When Essity started pushing the conversation around femcare and body confidence, taboo-breaking was a genuine differentiator. Now every brand's got a bold campaign and a creator to match. Luciana de Azevedo Lara, Senior Global Communications Officer at Essity, joins SocialChain CEO, Jacinta Faul to get into what happens next when the mould's already been broken and the bar for cutting through keeps rising. They cover why human instinct and cultural taste are still the things AI can't manufacture, how to build authentic community at scale across markets with very different sensitivities, and where the real tension sits between a brand pushing the envelope and a creator doing it.

Got a question or suggestion for the SocialMinds podcast? Get in touch at [email protected].

On this episode of Social in Six, midweight creative Harrison Kennedy joins Mil in the studio to break down all the latest updates from the social sphere. First up, Instagram has removed an AI remix feature just days after launching it, while YouTube's Shopping affiliate programme has officially expanded to eligible creators in the UK.

Elsewhere, LinkedIn is testing a new way to report AI slop, TikTok Shop is giving UK sellers enhanced product insights, and we get into what Article 50 of the EU's AI Act means for brands and creators. Plus, Meta is working on an AI coding agent to rival OpenAI and Anthropic as part of its wider push towards personal superintelligence.

Got a question or suggestion for the SocialMinds podcast? Get in touch at [email protected].

How do you build a brand that resonates with everyone without losing your edge?

In a market crowded with 'stuffy' booze brands, NICE has carved out a new space by refusing to take themselves too seriously. In this session, we sit down with the team behind the brand to explore their crowd-pleasing philosophy - a strategy that bridges the gap between viral digital stunts and meaningful, real-world community building. From iconic IRL stunts to reactive, budget-friendly social wins, discover how NICE ignores the red tape to deliver authentic, high-impact marketing that keeps the crowd coming back for more.

Got a question or a suggestion for the SocialMinds podcast? Get in touch at [email protected].

Brands are spending more on creators than ever, but attention doesn't always equal brand growth. Beth Marchant, Strategy Director at System1, joins Brave Bison's Chief Marketing Officer Hannah Baker to dig into The Creator Effectiveness Playbook: the new evidence-based research that gets into how to close that gap. Expect a conversation about what the data actually says, and what it means for how marketers should be thinking about creator advertising going forward.

Got a question or a suggestion for the SocialMinds podcast? Get in touch at [email protected].

Time Out has been the definitive guide to city culture since 1968, but in 2026, legacy heritage is a double-edged sword. How do you honour decades of editorial credibility while fighting for attention in an algorithmically driven feed? Chante Piette-Valentine, Head of Social and Video, takes us behind the scenes of Time Out's ongoing transformation. In this honest session, we move beyond the myths to explore the real-world challenge of launching publishers on social: navigating trust, balancing data with editorial instinct, and why, in an AI-saturated world, society's modernity fatigue can work to any legacy brands' advantage.

Got a question or a suggestion for the SocialMinds podcast? Get in touch at [email protected].

You can't hold up connectivity the way you hold up an outfit or a coffee. So what does the human touch actually look like when your product can't be seen or touched? Cassia Colling, Social Lead at Vodafone Three, joins SocialChain's Chelsea Noronha to talk creators, comments and culture. It's a conversation about staying relevant to everyone without losing what makes a brand feel like itself, and what AI means for all of it.

Got a question or suggestion for the SocialMinds podcast? Get in touch at [email protected].

On this episode of Social in Six, SocialChain account executive Maya Gough joins Mil in the studio to unpack the latest from the world of social. This time, that includes two updates from Meta, including the launch of a new range of AI-powered glasses and an expansion of its livestream shopping tools.

Elsewhere, Reddit has rolled out A/B testing to all advertisers, YouTube is letting you add music to still image posts and carousels, and LinkedIn is testing two new discovery and collaboration features with collaborative posts and suggested feeds.

Got a question or suggestion for the SocialMinds podcast? Get in touch at [email protected].

How can brands stop chasing trends and start filtering content through their own lens?

Most beauty brands exhaust themselves trying to chase every fleeting TikTok trend, but Charlotte Tilbury has built an empire by doing the exact opposite. Marukh Budhraja, Global Head of Social for Colour and Complexions, joins us to discuss how the brand avoids the 'trend trap' by filtering every asset, comment, and campaign through the singular, authoritative lens of Charlotte herself. Learn how to maintain high-prestige consistency while executing mass intimacy at scale, and why a strong persona is the ultimate competitive advantage in a trend-obsessed space.

Got a question or a suggestion for the SocialMinds podcast? Get in touch at [email protected].

On this episode of Social in Six, strategy lead Chelsea Noronha returns to the studio with Mil to break down all the latest need-to-know headlines from the world of social. This time, that includes three updates from Meta, including the launch of community-focused app Forum, a familiar Series feature for Reels, and new research that says discovery is increasingly happening through social.

Elsewhere, Reddit has added video replies to comments, Instagram is testing profile interests to help personalise recommendations and LinkedIn looks set to expand creator-led paid events.

Got a question or suggestion for the SocialMinds podcast? Get in touch at [email protected].

Organic gets written off every few years. Too slow. Too hard to measure. But for Tinder, Primark and Channel 4, owned content is anything but an afterthought. In this panel, SocialChain's Eve Young sat down with Madeline Riley, and Aaron Gillies to unpack how organic has become a creative engine for cultural relevance, community connection and smarter paid decisions.

From repeatable formats to reactive comments, pressure tests to IRL moments engineered for the feed, the session proved that the best organic strategies build the brand, shape the work and tell you what people actually care about.

Got a question or a suggestion for the SocialMinds podcast? Get in touch at [email protected].