Culture Lab is back (and slightly sunburnt)
Well, thank goodness that's over. Here in the UK it has been truly "el scorchio" as we're pretty sure the Spanish say... you know it's bad when it's hotter in our London office than our Miami office.
Now the heatwave has finally broken (a moment of silence, please, for everyone who panic-bought a fan), it's time to catch up on the cultural moments that dominated the timelines while us Brits were pretending we could sleep in rainforest-level humidity.
What's Gone Viral? 🔥
Just want the headlines? Here's a peek at some of the bigger viral or rising convos before we dive into trends and the more… unexpected.
The Summer I Switched Allegiance
For those of you who feared summer 2026 wouldn't be the same without a fresh Conrad vs Jeremiah discourse cycle, fear not.
Off Campus has emerged as our newest obsession, delivering exactly what people want from summer streaming: teenage angst, an aggressively American university setting and a soundtrack that includes "On The Floor" by JLo & Pitbull.
Enter: a slew of TikTok edits of slow-motion montages and Y/N-style Wattpad captions. Shows like these are proving that short-form editability is key - if people are able to whip up a yearning montage with a catchy soundtrack, they'll do your marketing for you.
22 Years of Hurt
After years of "next year is our year" allegations, Arsenal finally won the Premier League and the internet became a sea of throwback photos in red shirts and cinematic compilation edits.
Major sporting moments have evolved into meme-generation machines, and this one was no different. Timelines filled with brands desperately trying to work in a North London angle - no less than Trullo, who really committed to the bit by painting their entire shopfront red…
Special shoutout to Culture Lab team member Kate, who we can safely assume is still sporting a celebratory Arsenal shirt as you read this. (See the cinematic compilation edits.)
Did we mention there was a heatwave?
Last week, the UK hit its hottest May temperatures on record and, as always, the Brits handled it with complete grace…
Wheelie bins became ice baths, we all were all WFG (working from garden) and the M&S tinny aisle was practically post-apocalyptic.
For brands, the heatwave created the perfect recipe for reactive content: shared suffering, hyper-relatable behaviour and endless opportunities for "too hot to function" humour.
Trending Format Alert 🚨
This one is sooooooooooooooooooooooooo easy
If you've been on Instagram lately, you've probably seen the carousel trend where a single word gets stretched across frame after frame after frame.
The genius format weaponises curiosity, keeping us swiping almost subconsciously because of our brain's desperate need to know the ending of the story. Use it for product launches, event announcements, collabs, campaign teasers… basically any time you want to tease some information or manufacture a lil suspense.
Low production, highly native to social and built entirely around interaction mechanics… now that's a format we can get behind.
Brand Champion 🏆
This one's for the Formula 1 fans
Formula 1 teams have quietly become some of the funniest brands on social, and Visa Cash App RB Racing (they really changed their name to the longest thing possible, huh?) might be one of the best.
Their content never feels overly polished, which is something coming from such a well oiled engine (pun intended). The drivers are front and centre, the humour feels truly platform-native and the account fully leans into the chaos of fandom culture rather than shying away from it.
But the real star of their content? The "Admin". Followers have become so invested in the person behind the account that they're basically the main character, with people actively anticipating exactly how "Admin" will annoy Liam Lawson next. It's a pretty niche level of audience buy-in for a brand account, but proof that breaking the fourth wall online still works, and brands acknowledging the human behind the camera makes content feel collaborative rather than broadcasted.
Culture Lab Spotlight 🌟
And, of course, we can't forget some of our own recent client content 🎺
No Nonsense — watch here
DHL Express — watch here
More Industry News 🗞️
Looking for a specific industry or topic? Say no more. Here's a selection of a few bonus newsworthy moments and trends, organised into categories, 'Type A' style.
Fashion & Lifestyle 🛍️
- The most confusing acquisition in fashion history?
- I 'Heart' revival trends
- Jacquemus spend the day with Pamela Anderson
Sports & Events 🏆
- The Future Mr Swift invests in Cleveland Guardians
- Naomi Osaka serves looks at Roland Garros
- The before and after of an Asics campaign
Food & Drinks 🥐
- The Tom Holland/Nando's collab you didn't see coming
- Have an Ashwa-gander at this new coffee trend
- Chews a functional gum flavour
Travel & Tourism ✈️
- In Michael O'Leary we (hopefully) trust
- Move over Malta, Spain now holds the Rainbow Map top spot
- Head for a hot girl Eurosummer on the cheap
Trend Alert 🚨
We love a trend with a plot twist.
The "this isn't about a boy" format starts with emotional text overlays that make you think someone's about to unpack devastating heartbreak lore… before revealing it's actually about something completely unrelated (and usually ridiculous).
The format works by playing into familiar social themes then completely subverting expectations, and makes it perfect for brands wanting to inject a bit of humour into relatable pain points.
Now that we've all cooled down by refreshing ourselves with the latest cultural news, we'll leave you to enjoy the return of normal British weather programming.
Until we speak again, stay chronically online, besties 🫶
Live, laugh, love, The Culture Lab team 💚
