Why Bold Social Creative Is Always Worth The ‘Risk’ | Aaron Gillies, 4Studio, Channel4
SocialMinds - A Social Media Marketing Podcast
Release Date: 10/06/2025
SocialMinds - A Social Media Marketing Podcast
For years, brands have tried to maintain one consistent voice on social. But the most engaging content today comes from people, not polished brand posts. Primark has leaned into that shift with its colleague-generated content programme, training store teams to become creators and tell stories from a local perspective. In this episode, we’re joined by Maria Duncan, Social Media & Community Management Officer at Primark, and Chelsea Noronha, Strategist at SocialChain, to go behind the scenes on how it works from strategy to rollout and...
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On this episode of Social in Six, SocialChain’s senior account manager Taylor Mitchell joins Mil in the studio to unpack the hottest social headlines. This time that includes the news that Meta is experimenting with ads for its chatbot Meta AI and a big measurement update that should make reporting easier. Plus, TikTok has rolled out its Local feed to the US, Pinterest shares tips for better ad creative, and creators are speaking out against Instagram’s controversial shopping feature. Finally, X has quietly...
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Since we last heard from Kopparberg at our live podcast session at MAD//North in 2025, a lot has happened for the UK’s largest fruit cider brand – namely, the launch of its refreshed creator and influencer strategy last spring. Since then, the brand has been on a mission to entice its core audience of young adults and maintain salience for shoppers in the Beer and Cider aisle through savvy partnerships with creators. In this episode, we’re joined once again by Kopparberg’s senior customer marketing manager...
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It's our first Social in Six episode of 2026! This time our social media manager Emily Harrison is joining Mil to unpack all the latest and greatest from the world of social. First up, they’re breaking down what brands need to know about X’s ongoing AI image controversy, plus a handful of Instagram updates including: Customise Your Algorithm, an official launch for its new CTV app, and a so-called “likes recession”. Elsewhere, YouTube has a new post format for Shorts, and Mil and Em unpack why Pinterest is increasingly...
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When Argos’s social team set out to level up their social channels a year ago, they had their work cut out for them. Now, their TikToks are pulling in views by the millions. Whether it’s dance trends on the shop floor or the account’s ongoing beef with Currys, your childhood favourite retailer has viewers hooked. In this episode, we chat to Aimée Scanlon, Social Media Lead at Argos, to unpack how the high street giant rewired decades of catalogue culture into a community-first,...
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2025 was the year of sardine tees, filthy martinis and red leather – but we already knew that thanks to Pinterest Predicts’ trend forecasts for Fisherman Aesthetic, Pickle Fix, and Cherry Coded. For 2026, Wilderkind, Poetcore, and FunHaus are among the many trend predictions our favourite visual discovery engine has in store for us this year. To tell us about how brands, marketers and creators can all leverage this year’s biggest vibes, we’re joined once again by Pinterest’s Director of Marketing, Louise Foley. Expect to discover why your audience is turning to imaginative escapism,...
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On our 100th Social in Six episode, SocialChain influencer executive Rachel Lea joins Mil in the studio to cover off the top six need-to-know updates from the world of social. This time, that includes two updates from Instagram: a new watch history feature and a crackdown on duplicate content that’s got some news accounts rattled. They’re also talking all about Sora, the latest AI video/social platform from ChatGPT’s parent company OpenAI. Plus, new AI tools from TikTok that let creators...
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Recorded in front of a live audience at SocialMinds Live 2025, we go behind the scenes of Primark’s bold social-first strategy with Primark’s Kymberley Thomson in this raw, unfiltered conversation between client and creative. From concept to execution, we lift the lid on the work and the wins that put community at the heart of the brand, and how collective creativity turned one of fashion’s biggest names into a cultural conversation starter. Get in touch at .
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On this episode of Social in Six, SocialChain strategist Chelsea Noronha returns to the studio to help Mil break down social's biggest updates. They cover Meta’s ad-free subscription tier launching in the UK, plus the news that Instagram is trialling opening the app to the full-screen Reels feed. They also discuss two updates from Facebook, including keyword search suggestions for Reels, and the platform’s rising popularity as a news source. Finally, they cover TikTok Travel Ads and YouTube’s AI tool that generates alternate endings for Shorts. Got...
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Your most successful activations will be the ones that makes stakeholders squirm. Just a little. Still, most organisations are more fearful of perceived backlash than ever before - but not Channel4. As the ‘alternative’ UK broadcaster with shows that range from Virgin Island to Trump V The Truth, the nature of its programming opens doors for the nature of its marketing. In this episode, 4Studio’s senior content strategist Aaron Gillies tells all. Whether it’s sending Handmaids in full regalia to parade The Palace of Westminster a week after Roe Vs Wade was overturned, or letting...
info_outlineYour most successful activations will be the ones that makes stakeholders squirm. Just a little. Still, most organisations are more fearful of perceived backlash than ever before - but not Channel4. As the ‘alternative’ UK broadcaster with shows that range from Virgin Island to Trump V The Truth, the nature of its programming opens doors for the nature of its marketing. In this episode, 4Studio’s senior content strategist Aaron Gillies tells all. Whether it’s sending Handmaids in full regalia to parade The Palace of Westminster a week after Roe Vs Wade was overturned, or letting mischievous Yorkshire teens take over your socials and post things like “Channel4 is for people who belong in a nursing home”, this broadcaster is no stranger to bold tactics. Is its reputation risked or ruined? No. Far, far, far from it.Got a question or a suggestion for the SocialMinds podcast? Get in touch at socialminds@socialchain.com.