Week five of 2025 – how did that happen?! January is finally behind us (collective sigh of relief), and we’re stepping into February with a little more daylight, slightly fewer existential crises, and a renewed hope that maybe, just maybe, this is the year we actually stick to our resolutions. (No promises though).

But enough about us. Let’s talk about what really matters – the biggest social media shake-ups, standout marketing wins, and all the juicy bits you need to know this week…

Top social media updates this week

New Threads Features Dropped ✨

Threads is keeping things fresh with some shiny new features.

First up, there’s a brand new Media tab on user profile, meaning people can scroll just your videos and photos without having to wade through all your text posts. 

Then there’s Markup – a handy new tool that lets you highlight specific parts of a post when sharing. So if you’ve ever wanted to scream “LOOK AT THIS BIT!!”, without actually typing it, now you can. 

Small updates, but definitely useful ones. Nice work, Threads! 👏

The stats are in – Threads is outpacing X in engagement 📊

Look’s like Threads isn’t just rolling out the shiny new features – it’s also leaving X (formerly known as Twitter) in the dust when it comes to engagement. 

A recent study found that brands posting on Threads are getting eight times more likes per post compared to X. Yep, eight times! And while Threads has now hit 300 million users (with 100 million checking in daily), X has been stuck at 250 million daily users since November 2022. Not exactly the growth story Elon was hoping for 👀

While X still holds a bigger overall user base, the numbers don’t lie. Threads is quickly becoming the go-to for real engagement, not just endless doom scrolling. Want the full breakdown? Check out the stats here. 

The beginning of the end for X?

Toward the end of January, Mind Charity made the bold move to step away from X, citing a drop in reach, poor engagement, and serious safety concerns. After their announcement, in a reply on X, they said: 

“We no longer felt it was a safe platform for engaging with our audiences and we have an obligation to keep our beneficiaries, supporters and staff as safe as possible.”

Their exit from the app sparked a flurry of debate, with many Instagram users agreeing that the X platform is no longer the place it used to be. As more organisations rethink their social strategies, it raises the question- is it time to focus efforts elsewhere and give X the boot?

Instagram’s latest updates: views metrics and grid customisation 

Just in case you were starting to think this update is sponsored by Threads, here’s some Instagram news.

First up, the platform has expanded the Views metric, giving creators more detailed insights into how their audience is engaging with their content. Now you can track things like View Rate and Views Over Time, providing even deeper context to help you fine-tune your content strategy. We’re all about those extra analytics, right?

On top of that, Instagram’s testing a feature that lets you rearrange and customise your profile grid. This could be a game-changer for brands and content creators wanting a bit more control over the aesthetic of their feed. And remember, Instagram announced recently that the grid will be shifting from square images to rectangular ones, making this new customisation feature even more exciting. Time to give your grid a glow up! 

Heinz bold new ads: When you don’t even need a logo 🍅

As you’ve probably seen, Heinz has just released a series of ads that don’t even feature their logo or brand name. A bold move, but it works. Why? Because their brand is so ingrained in our minds that it doesn’t need a logo to stand out. 

This power move highlights that once a brand becomes iconic enough, its identity transcends the logo. It’s the colour, the feel, the culture they’ve built – it’s Heinz, even without the label.

Ok so we’re not all as iconic as Heinz, but what can we all learn from this campaign?

• Brand identity is everything – when your brand is so-well established, your audience will recognise it without a logo. So focus on building strong, recognisable traits. 
• Consistency is key – keep your message consistent and relatable across all platforms, so your audience instantly associates your content with your brand. 
• Trust matters – a loyal, trusting customer base is the ultimate goal. Once that trust is built, your brand can speak for itself, even in subtle ways. 

See you next week for more social media updates and marketing news! 👋