You've probably seen this trend on your feed without even realising it.
Recurring characters, simple storylines, consistent formats that make you hit follow without even thinking about it. Any of these ring a bell? I’m sure they do; you probably just don't know how to put a finger on what you're looking at. Because what you're looking at isn't simply "content." It's a social show - entertainment carefully crafted like a TV show, but for your feed. And right now, it might be the single most powerful tool in your content arsenal. [Find out how to make one]
-Sophie Randell, Writer
WHAT’S HAPPENING IN MARKETING TODAY?
The AIs have their own social media, Elon wants his own cinematic universe & It’s Winter Olympics time!
Morning! So um, y’all know that there’s an AI only social network where humans aren’t allowed an AI agents like chat and interact and stuff?
Before you freak out, it is actually facilitated by a human. Moltbook is a project created by the man who runs Octane AI, Matt Schlicht. It's made to be a Reddit style platform (they even stole its tagline: “the front page of the agent internet.”). Obviously this thing has become super viral, with many people thinking this is the stuff we’ve been warned about in Sci-Fi for like, ever. You know, underlying consciousness that winds up conspiring against us and killing us all (see: every robot and artificial intelligence film ever made.)
But some online users as well as researchers are questioning the validity of the posts on Moltbook. In fact, they're suggesting that maybe they weren’t written by AI agents at all. Either way, it feels a little too unsettling for me to see self-organising behaviour coming from something that recently was unable to make a Will Smith spaghetti-eating video.
Aaaand then I have to open my phone to see Elon Musk floating the idea of merging basically all of his companies into one mega-entity. SpaceX, xAI, X, Neuralink: the whole cinematic universe under one roof. No, you’re not a fkn Marvel character. And no, this doesn’t distract us from the fact that you were very much all up in the Epstein files.
The stated logic is “efficiency” and “alignment,” which is billionaire-speak for trust me, I know best. Moltbook is unsettling because it feels like AI learning to organise itself. This feels unsettling because it’s a single human trying to do the same thing: centralising power, data, infrastructure, communication, and intelligence into one vertically integrated system. Less sci-fi robot uprising, more real-world tech feudalism. Same dread, different font.
Because we don’t have enough going on already, the Winter Olympics opening ceremony kicks off. Milan–Cortina, snow, f*cking fireworks, and athletes flipping through the air like physics is optional. A global audience is gathering to watch a carefully choreographed spectacle while the world quietly unravels in the background. I’m sure the marketing will be immaculate. Luxury brands. Energy drinks. Maybe a tech sponsor reminding us that innovation thrives even when everything else feels unstable. There’s something almost comforting about it, I guess?? When the systems feel too big to understand, at least someone is still lighting a torch and keeping on keeping on.
-Sophie Randell, Writer
DEEP DIVE
Your brand needs a social show. Here’s how you build one.
We already know the internet is more fractured than that time I flew off the trampoline onto both hands.
Audiences aren't one big monolith anymore. They're scattered across hundreds of niche communities, each with their own culture, in-jokes, and content preferences.
Mass virality? Hardly know her.
Which means you can't just blast the same content at everyone and hope for the best. You need to build genuine connection within specific communities. And guess what’s perfect for that? You got it, baby—social shows.
Nobody wants to follow a brand for constant sales pitches.
They never did, honestly. I can’t tell you one brand that’s ever done that and actually made it work. And now with audiences more sceptical than ever, entertaining them isn't a nice-to-have. It's the whole damn cake.
Great organic content should focus on brand awareness - which means it needs to be fun, engaging, and made to entertain. Save the selling for paid ads, where it's expected, where it actually converts.
Brands are constantly wrestling with the tension between two goals: creating content people actually want to watch, and promoting their products.
The truth is, you can't do both in the same piece of content (trust me on this one). Social shows solve this problem beautifully.
Think about Nike - their social content doesn't scream "buy our shoes." It's a freaking bachelor’s degree in storytelling. Every post makes you feel something: pride, determination, excitement, encouragement. They sell you the dream, not the product. They sell you the person you become with the product.
Or Mid-Day Squares, whose behind-the-scenes, reality-show-style content invites viewers into the sibling founders' dynamic - the arguments, the wins, the mess. It's entertaining because it feels real.
So, here's how you build your own social show:
Step 1: Simplify your idea.
The key to a great social show is simplicity. Niche down until you've got a crystal-clear concept, then identify one variable that changes each episode. This keeps it fresh but predictable enough that people know what they're getting - and keep coming back for more.
Step 2: Find the core human truth.
The best social shows tap into something universal - a feeling, a desire, a struggle that everyone relates to. The format might be niche, but the emotion behind it should be universal. Always.
Step 3: Make it repeatable.
Your format should be simple enough to recreate consistently. My boss calls it ERC – literally: Easily Repeatable Content. Think street interviews, recurring challenges, behind-the-scenes series. Low cost, high rewatch-ability, endlessly repeatable. The algorithm loves consistency. So do audiences, and so does your brain when you’re trying to pump out videos constantly.
Step 4: Tie it back to your brand.
This is the subtle bit. The content shouldn't feel like a sales pitch, but it should still feel like you. Your brand becomes the implicit authority in the conversation, without ever having to announce it. Learn to walk that line and walk it hard.
Here’s the thing:
In a world where attention is the scarcest resource on the planet and audiences are more fragmented than ever, social shows are one of the smartest ways to build real, lasting connection with your community.
This is how you build trust, spark conversations, and turn casual scrollers into fans who can’t wait for your next piece of content to drop. So, if you haven't started yours yet? What are you waiting for?
-Sophie Randell, Writer
TREND PLUG
Rue, if you screw me
Today's audio comes from the trailer of the upcoming season of Euphoria, where a character threatens Rue with: “Rue, if you screw me, I’ll have you kidnapped and sold to some real sick people.”
From what we can gather, Rue is tangled up with dangerous people and very real consequences. The clip is intense, dark, and dramatic. And that's exactly why it works so well as a meme. It’s recently started circulating on TikTok and Reels, getting pulled out of its original context and reimagined for very unserious situations.
Creators are using this audio to jokingly show the one thing they absolutely do not play about. The humour comes from the contrast, because it’s basically the perfect way to show a situation that’s funny to joke about until it becomes real… and suddenly you do not want to be tested.
For example:
How you can jump on this trend:
Film yourself lip syncing the audio. Keep the delivery straight faced or deadpan, and let the on screen text do the explaining. Think about boundaries, plans, or situations you usually joke about, but actually take very seriously. This trend works best when it feels personal and really really unhinged.
A few ideas to get you started:
When a brand hints at changing the brief after you’ve already delivered
When your coworker says “let's circle back” to an idea you thought was good
When they say "I might be too tired" about plans you’ve been excited for all week
-Bella Vlasich, Intern
FOR THE GROUP CHAT
😂Yap’s funniest home videos: Mini donkey antics
❤How wholesome: Cutest trend w the cutest couple
😊Soooo satisfying: Giltter soap slicing
🍝What you should make for dinner tonight: Delicious salmon bowl
Not going viral yet?
We get it. Creating content that does numbers is harder than it looks. But doing those big numbers is the fastest way to grow your brand. So if you’re tired of throwing sh*t at the wall and seeing what sticks, you’re in luck. Because making our clients go viral is kinda what we do every single day.