Welcome back to this week’s TEAM LEWIS Social Round-Up, the spooky Halloween edition 👻. Instagram’s serving freaky fonts, Meta’s AI is restyling your Stories faster than you can say “pumpkin,” and Facebook’s rummaging through your camera roll like a nosey neighbour. Meanwhile, Google’s schooling us in AI, and LinkedIn wants us to measure success like grown-ups.
So grab your broomstick (or your ring light), because things are getting creatively creepy this week.
Let’s get into it 👇
Latest News
🎃 Edits Adds Halloween Effects
Meta’s giving its Edits app a frightfully fun upgrade, complete with Halloween fonts, eerie sound effects, and horror-inspired filters. There’s even a bubbling-cauldron SFX if you want to really stir the pot. Plus, voice-over retakes now make timing your spooky storytelling easier. Basically: you can make your Reels scream this October. 👉 See it on Instagram
🕵️ Instagram Adds Reels Watch History
Lost a Reel you loved? Good news, you can now check your Watch History under Settings > Your Activity > Watch History. You can filter by date, account, or scroll order, which means no more endless searching for “that one cat video with the dancing grandma.” 👉 Read more on Engadget
✨ Restyle Instagram Stories with Meta AI
Meta AI can now “restyle” your Stories with prompts that add, remove, or transform what’s in your photos and videos. Want to remove the random guy from your holiday pic, turn your hoodie into a crown, or make it look like a watercolour painting? Done. Add Yours stickers let friends copy your look, hello, next viral trend. 👉 Learn more on Instagram’s blog
📲 Instagram’s New UI Is Rolling Out
The app layout is changing again (sigh). Reels and DMs now take the second and third tabs, and you can swipe between them, because apparently, nobody uses the feed anymore. It’s designed to make IG “simpler,” but expect a week of accidental taps and swearing before it feels normal. 👉 Full story on Social Media Today
🧠 Google Launches New AI Skills Hub
Google Skills is a free learning platform with over 3,000 courses on AI and tech. From 10-minute “AI Boost Bites” to full-on certifications, it’s part self-development, part attempt to keep us all employable when the robots finally unionise. 👉 Visit Google Skills
🤖 Facebook Wants to Scan Your Camera Roll
Facebook is testing a feature that uses AI to suggest photos you should post. It’ll pick out “hidden gems” and even auto-edit collages. It’s opt-in (thankfully), but still… handing over your camera roll feels like inviting Zuck to your holiday album, which wouldn’t be bad if he’s picking up the bill. 👉 Read on Social Media Today
📊 LinkedIn Rewrites the Rules for B2B Measurement
LinkedIn has dropped a new guide for marketers tracking success beyond vanity metrics. The “New Rules of B2B Measurement” focus on long-term brand impact over quick conversions, basically, fewer dashboards, more real-world proof. 👉 See LinkedIn’s guide
🔧 Quick Tip of the Week
If you’re planning a Halloween video, use Edits’ new voiceover countdown, it’ll help sync spooky sound effects perfectly to your jump scares (or pumpkin carving fails).
✨ Campaigns We Love ✨
🍻 Heineken Rebrands Pubs as “The Office”
To highlight hybrid-work burnout, Heineken renamed pubs across the UK as “The Office,” encouraging workers to text “Still at the office, fancy joining?” and grab a pint with mates. Clever, cheeky, and just what work-life balance is needed. 👉 See the campaign on Famous Campaigns
🍔 McDonald’s Pulls Off a “World Menu Heist”
McDonald’s UK “stole” fan-favourite menu items from around the world, Japan’s Garlic & Black Pepper McNuggets, Australia’s Pineapple McSpicy, and more, and smuggled them into UK restaurants with a full-blown Ocean’s Eleven-style campaign. 👉 Watch the heist here
🗓️ Mark Your Calendars
Opportunities to celebrate this week
- Wednesday October 29 – World Stroke Day 🧠
- Thursday October 30 – National Wicked Day 🧙♀️
- Friday October 31 – Halloween 🎃
- Saturday November 1 – World Vegan Day 🌱
- Sunday November 2 – World Ballet Day 🩰
- Monday November 3 – World Jellyfish Day 🪼
- Tuesday November 4 – Use Your Common Sense Day 🧠
And next…
- Wednesday November 5 – National Stress Awareness Day 🧠
- Thursday November 6 – National Nachos Day 🧀
- Friday November 7 – International Merlot Day 🍷
- Saturday November 8 – World Town Planning Day 🏙→
- Sunday November 9 – World Freedom Day 🕊
- Monday November 10 – Sesame Street Day 🧸
- Tuesday November 11 – World Origami Day 🦢
That’s a wrap for this week!
I’m off to carve a pumpkin, edit a Reel, and pretend my phone didn’t just suggest I post last year’s costume photos. 🎃
Got a question or want help turning these updates into something less scary for your brand? Get in touch, we’d love to chat. See you next week, bye 👋.
Subscribe to our Weekly Social Newsletter and receive the weekly trend straight to your email.
