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Generative AI is everywhere now. You see it in content, campaigns, customer experiences, and even internal workflows. It promises speed, scale, and efficiency, but there’s a harder question sitting underneath all that progress; Do your audiences actually trust it?

Trust in the Age of AI: What Consumers Really Think About AI Generated Content

Today, PR teams aren’t just tracking media coverage and share of voice. They’re also measuring how their brand shows up in AI-generated answers, search summaries, and large language models (LLMs). This new LLM visibility layer is quickly becoming a critical part of PR performance.

15 Must-Have PR KPIs and How to Track Them

See how one platform can power every decision across PR, communications, and marketing.

The Meltwater Blog

Blog Topics: Generative Engine Optimization, Media Intelligence, Media Relations, Social Listening, Consumer Intelligence, Influencer Marketing

Find out how you can leverage Facebook to boost your brand's online presence and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

Facebook Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage Instagram to boost your brand's visual appeal and gain a competitive edge. Explore our category page today!

Instagram Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage LinkedIN to grow your professional network and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

LinkedIn Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage TikTok to elevate your brand with creative content and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

TikTok Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage X / Twitter to engage your audience effectively and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

X / Twitter Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage YouTube to create engaging video content and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

YouTube Blog | Meltwater

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is transforming how brands show up in AI-powered search. Explore insights, strategies, and best practices to help your content rank and resonate across conversational engines like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot.

Explore insights and strategies for Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) to help your brand stay visible and discoverable in AI-powered search.

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) Blog Collection | Meltwater

Every day billions of conversations take place on social media: tweets, posts, comments, blogs, reviews, podcasts, and much more.
Learn how to use social listening to make sense of all of that data.

On our social listening category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around social listening and social media monitoring. Read more.

Social Listening Blogs | Category

Business Reputation Management: What does it take to add reputation management to your marketing strategy? More importantly, how do you keep your reputation sparkly and shiny? Here’s your all-access guide to online reputation management for the long term.

On our reputation management category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around business reputation management. Read more.

Reputation Management Blogs | Category

From your brand's logo to your website, your social media presence to your customer support—these elements combined are what constitutes a brand in the minds of customers. But, there are thousands of other businesses that have a logo, website, social media presence, and website. So, how can you position your business on the market and make it stand out from the competition?
The key to success is branding & brand management!

On our brand management category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around brand management. Build your strategy and reach your goals!

Brand Management Blogs | Category

Competitive intelligence and the act of collecting competitive data can be seen as growth drivers for a company. Our guide will help you understand the concept of competitive intelligence (CI) by answering questions such as: What is the definition of competitive intelligence? How is competitive intelligence useful to organizations? What is the goal of competitive intelligence? And more.

On our competitive intelligence category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around competitive intelligence. Learn how to stay ahead.

Competitive Intelligence Blogs | Category

Let’s dive into the customer journey framework and how to optimize the process by creating a customer journey map and using metrics that matter when analyzing the customer journey.

On our customer journey category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around mapping and understanding the customer journey.

Customer Journey Blogs | Category

What Is Data Analytics? [Beginner’s Guide 2023]
How can I grow my business? 
How do customers interact with my newly launched product?
How do I increase the productivity of my employees?
How do I know if my marketing efforts are working?
We have just two words for you...Data analytics!

On our data analytics category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around AI and data analytics. Technical and still easy to understand.

AI & Data Analytics Blogs | Category

Public relations and media relations can add impact to any marketing strategy. It’s an opportunity for brands to grow their reach beyond traditional sales messages. PR helps to shape the image you want people to have of your brand.
So, what is PR and how do you use it? This guide shows you everything you need to know to build a strong public relations foundation.

On our public relations (PR) category page, you find all our blogs covering public relations and communications topics. Step up your PR game.

Public Relations (PR) Blogs | Category

We all know exactly what the roles of sales or accounting are in a company, right? We might even have a slight idea of what the IT guys are doing.
But there is another business discipline, that plays a crucial role in organizations, even more so during the pandemic – internal communications!
But what exactly do we mean by that, what purpose does it serve and what steps can you take to ensure you and your employees will communicate effectively?

On our internal communications category page, you find all our blogs about internal comms topics. Learn about the intranet, internal newsletters, and more.

Internal Communications Blogs | Category

As the internet has taken root in more areas of our lives — everything from entertainment to shopping to paying bills and more — traditional marketing is becoming less impactful. As any marketer knows, you need to focus on where your audience is if you want to reach them. Since the average person spends about seven hours a day online, it’s no surprise that content has maintained its hold on marketers.

Here's a closer look at what content marketing is and why it matters more than ever in our digital-first economy.

On our content marketing category page, you find blogs about content marketing topics. Learn about strategies, KPIs, tips, and more. Make your content king!

Content Marketing Blogs | Category

The rise of the influencer marketing space – today a $10 billion industry, growing 50% per year – is one of the clearest examples of how social media is transforming traditional marketing. These days having a business website, presence on social, PR coverage, and your own content isn’t enough to compete.
We'll dive into the intricacies of influencer marketing to help ensure that you're equipped with the insights needed to be successful in this space.

On our influencer marketing category page, you find blogs about influencer marketing topics. Build your strategy, find influencers, and measure results.

Influencer Marketing Blogs | Category

Have you just launched a new product or service that you want to get the word out about? Maybe you want to share with consumers why it is awesome and how it is so much better than the one your competitors offer.

Well, then, there is one thing you can't do without...Marketing!

On our marketing category page, you find blogs about marketing topics. Learn about all the different angles and types of marketing and improve your results.

Marketing Blogs | Category

In this guide, we want to give you a peek into the definition of social media management, the daily schedule of a social media manager, social media platforms to promote your business, and the do’s & don’ts of social media management.
Are you ready to begin the journey of becoming a social media superstar?

On our social media management category page, you find blogs about social media management topics. Build and manage your online community.

Social Media Management Blogs | Category

Building a following and using social media platforms to reach a wider audience requires a well-planned social media marketing strategy. In this guide, we’ll be looking at why social media marketing is so essential and how you can make it work for your business.

On our social media marketing category page, you find blogs about social media marketing topics. Learn how to get the highest paid social ROI!

Social Media Marketing Blogs | Category

In the fast-evolving realm of digital marketing and public relations, utilizing the right tools is crucial for success. Our interdisciplinary category showcases all the pertinent tools for digital marketing & PR. These tools help in enhancing your online presence and effectively reaching target groups, whether through reputation management, influencer marketing, or social media management.

On our digital marketing and PR tools category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around mapping and understanding the customer journey.

Digital Marketing & PR Tools Blogs | Category

Meltwater Summit Day 2 kept the energy flowing with a stellar lineup of speakers, including the truly inspiring Dr. Jonny Kim who joined us live from the International Space Station! 

Here’s a breakdown of some of the days highlights for you to revisit:

Talking Leadership in Extreme Conditions with NASA

Station, this is Houston. Are you ready for the event?

Meltwater Summit, this is Mission Control Houston.

In a thrilling kickoff to Day 2, we were privileged to speak with astronaut Jonny Kim via a live Downlink with the ISS!

With his impressive background that includes being a Harvard-trained physician and a US Navy Seal, there are few who are more qualified to speak on the topic of leadership under extreme conditions. 

Kim discussed his firm belief that forging and maintaining human connection are cornerstones that should fuel all aspects of leadership and teamwork. He espoused the importance of seeing beyond barriers and differences and grounding leadership style in the understanding and appreciating of the universal human experience.

Human connection was a theme that permeated all through Day 2, with speakers highlighting its necessity in multiple aspects of business — and in particular how much more important it is now that AI is a standard part of our lives.

Kim also shared his passion for the role that vulnerability plays in effective and well-rounded leadership. Stating that while yes, it’s vital that emotion play a role, there are circumstances where compartmentalization is essential. He went on to discuss the nuance here, and that it’s important not to mistake emotional transparency with emotional liability.

Our interview ended with a look to the future. A future we can’t even imagine yet, with technological advances beyond our wildest dreams. Kim acknowledged that that thought can cause some to feel anxious, but he had an optimistic view.

"No one knows what the future will be, but humans will be part of it.“ 

He cautioned that while this is true, the rapid advancement in technology means the human connection will be more important than ever. With automation and AI, the ability to work as a team and to be vulnerable — to act with integrity — are precious skills that we will need to continue to develop. 

Jonny Kim wasn’t the only one delivering impactful takeaways on the second day of Summit. The Main Stage alone featured sessions with expert speakers from Burger King, Equifax, and Microsoft. Download our Summit PR & Comms Playbook and the Marketing Playbook for a full breakdown of those sessions’ insights.

It’s nearly impossible to sum up all of the highlights of the day. You just had to be there — and next year you can be! But here are three themes that emerged throughout the day:

More than one speaker on Day 2 espoused the importance of maintaining human connection in marketing and communications today. Humans crave connection more than ever these days, and brands should lean into that as they think about their campaigns.

Brittany Brown of NASA explained how she looks at human connection when planning campaigns to attract young people to the space program. Working to expand their understanding of all the ways people contribute — and the many diverse skill sets that work together toward a common goal.  

Temeka Easter Rice of Vanguard noted that for executive comms, a personal touch can make all the difference, especially on social media. Not only does it humanize your executive team but integrating personal flair on social serves to drive better results. 

David Oksman, Vice President of Marketing and Direct-to-Consumer at Samsonite, spoke about when Covid hit the brand was faced with a myriad of challenges, but one thing was clear: our need to be together was stronger than ever. 

With the “Travel is a Gift” campaign they made a decision to lean into the emotional. Selling travel wasn’t the goal. Nor was focusing on their product. Instead they wanted to focus on travel’s importance in our lives — as a means to connect with our families, friends, and to create unforgettable experiences.

This celebration of human connection shaped future Samsonite campaigns, and helped them forge an identity for the modern traveler while maintaining the legacy of their 150 year old brand.  

Another common theme we saw was the challenge of marketing across the generational divide, in particular for legacy brands and organizations. 

Another heartstring-tugging campaign from Samsonite sought to bridge the gap between travel styles, after learning from younger generations that they wish they could travel like their parents used to — without being constantly online. 

Our Higher Education panel discussed the challenge of marketing to very different demographics from one source. Alumni and donors are in extremely different phases of life than current or prospective students. And your internal social media teams, PR teams, and faculty span a multitude of generations, so how do you manage your message? 

The panelists agreed that a key step is to hire a diverse age range — it helps to make sure all voices are represented as you craft stories and social media posts. Creating different buckets of content designed to appeal strongly to each group is another helpful tactic, allowing you to speak directly to your intended audience with a point of view.

Vanessa Mbonu, VP of Marketing at the NAACP noted that while the brand held strong cultural significance among older generations, they initially struggled with gaining engagement among younger generations on social media. It wasn’t until the BLM protest that this began to change, and they worked to update their social media strategy for this new younger audience. She noted while their social media is heavily intended for a specific demographic of young African Americans — leaning into memes and references — their email list is and older and wider demographic, so they cater their messaging differently when communicating through that channel. 

Influencers meet consumers where they are

The often bemusing world of influencer marketing was another key theme on Day 2, with speakers and panels attempting to strip away the mystification and make the case for this unique and valuable marketing channel. It’s actually quite apt, as tapping into an influencer network would be a powerful way to achieve success in the other two themes: finding human connection and growing market share across generations.

Influencers have the ability to broaden consumer bases and develop trust in your brand. 

The Content Creators panel, Alex Wong, Wendy Nguyen, and Alyssa McKay, all agreed that users swipe away on ads or obviously sponsored content so trusting influencers to speak to their audience in their own voice is critical to success when working with influencer partners. 

Alyssa noted that she’s seeing brands come around to the nuance of measuring conversions from influencer campaigns, and highlighted that looking beyond audience size and having clear KPIs in mind helps generate positive ROI. Wendy added that brands should think more long-term when hiring influencers. Considering the ripple effect of inspiring more purchases or conversions from organic posts after a sponsored campaign — organic posts almost always perform better, she said, so brands need to consider the evolution of content from the influencer. 

Gareth Crew, Social Media and Digital Communications Lead at Canon discussed how he uses influencers to broaden the reach of Canon products, which appeal to a wide range of skill levels: from amateurs to professionals. In particular for the iPhone user, scrolling through while watching TV. 

Engaging a creator network was a key component of engaging this "second screen" audience, while their brand-owned socials could focus on a more polished look, attractive to hobbyists and professional photographers.

The day rounded out with a high energy and inspiring fireside chat with Melissa Layton, Vice President of Global Communications for Crocs. She highlighted that sometimes accepting your own reputation instead of trying to fabricate a different one is the key to success. Once Crocs leaned into the fact that they were the butt of the joke, everything changed. They turned their faults into assets by simply appreciating and owning their own quirkiness.

Major Moments from Meltwater Summit 2025, Day 2

On Tuesday, May 6, more than 1,400 PR, comms, and marketing professionals from around the world gathered in Manhattan for the highly anticipated, third annual Meltwater Summit. Offering attendees a mix of sessions ranging from the practical to the visionary, the event delivered on its promise of new perspectives from expert speakers and opportunities to connect meaningfully with peers. Here’s a slice of what you missed (or want to revisit) from Day 1 of Summit 2025.

The morning kicked off with the official launch of Meltwater’s newest innovation, Mira, the first comprehensive AI intelligence engine designed to help PR, communications, and marketing teams get from insights to impact even faster. After a rousing welcome by VP of Culture Zubair Timol, keynote speakers Chief Strategy Officer Alexandra Bjertnæs, Chief Executive Officer John Box, Chief Technology Officer Aditya Jami, and Chief Product Officer Chris Hackney each took to the stage to unveil this latest innovation integrated into the Meltwater Suite. 

Now powered by Mira, new enhancements announced include:

Mira Studio: This chat-based interface within our social listening solution does everything from uncovering consumer insights to compiling media lists, all with a quick prompt.

Mira Companion: Integrated throughout the Meltwater Suite, these context-specific, pop-out companions streamline and accelerate existing workflows.

Meltwater Copilot: Available for Microsoft-enabled organizations, this chat-based AI assistant within Teams brings Meltwater insights to broader internal audiences.

The excitement around Mira carried over to the next segment as Meltwater VP of Marketing Jenny Force welcomed Summit’s celebrity keynote speaker Reese Witherspoon. While globally known for her acting career, Witherspoon’s mastery of storytelling extends to her business ventures Hello Sunshine, Draper James, and Reese’s Book Club. In a thoughtful conversation touching on leadership and staying true to your mission, she emphasized the importance of grounding business decisions in core values.

Figure out what your values are and keep it to five things. Get laser-focused on what your mission is, what you want to accomplish, and how you treat people. 

— Reese Witherspoon, Author, Producer, and Founder of Hello Sunshine

Witherspoon’s keynote, with its focus on authenticity and moving with intention, set the tone for the rest of the day’s sessions.

Witherspoon wasn’t the only one delivering impactful takeaways on the first day of Summit. The Main Stage alone featured five sessions with expert speakers from Havas, We.Communications, dig Human, Point 600, Microsoft, Heineken, Crumbl, and Yahoo. Download our Summit PR Playbook and the Summit Marketing Playbook for a full breakdown of those sessions’ insights

From presentations in the breakout rooms to the conversations in the halls, it’s impossible to sum up all of the highlights of the day. You just had to be there — and next year you can be! Instead, here are three themes that emerged throughout the day.

Staying agile in today’s quickly-shifting PR, comms, and marketing landscapes was a recurring theme. In her session ‘Navigating Career Advancement in Communications: Insider Strategies for Securing Your Next Role’, Brooke Kruger, founder of KC Partners, noted that comms hiring is steady but more competitive than ever. With hiring processes growing longer and more rigorous, candidates not only need to be prepared for interviews and references, but also need to stay agile and responsive with example projects and ideas at the ready. 

Lyndsey McFail, Director of Social Media at Broadcast Music Inc., highlighted the importance of preparation to remaining agile in her presentation ‘Harmonizing Social Media: Crafting Compelling Video Content with Limited Resources.’ Along with sharing the methods behind some of her most successful social videos, she illustrated how planning tools like lists, posting schedules, and capture plans (like her signature 5-for-1 Method) help solo and small teams maximize limited resources. 

You don’t need a big team to make a big impact — you need big intention. 

— Lyndsey McFail, Director of Social Media, Broadcast Music Inc.

From the data side, Will Swope, Associate Director of Issues Management and Monitoring at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, demonstrated his three-step process for building more insightful reports. Beginning with the first step of creating a basic search and improving it, next he digs into key insights, and finally chooses the right report template. With that process, he explained, organizations can remain agile throughout news cycles as narratives and objectives continually shift. 

Having the right data is important, but as multiple presenters emphasized, that data can’t exist in a vacuum. Jerrod Lew, Manager of Crisis and Issues at Philip Morris International, urged attendees of his session, Turning Social Listening into a Crisis Management Powerhouse, to shift to their PR reporting to have more contextual emphases with analysis of engagement and impression trends. Context around data was also a touchpoint in the day’s Communications Panel: Data-Driven Strategies for Effective Media Relations, featuring SHEIN US’s Head of Brand PR Lisa Zlotnick, and Accenture’s Insights Lead, Corporate Communications, Colleen McGroarty, moderated by Nicole Schuman, Managing Editor at PRNEWS. Attendees of that session learned how contextualizing data within real-world business impacts is essential for communicating impact to executives.

Cyabra CEO Dan Brahmy and Edelman Managing Director and Global Head of Digital Crisis Dave Fleet also spoke to the importance of context through the lens of misinformation in their talk Manipulated Narratives: Navigating the Reputational Maze of Misinformation. Along with identifying the actors behind harmful content and exposing the coordinated behaviors behind them, Brahmy and Fleet highlighted the need to contextualize misinformation in wider narrative landscapes to better understand how to respond. 

Finally, Rob Key, CEO of Converseon, and Justin Schoen, Director of Strategy and Customer Success at Converseon, a 2025 Summit sponsor, shed light on how their company’s AI models (now integrated into Explore+) allow users to go beyond binary sentiment data to access more nuanced analyses around categories like customer attitudes and trust. 

In his presentation 2025 Webby Talk Trend Report: It’s Giving Brainrot, Nick Borenstein of the Webby Awards explained the ins and outs of chronically online culture, including how it is creating communities both on and off of the Internet. Organizations looking to engage with current trends in brainrot and other digital cultures should only do so when it is authentic to their brand. 

Meanwhile, Vanessa Mbonu, Vice President of Marketing of the NAACP, championed leading with humanity and recognizing the people represented in the numbers.

Don’t think about your audience as merely data points. There are real people behind the data, so talk to them: communicate with their interests and pain points in mind.

— Vanessa Mbonu, Vice President of Marketing, NAACP

For social, Mbonu noted that if you know your audience, you don’t have to overthink every output. Authentic content will follow, from posts that effortlessly say what everyone is thinking to influencer partnerships that feel naturally on-brand and organic. 

From the premiere of Mira to business lessons from Reese Witherspoon to strategic insights from experts across industries, Day 1 of Meltwater Summit was a powerful kickoff. And yet, there’s even more to come with Day 2. Stay tuned.

Major Moments from Meltwater Summit 2025, Day 1

How early do you get to the airport for a flight? Would you get there 15 minutes before takeoff or does the thought of doing so make you start to panic? The recently viral “airport theory” trend tests popular conventions, challenging people to show up just 15 minutes before their flight. 

Posited as a time-saving hack meant to limit how long one has to be in the airport itself, the trend is a byproduct of consumer dissatisfaction with air travel in general (at least in the US where complaints to the Transportation Department are rising). 

For many major airlines, 15 minutes before liftoff is right when boarding ends. And yet, slews of influencers and casual social media users have posted videos of themselves testing airport theory and coming out on top. Of course, not everyone does — Wired reported that Google searches for “I missed my flight” surged in the aftermath of the trend going viral. Even after “airport theory” dies down, its central question will still stand: How early should you get to the airport before your flight? There’s no universally accepted rule, but we used our social listening and analytics solution to find the leading answer.

Mentions of different times in discussions of how early to get to the airport across 17 social media channels, including X, Bluesky, YouTube, and Reddit, from April 14, 2024, to April 15, 2025.

According to more than 22,300 social media posts from April 14, 2024, to April 15, 2025, the most popular time to get to the airport before a departing flight is two hours early. This aligns with the standard recommendation for domestic flights from many leading airlines. Three hours, another common official recommendation, especially for international flights, was a distant second. 

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Maturing and traveling makes you realize that America has no problem offering the bare minimum and selling it to you like it’s the best thing out there….this would make me actually want to get to the airport 2 hours early 😂 <a href="https://t.co/gRVPxpdUIj">pic.twitter.com/gRVPxpdUIj</a></p>&mdash; Certified Hoodie Thief 🏁 (@KryssyLaReina) <a href="https://twitter.com/KryssyLaReina/status/1858552107219222571?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 18, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

A significant amount of conversation about the two-hour standard was generated from November 13 to 14, 2024, when the above post went viral on X. Featuring an influencer’s video of Singapore Changi Airport’s famed indoor forest and waterfall, the post proclaims “this would make me actually want to get to the airport 2 hours early.” The post, gesturing to two hours early being the popularly accepted rule as well as a lacking standard for US airports, inspired thousands of other X users to chime in with their own air travel opinions. However, even without the virality of that X post and the flurry of conversation it sparked, two hours was still mentioned most in discussions of airport arrival times. 

Which airports come up most often in discussions of how early to arrive?

Mentions of different airports in discussions of how early to get to the airport across 17 social media channels, including X, Bluesky, YouTube, and Reddit, from April 14, 2024, to April 15, 2025.

Our analysis found that of the world’s eight busiest airports the least busy of the bunch was mentioned most in social media discussions about arriving pre-flight. Los Angeles International Airport, better known as LAX, generated about 1,000 more mentions than London Heathrow, the next-most mentioned airport. This could be linked to Los Angeles’s cultural prominence as the world’s gateway to Hollywood and a frequent spot for celebrity sightings. However, it could also be linked to LAX’s notoriety for being big and bustling. Either way, the California airport takes the starring role in social media discussions about how early to get to specific airports.

It’s safe to say that airport theory isn’t (ahem) taking off, but the trend is successfully speaking to many people’s dissatisfaction with air travel. For some, an indoor waterfall and rainforest is the only thing that could get them to show up to the airport with a smile. However, for many others, a selection of great restaurants or places to shop is enough to get them out of the house faster. Just look to the many food and beverage publications covering the airport dining renaissance as evidence. 

For marketers, airport theory highlights just how much modern air travel has become an exercise in minimizing the time spent on the most annoying parts of the process: the packing, the waiting, and the discomfort. Staying on top of relevant consumer conversations can reveal new opportunities to meet travelers needs as they get from point a to point b

How Early You Should Get to the Airport, According to Social Media

These days, a couple meeting IRL feels a little bit retro. That’s because, over the past decade, online dating has evolved from a novelty to a mainstay of modern, digital culture. In the U.S., for example, about half of people looking for serious relationships are doing so on dating apps. Those numbers are lower elsewhere, like in the U.K., but even there, about a third of Gen Z and Millennials are swiping. 

Chatter about the decline of dating apps is everywhere, yet Tinder and Bumble still rank in the top 10 mobile apps globally by consumer spending. So is dating app burnout actually widespread or not? We used our social listening and analytics solution to crunch the numbers on millions of social media data points to see how the digital conversation is trending and how brands are responding. 

How much are people talking about dating apps?

Social media mentions of online dating and dating apps from April 15, 2024, to April 14, 2025

Over the past year (April 15, 2024 to April 14, 2025), social media users have mentioned online dating and dating apps more than 4.64 million times, averaging at about 12,700 mentions per day. The overall volume has held mostly steady, with a slight 8% uptick from October 15, 2024 to April 14, 2025 compared to the six months prior. Meanwhile, the biggest spike in conversation was generated by a post on X associating app-less dating with the effortless cool exuded by Turkish Olympic sharpshooter Yusuf Dikeç.

Sentiment of social media mentions of online dating and dating apps from April 15, 2024 to April 14, 2025

The dating app discussion isn’t all lovey dovey. About 27% of the 4.64 million social media mentions from mid-April 2024 to mid-April 2025 were negative compared to just 16% positive. This imbalance aligns with the growing narrative in media coverage about widespread souring regarding dating apps. 

How are dating apps responding to online dating fatigue?

Dating app brands have clearly been taking notice of the narrative online and evolving their messaging in response. Here's how.

Seats | It Starts With A Swipe™

Tinder’s “It Starts With A Swipe™” campaign proclaims, “It’s great to be wrong about Tinder,” speaking directly to the skeptics in its target audience. By portraying the romance of small, awkward shared moments on dates — like ordering too spicy food at a restaurant or getting seated behind a pillar at a concert — Tinder positions itself as the starting point for authentic, meaningful experiences.

It's Funny We Met on Hinge

Hinge has long subverted expectations with its tagline, “The dating app designed to be deleted,” so its latest ad campaign, “It’s Funny We Met on Hinge” fits perfectly into its brand. In the collection of videos, real-life couples discuss meeting their now-partners on Hinge after having earlier encountered them in real life. Along with real people voicing their (seemingly) unscripted doubts about the app, the ads position Hinge as a tool for connection with people in your existing communities and social circles, preserving the element of romantic serendipity.

On social media, Plenty of Fish, or POF, is leveraging UGC and content creators to strengthen its positioning as “the dating app where you can truly be yourself.” Forgoing professional lighting and sets for authentic content filmed from smartphones (along with real-life snapshots of real-life couples) the brand gives users license to come to the app exactly as they are.

Despite visible skepticism and disappointment, dating apps are still an important and deeply embedded part of modern dating in many parts of the world. Dating app brands are openly acknowledging this cultural evolution, as well as the resulting shifts in what their audiences expect, prefer, and need. From linking apps with organic connection to highlighting real stories from real users, current dating app marketing trends are examples for marketers across segments of how to address consumer frustrations head-on.

How Brands Are Responding to Dating App Fatigue

Are we at the beginning of a branded Substack boom? Some strong signs point to yes. Not only does the newsletter platform boast five million paid subscribers, but Google searches for “Substack” recently outnumbered those for “newsletter” for the first time ever since it launched in 2017. Everyone from discerning fashion enthusiasts to broadcast TV news anchors are flocking to the platform in search of some fresh air, and a growing number of brands are following suit. If your brand is considering doing the same, read on for some inspiration from the forefront of the Substack wave. But first, let’s check out how big this buzz really is.

There have been over 3 million mentions of Substack from April 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025, in broadcast, news, blogs, product reviews, and more than a dozen social media channels including X, Bluesky, Reddit, and Pinterest.

Our social listening analysis found that mentions of Substack have increased by nearly 90% over the past six months (from October 2024 through March 2025) compared to the six months prior. And though mentions of Substack spiked twice in July 2024, they didn’t begin their recent rise until early this year. 

Interestingly, over the past year, some of the furthest-reaching mentions of Substack have come from The New York Times, which has cited newsletters on the platform in multiple pieces like profiles, author interviews, movie roundups, and even political reporting. Meanwhile, a Pinterest post featuring an air fryer S’mores recipe drove the most engagement with its link to a cooking Substack newsletter. With so much attention on the platform, now is the perfect time for brands across industries to look into how to make the most of this growing channel.

Substack isn’t the place for conventional email marketing, per the platform’s content guidelines. Instead, brand and commercial newsletters, which “may be subject to additional verification”, need to deliver original, editorial content that appeals beyond just the fans of a particular service or product. That’s no small task, requiring dedicated time and resources that not every brand can or should prioritize. Still, there are already some notable brands making it work, especially in the beauty and fashion sectors. Here are a few of the brands demonstrating how Substack marketing can be done.

https://littlebookofsleep.substack.com/ 

Smart alarm clock and lamp brand Loftie uses its “Little Book of Sleep” Substack to examine the cultural history and significance of sleep. Launched in February 2025, the blog includes dispatches from multiple writers covering topics like the history of the pillow, depictions of beds in art, and the latest news in sleep. Though it’s new, Loftie’s Substack is an example of how to use newsletters to elevate the lifestyle around a brand.

More than 80,000 people subscribe to “The M Dash”, a Substack by womenswear brand M.M.LaFleur. Geared for career-focused women, the newsletter publishes interviews, work advice, and brand news. However, its style guides incorporating brand pieces and real insights from its stylists are the biggest draw. With so many shoppers looking for examples of how items look on real people, as well as how to style them, “The M Dash” is using Substack to solve that problem for its potential customers.  

Resale platform The RealReal has drawn over 2,000 subscribers to its fashion Substack “The RealGirl.” Instead of showing off multiple voices, the newsletter is written from the perspective of an anonymous, RealReal-obsessed fashionista called The RealGirl. Also launched in February 2025, “The RealGirl” is just getting started. However, it is already a great example of how a brand can use Substack to embody their ideal customer and wield the influencer appeal that brings so many readers to the platform in the first place. 

Fellow resale platform Vestiaire Collective doesn’t operate its own Substack. Instead, it sponsors posts with popular fashion and lifestyle newsletters including Why Not?, Long Live, and Night Shade, by Ghia founder and CEO Melanie Masarin. Other companies like Amigo, Free People, Net-a-Porter, and Goop have also gone for the influencer route on Substack, a great option for brands who don’t want to devote the time and resources required to launch and sustain a full-fledged blog.

Learn more about The RealReal, Vestiaire Collective, and the booming secondhand fashion sector in our exclusive report: Consumer Insights: Luxury Fashion Resale. 

This Substack is a weekly dispatch from the Saie office that gives readers a peek at the people and culture behind the beauty brand. The recurring “Trending at Saie HQ” newsletter highlights the products and experiences currently piquing the team’s interest. Meanwhile, interviews with makeup artists, highlights from recent activations, and product announcements speak more directly to the customer. Notably, Saie also uses its newsletter to emphasize its brand values. For example, on International Women’s Day, it shared recommendations of other women-owned businesses with more than 4,000 subscribers.

https://theonlyjaneonjeans.substack.com/about 

For denim company The Only Jane, its Substack “Jane on Jeans” isn’t just a side project, it is a core aspect of the brand that is linked on its main website. Run by founder and designer Jane Herman, it delivers her personal jean reviews, styling tips, and recommendations to over 9,000 subscribers. And thanks to Jane’s expertise and passion for fashion, and jeans in particular, the blog appeals to the kind of style enthusiasts that make up The Only Jane’s target audience. There’s even a paid subscription tier that gives readers exclusive access to AMAs with Jane and early access to store sales. Other popular, company founder-led Substacks include Alex Mill’s Somsack Sikhounmuong and Crown Affair’s Dianna Cohen. Look to them for examples of how organization leaders can use their personal newsletters to build brand identity and audience engagement.

Last but not least, luxury brand Tory Burch gives its over 4,000 subscribers a monthly dose of fashion and style insight with its “What Should I Wear” newsletter. The recurring “Women at Work” series features recommendations from fashionable industry insiders and entrepreneurs, while other issues include fashion week recaps and gift guides. Check it out to see how to make a newsletter something subscribers look forward to hitting their inboxes every few weeks.

Much like Reddit’s growth, Substack’s rise points to a growing segment of consumers who are seeking out new perspectives and personalized recommendations outside of the top social media platforms and traditional media outlets. Joining every new platform that pops up isn’t a workable marketing strategy, but brands should be on the lookout for new and fresh opportunities for identity-building on platforms like Substack and beyond. In the coming year, expect even bigger names to join the site and highlight their brand personalities. (For example, Selena Gomez’s buzzy beauty brand Rare Beauty just launched its Substack last week.) But only the ones with heart, and the right resources, will stick. 

How Brands Are Leveraging the Substack Boom

Despite many of our favourite social media platforms turning 20 in the next year or so (let that sink in), they’re showing no signs of aging. In fact, almost the opposite is true. It’s 2025, and the use of social media in South Africa continues to grow and evolve.

But as new features take root – short form video, user-generated content, marketplace functionality –  they shape the general expectations of what social media platforms can and should supply, and what consumers expect of brands. For this reason, brands need insights to stay updated and adaptable with their social media marketing strategies.

Alongside branded content, robust social media analytics tools provide these insights. Uncover the social media trends applicable for your brand, and never miss a thing by making use of a social listening tool.

In this blog, we expand on some of the key South African social media statistics found in the Global Digital Report 2025 - produced in partnership with Meltwater and We Are Social. 

General 2025 Social Media Statistics for South Africa

eCommerce & Online Shopping Statistics for South Africa

Main Reasons For Using Social Media in South Africa

Most Used Social Platforms in South Africa

South African Digital & Social Media Statistics: Key Takeaways

50.8 million people use the internet (78.9%)

26.7 million people use social media (41.5%)

124 million mobile connections are active (193% of the population)

As of early 2025, there are over 50 million internet users in South Africa. This is up over 2.5 million users from 2024, showing the continued growth of internet accessibility in the country. Interestingly, although there are over 50 million internet users, only 26.7 million are social media users. Although this is up 2.7% year-on-year, it shows how much growth potential is still available to social media platforms.

Cellular mobile connections number 124 million. For context, many South Africans make use of more than one mobile connection, which is why this figure exceeds the figures for total population.

99.3% of South African internet users own smartphones, further underlining the accessibility of mobile phones and the connection preference of the user. In comparison, 79.1% of users own a computer. This is why South African brands should adopt a mobile-first approach to their marketing, both in terms of strategy and creative rollout.

Looking at the statistics behind the media consumption in South Africa, it is notable to see that neither television nor radio have dipped, despite the domination of the internet and online accessibility. Broadcast TV is used by 89.5% of South African internet users (in comparison to 76.2% who stream video content), and broadcast radio is used by 79.4% of users (with 78.8% of users streaming music content).

This shows that, even with internet access, TV and radio media maintain their popularity. For brands, this presents the opportunity for omnichannel marketing, ensuring presence across online and traditional media spaces. 

While some 14 million South Africans do not have access to the internet, those that do spend more time online, on average, than any other country in the world. South African users spend an average of 9 hours, 37 minutes per day actively online.

South African users daily time spent on the internet: 9 hours, 37 minutes

South Africa has the highest internet usage rate in the world. This figure is almost exactly the same as last year, suggesting that many internet users in South Africa have developed (and are comfortable with) an always-online lifestyle. 

Main Reasons for Using the Internet in South Africa

Information access is a major factor for users aged 16 - 64 using the internet, tying into 4 of the top 5 reasons listed.

Staying in touch with friends and family - 72.6%

Top Website Types Visited in South Africa

Website and app usage in South Africa reflects the main reasons listed for using the internet, namely information sourcing and talking to friends and family. Entertainment websites, such as music services and food delivery apps, are noticeably less popular than social and communication websites.

Online Learning Statistics for South Africa

Marketing

Major Moments from Meltwater Summit 2025, Day 2

Major Moments from Meltwater Summit 2025, Day 1

How Early You Should Get to the Airport, According to Social Media

How Brands Are Responding to Dating App Fatigue

How Brands Are Leveraging the Substack Boom

South African Digital & Social Media Statistics 2025

Three Crucial Luxury Fashion Resale Insights for Marketers

Social Media & Marketing Trends to Watch in South Africa in 2025

Duo Is Dead: The Data on Duolingo’s Viral Campaign

Digital 2025: The essential guide to the global state of digital

What Marketers Can Learn from the Walmart Birkin

The 14 Best SEO Podcasts 2025

Marketing

Major Moments from Meltwater Summit 2025, Day 2

Major Moments from Meltwater Summit 2025, Day 1

How Early You Should Get to the Airport, According to Social Media

How Brands Are Responding to Dating App Fatigue

How Brands Are Leveraging the Substack Boom

South African Digital & Social Media Statistics 2025

Three Crucial Luxury Fashion Resale Insights for Marketers

Social Media & Marketing Trends to Watch in South Africa in 2025

Duo Is Dead: The Data on Duolingo’s Viral Campaign

Digital 2025: The essential guide to the global state of digital

What Marketers Can Learn from the Walmart Birkin

The 14 Best SEO Podcasts 2025

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