Ok, maybe not EVERYTHING, but some cultural insight for sure ☀️
Tuesday’s our favourite day of the week, and we’re back again to make it yours too. From a Fashion Month round-up to dolphin memes, cast your eyeballs over this week’s news, courtesy of our band of eagle-eyed snipers trained on every corner of the internet.
What’s Gone Viral? 🔥
First up, take a peek at the headlines that have dominated our feeds this week before we dive into all things unhinged…
TikTok in the US is changing hands 🤝
Signed, sealed… nearly delivered. After months of uncertainty, Trump has signed a deal to split TikTok from its Chinese owners ByteDance, meaning different governance, data storage and more for US-based users. The big question is how this will affect the platform’s famous algorithm: and if it does, whether brands and creators might start getting itchy feet…
Fashion month opens the door to SS26’s trends 👠
Designer debuts, surprise lookbooks and dresses suspended from… nipple piercings? There was a lot to unpack from September’s fashion month shows. As brands like Balenciaga, Prada and Burberry leaned into their heritage, could we see a revival of nostalgic trends through a modern lens?
Taylor’s in her showgirl era… and so are we 🧡
When Taylor Swift moves, the world pays attention, and Friday brought a whole new album for us to dig into. The Life of a Showgirl dropped, complete with diss tracks, some outright thirst and a sparkly orange aesthetic that plenty of brands have been styling out. When the crossover feels authentic, we’re all for brands like Deezer, Krispy Kreme and Canva riding the wave, but if the link feels forced, it’s best to sit this one out.
And now that you’re primed and ready for the good stuff…
Trending Format Alert 🚨
Grab the sweet and salty because Instagram has officially gone cinematic 🍿 If you’ve been scrolling over the past couple of weeks, we’re sure you’ll have encountered the newest trending format, the extra-super-wide post.
Clocking in at 5120x1080px, this format lends itself to panoramic and wide-angled shots, as well as simple assets that serve as a break in the feed - just like this example from KitKat, using their iconic product shape and ‘take a break’ messaging to join the trend in a way that feels both novel and authentic to the brand.
Our take? It's a smart UX hack to stop the scroll, but could feel gimmicky if it doesn't naturally align with the brand's social persona. For those already known for playful, platform-first content, it's a win. For everyone else, maybe not worth stretching that wide just set.
Keep scrolling to see how we brought this format to life with one of our clients 👀
TikTok Brand Champion 🏆
Cutting through is all about getting creative, so we’re not surprised to see the home of creativity, Hobbycraft (specifically the Wimbledon store), out here leading the way ✨
Celeb features are one thing, but giving that celeb a starring role alongside employees and products like they’re part of the furniture? Chef’s kiss 😘🤌
Hobbycraft Wimbledon has made it their mission to welcome pop icons to the store, filming a music video that makes fun use of products and uses clever references specific to the star (we LOVE what they did here with Zara Larsson and the Symphony dolphin meme). The engagement doesn’t lie either, bringing in fans of both the brand and the celeb to build hype in the comments, creating consistently strong performance across their videos.
When they don’t have talent starring in their content, they continue their dedication to all things music by making clever use of trending songs to spotlight their range of products. A haberdashery remake of Abracadabra that Lady Gaga herself reposted?? We’re sold.
We particularly love this as an example of how smaller regional accounts can add value as offshoots of their main brand. While the main Hobbycraft account may not want to dedicate their entire feed to brainrot remakes of pop songs, a small branch can piggyback off the chain’s brand awareness and also have space to cut loose.
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 by category for you to zone in on 🎯
Travel & Hospitality ✈️
TikTok is set to launch Travel Ads, a new paid format featuring dynamic CTAs to drive conversion.
Sustainable tourism is booming, but where’s the best place to give it a go? See which city is the favourite.
Solo travel isn’t just for young singletons anymore! Here’s why more people are going it alone.
Food & Beverage 🍹
Greggs has opened… a pub? The Golden Flake Tavern is housed inside Newcastle’s famous Fenwick store and will be open until February 2026.
Come Dine With Me celebrates its 20-year anniversary 😳
Is organic food better for you? Here’s what the label actually means.
Tech & Sport ⚽️
What is ‘vibe coding’ and how could it bring security threats for developers?
The UEFA Women’s Champions League kicks off today, with new changes that bring the competition in line with the men’s format.
Crystal Palace’s 18-game unbeaten run - and the accompanying punny X bios - has come to an end. Cue the clapbacks from Everton, Domino’s UK and more ‼️
TV & Entertainment 📸
Bad Bunny has been announced as the headliner for next year’s Super Bowl and ay papi are we excited 🤩
This weekend he also clapped back against critics in his witty SNL monologue. Get it, Benito 👏
Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco have officially tied the knot! Find the cutest wedding snaps here.
A highly-publicised lawsuit over a Nirvana album cover has been thrown out for a second time.
Trend Alert 🚨
Trends that explore the workings of our inner psyche never fail to entertain us, and the Betrayal List trend (inspired by Kanye West) is delivering with personalised and hyper-specific examples of low-level betrayals.
But how could this work for my brand, we hear you ask? The concept of a betrayal list is not only sector-fluid but can be used to flex a more playful brand personality, featuring items like ‘people who spell our name wrong’, ‘our 2018 branding’, ‘office wifi during any product launch’ or simply… ‘the algorithm’ ✨
As always, there’s SO much gracing our feeds and algorithms, but this week’s madness leaves us with one clear takeaway: audiences still just love humans being humans. Whether it’s celebs letting their hair down in brand collabs, Greggs leaning in to their northern roots or users finding enjoyment in their niche shared betrayals, we’re all just looking for those small, human moments of connection. Something to keep in mind as we edge ever closer towards the festive season 👀🎄
And that’s a wrap for this week, but if you miss us in the meantime get in touch using the button below and we can chat trends & hot takes!
Stay fresh cheese bags,
The Culture Lab team 👋
