🧷 The Boys are Pinning and Unilever is Twinning
Happy Friday!
We’re back to our regular schedule and this week we’re dropping some game-changing insights that’ll have teams wanting to pull each other for a chat. From Unilever harnessing AI to transform content creation to some significant platform updates, now is not the time to be closed off to the possibility of exploring.
Although still a rumor, TikTok may potentially have a US-only version coming to the app store, but what does that mean for the landscape of short-form video and the algorithm? While Threads is making sure users stay in the know with its newest update, Meta is rolling out a significant change that allows brands a once-a-day promotional DM to users, limiting the spam. Also, Pinterest’s latest report highlights its growing male audience on the platform.
Here’s your opportunilly to protect your strategy from a bombshell with up to date insights on Love Social Media Island.
What’s catching your attention this week? Leave a comment or drop us a note at midwestdigital@finnpartners.com!
Angela & Mark
👀 This Week in Social
Unilever Creates Digital Twins: Unilever is changing the content creation game by embracing AI and 3D technologies. By creating “digital twins” of their products for social media and digital channels with the help of tools like NVIDIA Omniverse and OpenUSD, Unilever can generate pixel-perfect imagery twice as fast and 50% cheaper, ensuring 100% brand consistency. Their “Sketch Pro” unit harnesses generative AI to produce social-first content at a rapid pace, which allows their creative teams to focus on more strategic, human-centric marketing. This “AI-first” approach is a creative accelerant for social marketers and digital pros, creating the speed and efficiency needed to keep up with relevant trends and produce meaningful, audience-first content before a key moment passes. Still, brands and social media marketers alike should prioritize quality over quantity and keep strategy at the forefront.
💡 Need-to-Know Platform News
TikTok’s Great American Split: TikTok is reportedly preparing a U.S.-only version of the app, internally dubbed “M2,” set to launch in September with a full user migration required by March 2026. This won’t just be a cosmetic split – the app will operate on a completely separate algorithm and use only U.S. user data, a major shift aimed at satisfying lawmakers while preserving ByteDance’s global control. That separation could dramatically affect discovery and creator monetization, especially for brands running cross-border campaigns. If your strategy depends on TikTok’s current recommendation engine, keep a close eye as details continue to unfold, and remember it’s always best to diversify your channel mix.
From Party Hats to Prime Time: Threads is officially two years old, and while the party hat celebration may have been a low-lift nod, the platform’s real push came in the form of a new feature aimed at owning live discussion. Threads is rolling out a trending topic highlighter in-feed, helping surface in-the-moment conversations more prominently. It’s a direct bid to capture X’s real-time relevance, especially around sports and current events, as Threads inches toward becoming the default space for public chatter. New Similarweb data shows Threads hit 115M daily users in June, just shy of X’s 132M, with 128% year-over-year growth as X declined 15%. It’s not a full migration yet, but with features like this (and DMs now live), Threads is making its case as the more brand-safe home for timely conversation.
Your Grid Just Got Googleable: Instagram posts can now appear in Google search results, giving brands a major visibility upgrade. As Gen Z turns to social over search, optimizing your captions, hashtags, alt text, and bio isn’t just smart, it’s essential. Treat every post like a micro landing page and your grid like an extension of your SEO strategy. If discoverability matters, this is a shift to take seriously.
Slide Into Their DMs (Strategically): Meta is giving brands more room to re-engage audiences in Messenger with expanded marketing messages, now with CRM integration, segmentation, and performance metrics. The tool lets brands send one promotional DM per day to opted-in users, making it a potentially valuable follow-up tactic, especially when paired with personalized offers or product links. But don’t overdo it. Messaging still feels personal, and spammy brand DMs are an easy opt-out trigger. With Recurring Notifications sunsetting in January, this feature is Meta’s latest bid to own more of the customer conversation funnel.
📆 Don’t Miss It
Guys Are Pinning Now Too: Pinterest just dropped its first trend report focused on male users (who now make up over a third of its global audience). The platform notes a surge in Gen Z men joining in record numbers, gravitating toward topics like fitness, fashion, home décor, and tech. With 190M+ monthly male users and a vibe that leans more authentic than other corners of the internet, this is a quietly growing audience with high shopping intent. Whether or not Pinterest is in your mix, it’s worth a closer look at how male Pinners are engaging and where your brand might fit in.