💎Hinge is looking to crack the Gen Z dating market with Substack creator collabs
+pickleball had its moment, now it’s softball’s turn; And the signals behind the Kidult beverage trend that you can also tap into
In this Monday’s email we’re sharing:
8 curated articles that have caught our eye
1 trend focused on how softball is turning into the new pickleball
In the full edition, available for paying members, we zero in on:
1 trend on 🧃Kidult beverages, the deeper feelings they trigger [hello nostalgia again], and thought starter tactics to incorporate into your own strategy
💎cultural gems💎
The moments and media catching our eye…
❤️ Hinge is adapting to Gen Z's preferences by partnering with Substack creators on
, an anthology of “real Hinge love stories.”For more on how dating apps stay at the forefront of cultural trends [yes, their tactics can apply across categories], check out our piece Swipe science: how dating apps rebrand themselves again and again, and how they recover from their mistake. Intro to the case study:
“Love may be a universal language, but the way we find it is constantly evolving. Although some think they’re over, the teams behind Tinder, Bumble, and Hinge are doubling down on innovation, adapting to the shifting tides of modern romance, and in turn, shaping culture itself.’
✍️ Is the next great American novel being published on Substack? Some writers are ditching traditional publishing for Substack, experimenting with different formats and serializing.
🧠 Influencers are burning out, so a new mental health service called CreatorCare is stepping in to help them cope with the pressure of always being online.
📸 Instagram’s CEO says TikTok stole the spotlight in 2019—cue Reels, creator cash, and a full-blown identity crisis.
🎥 YouTube Shorts is giving TikTok a run for its money with 1.5 billion users, 70 billion daily views.
📌 Pinterest users are in a pin-fueled panic as sudden account bans wipe years of curated content—some are calling it their own 'Library of Alexandria' moment.
🤖 Beware of putting too much faith into ChatGPT’s hands. A recent update has the bot telling users that obviously terrible ideas are “brilliant.”
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📊 Former Head of Marketing at MotorTrend, CNN, and The Weather Channel and friend of MTD, Scot Safon, breaks down how brands can best deploy SWOT Analysis.
🥎 Brand softball season is here [and everyone wants in]
Pickleball had its moment. Now it’s softball’s turn. And we’re not talking little league. We’re talking brand-backed, influencer-filled, content-ready energy [disclaimer: internal community building, sponsorship, and league participation is required].
So far in 2025:
Travis Scott hosted an HBCU celebrity softball game with Dave Chappelle, Swae Lee, and actual baseball legends like Ken Griffey Jr.
Athletes Unlimited launched a new women’s pro league with ESPN coverage and Jonathan Soros money behind it
And in LA? There’s now a creator league for every type of guy in marketing who owns cleats
This is not just summer fluff. It’s part of a bigger shift. Women’s sports are on the rise. Low-stakes athletic hangs are the new networking event. And brands are realizing they don’t need a step-and-repeat to show up in culture.
Softball is the latest example of how sports culture is becoming a space for passive branding and community building. It’s not about winning. It’s about being in the TikTok dump after the game.
How to use this trend as a brand:
Show up quietly. Jerseys, coolers, water bottles. That’s the new billboard
Back creator-led hangs. It’s easier, cheaper, and often way more authentic
If you’re not sponsoring, take notes anyway. This trend is about passive brand presence in moments that feel real. Your product should live in the background of people’s lives, not just their feeds
Softball is fun, low-pressure, and surprisingly effective at building brand equity without trying too hard. In other words, it’s what marketing is trying to be this year.
Kidult beverages are everywhere and their popularity signals some trends that are easy to adapt into your digital strategy.
In the paid portion of this email, we’re breaking down how beverage brands are tapping into nostalgia with “kidult” beverages and—ultimately—reshaping what lifestyle content looks like in 2025. Think lighter aesthetics, looser content, and bolder branding in order to capture the attention [and wallets] of Gen Zs and Millennials.
Our trend experts and digital strategists are always ahead of the curve, giving you the insights you need while there’s still time to act. No one wants to be the brand that jumps on a trend days too late—get the scoop first ⬇️