A note: This is a loooong email because there’s so much juiciness to explore. Hit “Read Online” (top right) or “View Entire Message” (bottom of email) to read it all.

Here’s some of our favourite trending content from June and July to serve as inspo. If you’re not already using the TikTok Creative Center to spot trending sounds, hashtags and high-performing ads, you really should be.

Check out some of the most popular visual directions and trends we’ve seen dominating our IG feeds recently.

Our creators are crossing continents this season, bringing inspiration from every corner of the globe. 🌍✈️

Ivy Talent Co has also welcomed several new faces to our roster, including:

For more information on Ivy Talent Co creators, unique and aligned brand partnership opportunities or media enquiries, please reach out to the team via [email protected].

June and July were big when it came to social media updates, so strap in! From industry updates to metric changes, here are all the recent things you need to know for social media success:

TikTok’s looming ban has been delayed in the US, with Donald Trump adding another extension, which pushes the deadline back to mid-September. It was alleged that TikTok was developing a US-only version of the app but this has now been denied.

In terms of updates, the platform is testing the ability to schedule content in-app.

The platform also continues to push its in-stream shopping experience, revealing in-stream shopping has increased 120% this year.

YouTube have announced that they will be updating their monetisation rules to better detect mass-produced and repetitive content, only paying creators with ‘real voices’ and original content. We love to hear it!

It’s set to be a big few months of book launches over at Ivy Talent Co, including:

At the beginning of June, we hosted the 2025 Free Folk Agency x Ivy Talent Co Networking Event - aptly themed Beyond the Trend: Building Brands with Staying Power. We were joined by a handful of expert panellists with both brand and creator perspectives, sharing their tips, tricks and insight on how to stay relevant in the ever-evolving digital space. Pannelists included: Nikki Parkinson - former eCommerce business owner and journalist, and content creator at Styling You; Jacqui Toumbas - Former owner of the iconic Brisbane venue - Miss Bliss, content creator, entrepreneur, hospitality consultant and host; and Alicia Foster - Head of Marketing, Frontier Pets

If you couldn’t make it on the night, never fear - we’ve compiled six key takeaways to share:

Every month, we’ll share industry news, reports and commentary to add to your reading list, to stay up to date with what’s happening in the world of talent, social media and marketing in Australia and New Zealand.

It’s no secret that the media landscape has significantly evolved in the last 5 years. While social media has increased accessibility to knowledge and the circulation of freedom of speech, it’s also created a society that now ingests and receives much of its news from social media channels, or more specifically, creators.

Offering insights woven with personal opinion, and not as restricted by the regulations and fact-based commentary imposed on traditional media, it’s no surprise that social media creators are highly influential on consumers’ behaviours and values. Audiences are now more than ever seeing their purchase decisions as extensions of their belief systems and views.

If the last 6 months have taught us anything, it’s that the rise of AI is well and truly here. Now inescapable in today’s digital landscape, we, like most marketers, are faced with the challenge of balance - leveraging and leaning into the tools to make processes quicker and smoother, but not forgoing our creativity and human taste that is the real crux of any good strategy.

Not to mention, can AI ever replicate the feeling of human experience and interaction? People-powered marketing is the core of what we do at Free Folk Agency, and despite the amazing capabilities of AI, we’re still in an age where that can only be tapped into by engaging with authentic experiences and creators.”

You’ve perhaps been living under a rock if you missed the latest viral scandal to ripple across the internet.

Andy Byron, CEO of billion‑dollar data startup Astronomer, and the company’s Chief People Officer, Kristin Cabot, were caught in a somewhat intimate embrace on Coldplay’s “kiss cam” during their July 16 concert at Gillette Stadium in Boston.

The clip, posted to TikTok by @instaagraace, instantly went viral, sparking internet speculation on a global scale, with digital detectives quickly uncovering that they were having an affair, especially since both are married to other people.

It’s begged the question (cue: lots of LinkedIn debates), should brands be aligning to all and any trends for engagement, when you’re playing with real people’s lives?

We’d suggest you always consider the risks of trend-jacking before posting, think about: brand alignment, your tone and intention. Sometimes, it’s better to skip the viral moment (and potential engagement) in favour of a deeper understanding of how you want your brand to be perceived and how you show up for your community, consistently.

Data from insights firm Launch Metrics has revealed that this year’s Wimbledon tournament generated a huge $1.1 billion in Media Impact Value (MIV), a 23% increase compared to last year.

Ralph Lauren generated the highest value out of all brands present, with $22.5 million in MIV. The involvement of many high-profile and A-List figures also contributed to the spike in MIV this year, with the likes of Kate Middleton, Andrew Garfield, and Olivia Rodrigo all in attendance and profiling various fashion and lifestyle brands.

It’s also worth shouting out the Wimbledon’s social media team, who were publishing an average of 50 posts per day throughout the tournament, with their content series, ‘Overheard’, being a particular favourite.

Pinterest partnered with influencer Emma Chamberlain to launch its very first co-branded product: a limited-edition Sea Salt Toffee coffee blend under her business, Chamberlain Coffee.

The collaboration was able to showcase the platform’s trend forecasting abilities, inspired by Pinterest's "Fisherman Aesthetic" trend, which was one of 20 rising trends that Pinterest identified earlier this year.

Through the dedicated Pinterest board, we’re able to have a peek into the whole product creation journey, from designing the packaging to shoot direction which draws on Emma’s own personal experiences in coastal towns.

The collaboration highlights the growing influence of digital creators in product development and marketing. But even more than this, for the first time, we’re able to really clearly see how social media platforms and influencers can co-create products that resonate with audiences. Platforms like Pinterest don’t have to be just discovery tools but can be active participants in the commerce ecosystem.

To promote ‘Materialists,’ the star-studded film that’s on everyone’s lips, A24 worked with the New York Stock Exchange to hijack their tickers - swapping the state of the stock market for the wavering value of single men. 

A24 created a website that asks single men to share their physical and personal characteristics such as height, income, age, turn-ons and icks, which was filtered in real-time onto the screens. 

The stunt endeavoured to capture the transactional and materialistic (😉) essence of modern dating, which the movie explores through Lucy’s experience as a matchmaker. 

Coupled with in-person movie standees that ask men the eternal burning question (are you really 6 feet?) - it’s clear that A24 continues to innovate, take risks and stand-out in unorthodox ways with their promotion strategies.