The Scoop
This week in digital and social
Welcome to The Scoop, your go-to weekly lowdown of the best social and digital moments. We're chronically online so you don't have to be! Tune in every Friday to discover everything from the latest trending content and internet dramas to tech triumphs.
This week, we’ve been obsessed with Sabrina Carpenter (who isn’t?), discussing social media age limits, and watching Boomers take on Gen Z slang.
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Our Fave Brand Social Moment of the Week
Presenting the most perfectly-timed collab of the year – Sabrina Carpenter X Redken . The pop princess has just been announced as Redken's FIRST-EVER Global Ambassador ????
If your FYP is anything like ours, you’ll have seen hundreds of people sat in the salon begging their stylist to please please please give them Sabrina’s signature blonde bangs and voluminous waves. This 10/10 collab landed at the exact right time, and it has authenticity at the heart of it. Sabrina has been a long-time lover of the brand, and her personal stylist Scott King and colourist Laurie Heaps have also joined the Redken ranks as part of the partnership.
Their announcement video hit 8m views within 72 hours and the comment section is full of obsessed fans telling Redken ‘just take my wallet at this point’. Now the big question remains… can I pull off a fringe?
Tech Triumphs
Apple debuts iPhone 16
Apple introduced its new iPhone 16 line-up on Monday, along with new Apple Intelligence features like?AI writing?to help draft emails and texts and a new Camera Control button to make taking photos easier. The standout Visual Intelligence feature allows users to take pictures to learn more about a subject e.g. find out more about a local restaurant, add event details from a flyer straight to your calendar, or learn what kind of dog you just met in the park (essential!).
The internet reacted just as you’d expect, ranging from awe and excitement to humorous takes on the stranglehold Apple has on its users.
Platform Updates
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领英推荐
TikTok adds Instagram Notes-like feature to inboxes.
TikTok has introduced a 'Notes' feature allowing users to share brief messages with friends, the public, or keep them private. Notes can be added to TikTok Stories and are visible on profile avatars. Look familiar? That’s because it’s the exact same feature as Instagram Notes. TikTok wants to replicate Instagram’s success with teenagers and hopes the feature will increase user engagement.
Our Fave Social Trend
You’ve no doubt seen the 880-year-old bed and breakfast that went viral after adopting a Gen Z approach to its advertising. The TikTok, which describes the Fyfield Manor as "giving zen" and "very demure", has since been viewed 11.6m times, and this week we saw lots of other brands jumping on this trend too.
We’re sure the owners of Fyfield Manor were sceptical of this Gen Z script at first, but this is the perfect example of ?trusting the process?. Will this viral moment drive instant sales and ROI? Probably not, but if they play their cards right they can turn this increased brand awareness and uptick in followers into a longtail effect of conversions further down the line.
Dramas, Discussion & Debates
Molly Mae’s Secret New Business
Molly-Mae has finally let the cat out of the bag. She's launching a new womenswear line named Maebe and the brand has been EVERYWHERE this week, skyrocketing past 1.4m followers across Instagram and TikTok. The drama comes from some people suggesting that Molly & Tommy’s recent break up was all just a PR stunt to get attention ahead of the launch. We think that’s a little far-fetched and underestimates Molly-Mae’s social savviness when it comes to creating buzz about a new line.
The Maebe pre-launch has been so strong, will the launch be able to top it?
In other discussions this week - what should the age limit be for social media, and how can we ensure it's enforced effectively?
Current age verification tools rely heavily on user honesty, which makes them largely ineffective when it comes to stopping young users from lying about their age to gain access to social platforms.
The Australian Government is the latest to propose stricter age limits for social media, aiming to restrict access for users under 16. However, without a reliable system to verify ages, it remains just that: a proposal that highlights the issue without offering a solid fix.
Thanks for reading this week's Scoop, tune in for more next week!