360i. A disruptor brand in the world of search and social. The agency that helped legitimize social and modern digital marketing inside big brand organizations. That understood real-time culture before anyone else.

In an era when consolidation was everything (and frankly, still is for many), 360i was integrated into Dentsu Creative. The name went quiet for a while — but the thinking never stopped. The talent, the instincts? Still there. Still running.

So why bring it back now?

The one constant in our industry is change. And we feel the ground shifting again beneath our feet. Clients and partners aren’t looking for generalism masked as “integration.” They want specialty. They need something faster, more agile, built for the ways modern marketing actually works right now.

We’re brave enough to see that 360i deserves to stand on its own again, operate differently, and serve a particular kind of brand in this particular moment in time.

So we rewired. And here we are.

So, what is 360i today?

360i is an AI-native, social-first solution built for brands that want to grow in the most modern way possible. We bring specialist speed and expertise with the scale and capability of the dentsu network — designed to earn trust with people and with the machines that shape what they discover and believe. Living at the intersection of creative and media to help brands move faster, stay relevant, and drive business outcomes, while drawing on the full weight of dentsu’s capabilities. Sharp specialization and global scale, without having to choose between them.

360i is built for first movers, not fast followers. For organizations navigating growth, transformation, or category disruption. For brands who want to thrive in social, creator, influence, and commerce. And for teams that want hands-on partners, not just advisors.

Hi. Let Me Back Up.

I’ve seen the social and influencer landscape evolve since minute one. From the days of managing Facebook fan pages and Twitter parties with mommy bloggers through “everything is paid” to “everything is earned” and everything in between.

I’ve led social and influencer teams (and the clients they serve) to create modern marketing activations that deliver real brand growth. From Washington, DC to Chicago and back to New York working at agencies large and small across CPG, beauty, finance, aviation, alcohol, and more. Bringing together culture and community just as much as content and commerce.

And then I got a call about something that felt like the exact right thing at the exact right moment. “We’re bringing back 360i,” they said. “We’re looking for a leader to build it and run.”

“Shut up!” was my first response. Then an immediate, “I’m in.”

I’ve spent nearly two decades watching this industry evolve in real time — and every time, the brands that won were the ones who moved first. Treated disruption as the opportunity instead of waiting to see how it landed. Put their money where their mouth is when they knew change is what was needed. We are in one of those moments right now.

So hi, I’m Christine Cotter, Managing Director of 360i and Head of Social Innovation at dentsu. Writing this newsletter. Drinking from a firehose. I’m so excited I could vomit.

And I’m pinching myself that when I refer to this iconic brand, it gets to be a “we.”

So, What’s Different?

360i was rewired to fill a gap. Not a new agency. Not a rebrand. A sharper, more intentional solution — AI-native, social-first, agile by design — built on a legacy with a track record of cracking the code before anyone else does.

Agile by Design — lean teams, fewer layers, agile workflows. From insight to activation, faster.

Social OS — social is the operating system connecting culture, creators, communities, and commerce. Not a channel. Not a tactic. A way of being.

AI-native execution — embedded across planning, content, optimization, and measurement. Not an add-on. Foundational.

Led by ideas, not executions — We create ideas that solve business problems and drive growth, we don’t lead with channels or tactics.

Dentsu network power and creativity. Specialty speed and cost. Organized around outcomes, not channels. Fixed-fee only, no exceptions.

It isn’t a renovation. It’s not a fresh coat of paint on the same structure. It means adapting to find success in new environments — changing the systems, the signals, the way energy moves through an organization. Continuously. Because what you need today isn’t what you’ll need tomorrow. And since you have that power, you don’t need to wait for perfection.

Just try.

The way Phil Gaughran, our CEO at Dentsu Creative Americas puts it: “There are moments when you need the full force of an integrated network, and moments when you need a highly specialized unit that can move fast, go deep, and operate with a level of craft that only comes from specialty focus. 360i is that unit. We didn’t build it because social is important, we built it because social has become one of the most important drivers of brand growth and cultural relevance. We’re making a deliberate decision to treat it that way.”

And, when we think about what this means for the broader network, Beth Ann Kaminkow our CEO of dentsu Americas and Chief Global Client Officer, says: “Amidst an industry that is scaling back on brands, our clients need something different — true specialization without sacrificing scale. That’s a hard combination to find. Bringing back 360i is dentsu’s answer: a focused, AI-native solution backed by the full power of our network. We’re doubling down when others aren’t, because we believe that’s exactly what this moment requires to bring fresh approaches to our clients.”

What We Actually Do (And How We Do It)

Paid, owned, earned, and commerce as one integrated model. Creators embedded from day one. Community as a growth engine, not a content calendar. And signals, the kind that shape how algorithms and AI systems understand your brand over time, designed with intention.

At the center is dentsu.Connect, dentsu’s proprietary next-generation intelligent operating system designed to unify the entire marketing lifecycle, from creative, production and media to experience, within a single, AI-powered system. It brings together proprietary capabilities, best-in-class third-party tools, and the Adobe Suite into one connected stack. More on the full stack in a future edition.

In practice: a client engagement with 360i looks like a lean, specialized team moving from brief to in-market faster than a traditional model allows — testing live, optimizing continuously, and building brand signals that compound over time.

Still Here? This Part Is For You.

If you’re a fast follower by nature, we’re probably not your people. No shade. Different strokes.

But if any of this sounds like you:

• You’re a challenger or DTC brand that wants a true Social AOR, not a vendor making content calendars

• You’re a larger brand that needs deep specialization in social, creators, culture, and commerce — without losing network scale

• You’re navigating real transformation — growth, disruption, a category that’s shifting under your feet

• You want hands-on partners who will challenge you to be first, not follow

• You understand that the cost of waiting is higher than the cost of moving

Then subscribe, follow along, and come hang with us. First movers only.

+++

About 360i

360i is an AI-native, social-first solution rewired to help brands move at the speed of culture, commerce, and community. Relaunched within dentsu, 360i combines agile operating models, integrated creative and media expertise, creator ecosystems, and AI-powered workflows to help brands navigate rapid change and drive measurable business momentum. Designed for modern marketing realities, 360i helps brands turn cultural shifts into business and brand momentum. Find out more: 360i.com

WHAT TIM PAYNE’S OVERNIGHT RISE REVEALS ABOUT THE SPEED OF REAL-TIME FANDOM AND REACTIVE BRAND MARKETING

The TL;DR: The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be THE moment of this summer culturally, drawing an audience of billions globally. In order to stand out from the sea of brands tapping into this moment, the identification of quick-turn reactive moments is vital. If culture moves at the speed of sound, the World Cup moves at the speed of light — there isn’t much time before the next storyline takes over. The overnight rise of Tim Payne from relatively unknown player to viral fan favorite is an early preview of how quickly narratives, fandoms, and internet main characters will form throughout the tournament. It is vital to stay adaptable during this 6-week period. While planned campaigns will still fill content calendars for a few weeks, supplementing them with real-time reactions to the narrative playing out is your most authentic way in.

With the 2026 FIFA World Cup fast approaching, storylines to watch have begun to sprout up. The typical headlines - commentary on squad selections, betting favorites, and dark horses to win - have been making the rounds, but this year’s tournament has already been marked by a new type of headline before the first ball has even been kicked: a social media movement.

On May 27, 2026, Argentinian creator Elscarso posted a video to his feed talking about how this summer’s tournament needed a hero to root for and how he had found him. The player’s name was Tim Payne, a relatively unknown right back from the New Zealand national team. At the time of posting, Payne had just over 3,000 followers on Instagram, but he had no clue what was to come. Over the next 24 hours, Elscarso’s video blew up in the algorithm and was served to millions. As a result, Tim Payne’s following grew rapidly, gaining over 1 million followers almost overnight. He was an overnight sensation. But this wasn’t the end of his story. The video continued to gain traction and, as a result, Payne’s following continued to grow at an incredible rate. At time of writing, it has been 7 days since the initial video was posted and Tim Payne now sits at 4.7 million followers on Instagram. He has done collabs with the original creator, massive soccer news account 433, and even the official FIFA World Cup account, but has yet to participate in any actual brand sponsorship (a space to watch 👀).

For brands, this signals what to expect from the World Cup this summer. The tournament is incredibly fast paced, with multiple games each day producing constant new storylines. The same applies to reactive moments — the buzzword will be “quick turn.” While most brands will react to broad tournament moments, tapping into smaller, fast-moving narratives could be the key differentiator. The challenge is choosing what to react to. To make content last longer than a day, focus on moments that develop over multiple games. Did we just watch the birth of a World Cup legend? Think about how that story evolves and how your brand could show up as an early supporter. The more invested you are in a story, the more authentic it will feel to fans. These reactive moments can also significantly expand reach. Soccer is called the world’s game for good reason — the 2022 World Cup reached over 5 billion people globally across total media engagement. Showing up in that conversation authentically keeps brands top of mind.

A snapshot of buzz-worthy communities and fandoms to guide community engagement

💻 KSI Steps Away From Sidemen Era

• What’s Going On: After years of being a main character in the Sidemen and helping shape one of YouTube’s biggest groups, KSI is stepping away from the channel, and fans are feeling it. Social media is flooded with emotional reactions, throwback clips, and tributes as longtime viewers reflect on iconic moments. KSI wasn’t just a member — he had a defining presence, making this moment feel like the end of an era while also sparking curiosity about what’s next.

🎾 Serena Serves Up a Comeback to the WTA Tour

• What’s Going On: After stepping away from professional tennis, Serena Williams is officially returning to the WTA, reigniting excitement across the sport. Social media is buzzing with anticipation as fans look back on her legendary career while gearing up to witness her next chapter. Serena’s comeback is being framed as both a cultural moment and a powerful reminder of her lasting impact on the sport.

🏝️ Love Island USA S8 Already Sparking Chaos as Social Can’t Look Away

• What’s Going On: Viewers are diving into the chaos of Love Island USA Season 8, where nonstop coupling, bombshell arrivals, and viral moments are turning the villa into a social media obsession. Each twist fuels memes and real-time community reactions. What started as a dating show has quickly become a shared internet spectacle.

Four must-click links that crossed our feeds today.

• 💍 Dua Lipa ties the knot with Callum Turner in London

• 🤖 AI spending boom meets reality check

• 🌞 The 90s summer comeback for kids

• 🔥 India’s heatwave pushes conditions to the brink

• TV/Streaming: 90 Day: The Last Resort premieres 6/1, America’s Got Talent (Season 21) premieres 6/2

• Movies: Scary Movie, Power Ballad, and Signal One are releasing on 6/5

• Music: Ariana Grande released the “hate that I made you love me” music video on 6/1. Niall Horan is dropping his fourth studio album Dinner Party on 6/5

COMFORT CULTURE IS MAKING US LONELIER: HOW PROTECTING YOUR PEACE MIGHT BE COSTING YOU CONNECTION

The TL;DR: People crave connection, support, and belonging, but many are increasingly unwilling to tolerate the friction that real community requires. As convenience culture and “protect your peace” mindsets become more normalized, showing up for others can start to feel optional, even though that awkwardness, effort, and temporary discomfort are often the very things that build deeper relationships.

A growing cultural tension is emerging between the desire to belong and the reluctance to get involved. We’re seeing the shift on how modern life has become faster, more individualized, and more digitally curated, making it easier to retreat into private comfort instead of shared experience. At the same time, boundary culture has in some cases shifted from healthy self-protection into avoidance, encouraging people to cancel plans, disengage at the first sign of emotional effort, or prioritize short-term ease over long-term connection. The result is a paradox: people want a village, but often resist the inconvenience of being a villager. And yet, community is never built through efficiency, it’s built through showing up, tolerating some friction, and investing in people even when it would be easier not to.

This same tension applies to brands. Community isn’t something brands can simply tap into or scale on demand, it has to be actively built and maintained. That means showing up consistently, investing time and effort into audiences, and creating real value beyond moments of opportunistic engagement. Brands that try to “cash in” on a community without contributing to it risk feeling transactional or inauthentic. The ones that win will treat the community the same way people should: as an ongoing commitment that requires participation, care, and a level of inconvenience to show it matters.

A snapshot of buzz-worthy communities and fandoms to guide community engagement

🏀The Knicks are going to the NBA finals

• What’s Going On: After more than two decades, the Knicks are finally back in the Finals and fans are showing up in full force. Social is flooded with celebration, excitement, and nostalgia, as longtime fans reflect on the last 1999 run while newer fans experience it for the first time.

🎧Spotify’s new “Reserved” feature turns listening history into concert access

• What’s Going On: As bots and scalpers continue to dominate ticket sales, securing concert tickets has become increasingly difficult for genuine fans. Spotify’s new “Reserved” feature aims to shift access back to superfans by offering early ticket opportunities for select artists this summer, with plans to expand in the future.

📱TikTok Farlands is turning doomscrolling into an internet mythology

• What’s Going On: Users are theorizing that continuous scrolling leads to a hidden and eerie corner of TikTok known as the “Farlands,” a space only reached after hours of endless scrolling. Described in layers, each deeper level becomes more surreal and unsettling, turning doomscrolling into a collaborative piece of internet lore.

Four must-click links that crossed our feeds today.

• 🧁Dot Cakes are baking up a viral debate online

• 🏎️Gucci hits the F1 track with a new Alpine partnership

• 🕶️Wearable tech is driving a new era of surveillance led content

• 💻“Women in SPAM” is how the internet is celebrating women in creative professions

• TV/Streaming: Love Island USA Season 8 Premiers - 6/2

• Movies: Backrooms release - 5/29

• Music: aespa releases LEMONADE - 5/29

  • Paul McCartney releases The Boys Of Dungeon Lane - 5/29

The TL;DR: Gen Z drinkers are choosing to cut back on alcohol due to rising costs and a record low 54% number of Americans are drinking due to health concerns. Young adults are still partying, but finding home-hosted experiences more fun in addition to cost-effective and healthier. Instead of the main event being a night out at a club or bar, more people are opting to make the “pregame” the main event - and it has a domino effect on how young adults are spending time with their friends.

In a 2024 survey, 65% of Gen Z respondents planned to drink less. And of that, 22% were choosing to cut back due to financial pressures. That number has undoubtedly grown as economic pressures have hit all Americans in the last year. Young people are having a hard time justifying a $20 cocktail amid the rise of other necessary cost of living expenses, and as a result, spending $50 to $100 in one night at a club or bar is less appealing than hosting friends at home, where the party is BYOB (with any kind of B.)

Traditionally, “pregaming” was meant to be a short period of time before a night out, where friends got ready and imbibed together. Now, Gen Z is sharing more on social about how the pregame has easily become the best part of the night. In a testimonial shared by Impact, a 27 year old Californian says, “Pregaming is funny to me because I find myself having more fun at the pregame than whatever event or club we are on our way to.”

This change in behavior is causing a domino effect in how young adults spend time with their friends as they choose to host more at home. In an IHA survey, Gen Z’s leading reason to host their friends at home is that it’s budget-friendly, followed by being able to try new recipes or a themed/concept party. While the first is indicative of the reasons we know people are partying at home more, the last two indicate that being able to host a social-worthy party is also part of the draw of hosting at home — for friends to post about it.

As young adults’ party behaviors continue to evolve, brands should evolve how they reach Gen Z and older revelers. The “night out” is no longer the main event, and while clubs are seeing fewer young people, the party hasn’t stopped - it just now looks like presentation parties or community potlucks where everyone contributes. For applicable brands who want to focus on strengthening community, focus on how you can enhance these these more intimate home events over traditional nightlife.

A snapshot of buzz-worthy communities and fandoms to guide community engagement

🪩 Harry Styles is back on tour

• What’s Going On: Harry Styles kicked off his Together, Together multi-city residency tour in Amsterdam over the weekend. While many celebrated his return, some fans with floor tickets saw obstructed views of the concert due to the stage’s walkways, prompting Styles’ tour reps to investigate the stage design.

🍼 “Call Her Daddy” host Alex Cooper is pregnant

• What’s Going On: Call Her Mommy! Alex Cooper announced her pregnancy with husband Matt Kaplan on Sunday, sending fans into a frenzy amidst rumors of marital tensions between the two.

🎥 Cannes Film Festival Wraps Up

• What’s Going On: The Cannes Film Festival wraps up this weekend, with a clear frontrunner for the Palme de’Or yet to be determined. Many of the films debuted at the festival have received polarizing reactions, making it a tough race to the coveted award.

Four must-click links that crossed our feeds today.

• Arsenal has won the Premier League for the first time in 22 years!

• It’s race week! Formula 1 heads to Canada for the Canadian Grand Prix this weekend.

• EDC Las Vegas, the largest electronic dance music festival in North America, will now be split into two weekends starting 2027.

• Bravo released the teaser trailer for Summer House Season 10’s highly anticipated reunion.

• TV/Streaming: Rick and Morty returns for Season 9 this Sunday, May 24.

• Movies: Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu hits theaters this Friday, May 22.

• Music: Albums dropping May 22nd include LE SSERAFIM’s PUREFLOW Pt. 1 and Bleachers’ everyone for ten minutes.