Social Creatures – Details, episodes & analysis

If you’re ever having a bad day, the Happy Doggo socials are where you need to be.

With over 1.5 million followers across platforms, this animal welfare charity aims to fix the global street dog problem by raising awareness of the issue and promoting the success stories of the dogs they rescue.

Its founder, Niall Harbison, founded the charity in 2021 after a near-death experience, and has gone on to utilise social media in gathering support for important causes which is making a substantial global impact.

Niall chats to us about the importance of authenticity in brand marketing, and the legacy he hopes to leave in the animal welfare community.

Patagonia is a global brand known not only for their leading outdoor fashion lines, but also for their focus on authenticity when connecting with their customers.

Lauren Henshaw, Community & Digital Impact Manager at Patagonia, has been overseeing their social media in Europe and has had huge success in building environmental activism and outdoor communities through socials.

Lauren chats to us about how to build a pathway to action through social channels, how to define engagement across platforms, and how to earn the trust of your audience by building safe communities to interact with.

Harnessing the power of social marketing to unite people to tackle climate change is a formidable undertaking, and Too Good To Go is paving the way. It’s estimated that a third of all food produced in the world is wasted and 10% of world greenhouse gas emissions come from food waste alone. This impact is greater than of the aviation industry and plastics combined. Too Good To Go is the world's largest food waste app and it’s revolutionising the battle against food waste. The app lets you rescue unsold food at your favourite spots from an untimely fate, and provides people with the tools and resources so they can feel empowered to have a tangible impact. 

Co-founder Jamie Crummie's takes us on a deep dive into how Too Good To Go leverages social platforms to spread their message, engage users, and mobilise communities to take action. Jamie shares invaluable insights into the art of leveraging social media to ignite a global movement, and how you can contribute to the cause. Join us in this illuminating conversation and be inspired to make a difference in the world of food waste, one meal at a time.

Despite the progressive nature of the contemporary art industry, there had never been a huge presence of these artists in the social media space. That is, until Unit London exploded onto the scene in 2013 with a range of pop-up locations highlighting a new group of diverse, unrepresented artists whose talent was to be celebrated in a non-discriminate way. Its founders, Joe Kennedy and Jonny Burt, endeavoured to advance the contemporary art scene by taking a more accessible and inclusive approach to exhibitions, putting community and connection at the heart of everything they do. This strategy has been hugely successful and has led to the gallery having a massive global following.

In today’s episode, we chat to co-founder Joe. Joe takes us through how, at 22 years old, he took his marketing experience and applied it to an industry which tended to favour those with greater access and financial means to succeed in the art world. Joe utilised social media platforms such as Instagram to champion undiscovered artists and to allow fans to watch Unit London’s journey progress from a small pop-up in West London to a globally renowned gallery with over half a million followers.

Over the past two decades, the world of social media has undergone a remarkable evolution, reshaping the way we connect, communicate, and consume content. As a seasoned consultant, Matt Navarra has stood as a vigilant observer and an active participant. He's not only witnessed the shifts but has also been at the forefront of guiding brands and institutions through these seismic changes. 

In today’s episode we speak with the seasoned social media consultant, Matt Navarra. With a career spanning over two decades, Matt brings a wealth of experience to the table, sharing captivating stories and insights on the ever-changing landscape of digital platforms. Matt's success is a testament to adaptability, innovation, and the power of staying ahead in a rapidly shifting industry.  Join us as we delve into an array of fascinating stories that have shaped the digital sphere, guided by a trailblazer in the field.

The emergence of luxury fashion houses during the 19th Century marked a transformative moment in history, birthing legendary brands that would shape the landscape of fashion, and define style, trends and sophistication. These exclusive high fashion luxury brands captivate its followers with their exquisite designs and impeccable attention to detail that epitomise desirability.  For the majority of their audience, their products are unreachable. So in an industry that defines trends and isn’t aiming to sell to the masses, how does the high luxury fashion industry navigate social media? 

In this episode we speak with Maxime Bicard. With a brilliant career working across the top brands in the industry, Maxime brings a wealth of insights and expertise to the table. In this episode we uncover the secrets behind how the high luxury fashion industry utilises social media in a distinct manner, and why it sets itself apart from most other industries.

From its humble beginnings in 1984, Ryanair has grown to become one of Europe's leading airlines. It has established itself as a prominent and influential brand, known for its innovative approaches to engaging with customers through social media platforms. With a strong emphasis on building a vibrant and humorous online presence, Ryanair has effectively utilised social media channels to connect with their audience, drive brand awareness, and deliver exceptional customer experiences.

In this episode we speak with Michael Corcoran head of social and creative content at Ryanair. We unravel the secrets behind RyanAir's social media triumphs and uncover the key ingredients for building a compelling online presence. We'll also explore their unique and playful strategies, creative campaigns, and the impact of their social marketing initiatives on their overall success.

Innocent is a fruit juice and smoothies brand that aims to be Europe’s favourite little drinks company.  Well known for their ability to create emotional connections with people over social media, the premise of Innocent is to ‘leave people better than we found them’.  They have mastered the art of emotional marketing, bringing humour and meaning into the customer experience; making people choose their offline product because they’ve made them feel something online.

As a B Corp, they believe in balancing purpose and profit. They dream big; looking beyond the sales of healthy drinks, they run hugely impactful social campaigns that sit at the intersection of social media and life offline.

In this episode we speak with Marcus Dean, social media manager for Innocent drinks UK. We discuss authentic emotional marketing; why maintaining a consistent, relatable tone of voice throughout the entire workforce is a central pillar to their success; and why creating a work culture where creatives are permitted to take risks is one where they will flourish and bring results.

Building a large following on social media is often key to the success of many companies. But building a trusted online social community is at the heart of the success of Riley; with honest and realistic promises central to their progressive marketing. They’ve taken the world of period products by storm, combining a health and wellness approach with direct customer-centric social media marketing with a simple message: ‘why should your period be a pain?’

In this episode of the podcast, we speak to Fiona Parfrey, Co-Founder of Riley. We discuss how Riley broke onto the scene, in a market that’s been controlled by a few major players, with something completely different that really resonated. Fiona tells us how the business takes the mystery out of the health of people who menstruate by creating a trusted social community that focuses on breaking down the stigma often associated with the topic. We discover how they are disrupting the market, and bringing their community along with them, by nurturing their consumers.

Faced with challenging economic times and global inflation, businesses across all industries are working hard to get the best return on investment. 

As marketing is often the first channel to suffer when it comes to budget cuts, in today's episode we investigate how to maximize marketing with a small social media team.  

Capturing the cultural zeitgeist is generally a difficult task for most marketing companies, and even more so on social media. Trends, cycles, consumer tastes, and that elusive cool factor are something that most of us spend a lot of time chasing. But today's guest are world renowned for not only knowing what's cool, but for actually defining what's cool.

We are delighted to catch up with Carina Torres, Social Media Manager of the Austin based art and tech festival, South by South West (SXSW).