Welcome to this week’s bumper Social Round-Up, and wow what a week it’s been. LinkedIn video is booming, TikTok is opening up lead gen via other messengers, Pinterest has dropped a wedding trend report, Meta launched a standalone AI app and a new infographic shows just how far we’ve come in using AI for life advice, therapy, and… Social Round-Ups? (Don’t worry, this is still 100% human-thought. Ish.) Let’s dive in 👇
Latest News
📹 (Surprise) LinkedIn Video Engagement Is Booming. Here’s How to Craft the Perfect Post
Video watch time is up 36% year-over-year on. LinkedIn, and they’re saying short-form video is growing twice as fast as other formats. So, what does that mean for marketers? Create more video on the platform, and to help LinkedIn’s released a practical guide with video specs, tips, and content strategy advice to help you nail the format and stand out. From file size to safe zones, it’s all there to ensure your content lands well. Bonus: their new mini-site includes creator tips, post examples, and LinkedIn Learning resources. 👉 Learn more
🎥 LinkedIn’s BrandLink Ad Product Gets a Global Boost
LinkedIn’s renamed and relaunched its Wire Program as BrandLink, a premium video ad offering that puts your content before trusted shows from publishers like Fast Company, The Washington Post, and influential creators like Steven Bartlett. Why does this matter for marketers? Because these placements deliver 130% higher completion rates, 18% more leads, and put your brand in a high-trust environment. For B2B marketers especially, BrandLink is becoming a serious channel to consider. 👉 Learn more
💬 TikTok Now Lets You Slide Into DMs: Just Not on TikTok
TikTok’s new Promote feature lets advertisers send leads directly to other messenger platforms like WhatsApp, Messenger and LINE instead of keeping convos in TikTok DMs. It’s a clever way to turn campaign engagement into actual chats on platforms you already use. Great for brands using TikTok for upper-funnel activity or customer service. 👉 Learn more
📓 Meta Just Dropped Its Q1 Playbook: 5 Moves Your Brand Should Be Making
Meta’s Q1 results come with five big learnings for brands: AI ads are performing better than anything else, Reels are a discovery goldmine, messaging is the new conversion channel, Threads is growing fast, and creators still drive trust. Whether you’re B2C or B2B, this is your cheat sheet for Meta marketing in 2025. 👉 Learn more
🫣 YouTube’s Testing Blurred Thumbnails
YouTube is trialing blurred thumbnails for content flagged as mature or sensitive. Users can still click to unblur, but it’s part of a wider effort to make discovery feel safer and more intentional. One to watch if you’re working with edgy or borderline content. 👉 Learn more
🧠 Meta’s New AI App Is a Game-Changer
Meta’s launched a standalone Meta AI app powered by Llama 4, with a voice-first interface, cross-platform memory, image generation, and smart glasses integration. It replaces the Meta View app and links across Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, and even Ray-Ban glasses. 👉 Learn more
💍 Pinterest’s 2025 Wedding Trends Are Chocolatey, Maximalist, and Gen Z-Approved
Pinterest’s annual Wedding Trends Report is here, and it’s full of surreal florals, 90s silhouettes, brown colour palettes, and civil ceremony glam. Mocha weddings are up 551%, courthouse weddings are trending, and vintage ring stacks are going wild. 👉 Learn more
🧠 From Search Buddy to Life Coach? How AI Use Is Rapidly Evolving
A new infographic from Visual Capitalist reveals how people now use AI for mental health, personal companionship, and emotional support, not just productivity. The shift is fascinating, but also raises big ethical questions for creators and platforms alike. 👉 Learn more
🔥 Quick Tip of the Week
Making LinkedIn video content? Keep it short, clean, and intentional. Use their new posting spec guide and creator tips to avoid having your CTAs or logos cropped and test a native thumbnails. It might make the difference between a scroll and a play.
✨ Campaigns We Love ✨
🦄 Iron Bru – Unicorn Rainbow Tears & Nessie Juice
Two ridiculous new flavours? Yes. A campaign featuring a “Nessie milker” and “unicorn tear farmer”? Even better. Playful and brilliantly Scottish. 👉 Learn more
🕵️♂️ Aviva – The Night Job
What looks like a moody heist movie ends in a clever ad for car insurance. A cinematic twist that proves even the driest products can have flair. 👉 Learn more
🗓️ Mark Your Calendars
Opportunities to celebrate this week
- Wednesday 7 May – Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day 🧠
- Thursday 8 May – World Ovarian Cancer Day 🎗️
- Friday 9 May – Cap Go Meh 🎉
- Saturday 10 May – World Fair Trade Day 🛍️
- Sunday 11 May – World Ego Awareness Day 🧘♂️
- Monday 12 May – International Day of Plant Health 🌱
- Tuesday 13 May – Top Gun Day 🛩️
And next…
- Wednesday 14 May – World Stationery Day ✍️
- Thursday 15 May – Global Accessibility Awareness Day 🌍
- Friday 16 May – International Day of Living Together in Peace ✌️
- Saturday 17 May – World Whisky Day 🥃
- Sunday 18 May – World Baking Day 🍰
- Monday 19 May – Learning at Work Week 💼
- Tuesday 20 May – World Bee Day 🐝
And that’s a wrap! 🎬
If you want to chat about any of these updates, explore how to apply them to your brand, or brainstorm your own mythical juice product, (dragons or bigfoot, anyone?), you know where to find us.
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See you next week! Bye! 👋
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