Pop Culture Pulse June 2025: #BranTrip, Sportstainment Group Chats, & Garden Gaming
Our Pop Culture Pulse is a monthly download of the buzziest cultural developments, emerging fandoms and audience trends. This month, we’re exploring why one TikTokker’s #brantrip delighted audiences fatigued with influencer holidays, how Roblox’s Grow a Garden has captured millions of cosy creativity-seeking Alphas and why group chats are the latest must-visit sportstainment destination.
Social Media & Internet Culture: #BranTrip Hands Influence to Fans
Gaming: Roblox’s Grow a Garden Delivers Cosy Creativity for Alphas
Entertainment: Sports Stars Join Fans for Live Event Group Chats
US-based creator @Bran_Flakezz has lit up TikTok with #brantrip, his spin on lavish brand-influencer holidays. It involves taking six of his fans on a Philadelphia getaway, complete with gifting and themed experiences. Enthusiastically received online, the trip, supported by 30 brands, indicates a shift in the influencer content audiences seek and a new support role for brands.
US-based creator @Bran_Flakezz has lit up TikTok with #brantrip, his spin on lavish brand-influencer holidays. It involves taking six of his fans on a Philadelphia getaway, complete with gifting and themed experiences. Enthusiastically received online, the trip, supported by 30 brands, indicates a shift in the influencer content audiences seek and a new support role for brands.
Summary
Social Media & Internet Culture: #BranTrip Hands Influence to Fans | US-based creator @Bran_Flakezz has lit up TikTok with #brantrip, his spin on lavish brand-influencer holidays. It involves taking six of his fans on a Philadelphia getaway, complete with gifting and themed experiences. Enthusiastically received online, the trip, supported by 30 brands, indicates a shift in the influencer content audiences seek and a new support role for brands. |
Gaming: Roblox’s Grow a Garden Delivers Cosy Creativity for Alphas | Roblox game Grow a Garden, which asks players to plant seeds, care for animals and cultivate crops, hit a high of 16.4 million concurrent players on June 14 (NYT, 2025) – higher than Fortnite’s record peak. With related content also exploding on social media, the game’s blend of cosy, competitive and creative elements is bewitching Gen Alphas. |
Entertainment: Sports Stars Join Fans for Live Event Group Chats | US-based sports publisher OffBall’s The Chat events, hosted on WhatsApp, let fans join exclusive group chats where they can interact with commentary-providing sports stars during key live games. Set to expand after four initial tests during major sporting events in basketball, football and soccer, the feature represents a new participatory vision for second-screen sportstainment. |
Pop Culture Pulse June 2025: #BranTrip, Sportstainment Group Chats, & Garden Gaming
Topics
Want to see the full report?
Offering access to over 350 consumer and cross-industry reports annually, Stylus Membership is your window to tomorrow’s most exciting opportunities.
We already arm more than 500 of the world’s most forward-thinking brands and agencies with the creative insights they need to make transformative business decisions.
We’d love to do the same for you.
Book a demo with us today to discover more.
Want to see the full report?
Offering access to over 350 consumer and cross-industry reports annually, Stylus Membership is your window to tomorrow’s most exciting opportunities.
We already arm more than 500 of the world’s most forward-thinking brands and agencies with the creative insights they need to make transformative business decisions.
We’d love to do the same for you.
Book a demo with us today to discover more.
