8 unmissable reactive moments in 2023

Written by Martin Kevill, Creative Director & Jonny Edge, Senior Creative

 

Image source Midjourney

With the launch of Mint, we have at last given a name to a service we have been offering for 10 years already – bringing award-winning, in-the-moment reactive creative social media output to innovative brands looking to break the mould and stand out in a crowded market. 

The intelligence, agility and passion behind Mint is unmatched, although if you’re reading this – congratulations, you’ve stumbled upon a cheat sheet to the biggest social media moments we’ll be on top of for our clients throughout 2023 and there are so many big moments this year, even AI image programme, Midjourney, struggled to create an image to summarise it... as you can see above.

With this as your guiding light, maybe we’ll see your brand alongside our coverage in the months to come… 

 

1. THE CORONATION OF KING CHARLES III - 6TH MAY 

Royalist or not, this is a once-in-a-generation event that even the cynics amongst us will want to be a part of.  

If King Charles’ Christmas Day message breaking TV viewership records was anything to go by, joining the conversation around the King’s coronation on social could be massive for brands looking to position themselves at the heart of the hottest topic of that day. 

 

2. EUROVISION 2023 IN LIVERPOOL – 13TH MAY 

Eurovision 2022 surpassed the nation’s expectations, with Sam Ryder making us a serious competitor after several years of falling well under the radar. 

For this year’s competition, we’re bringing it home – making for a perfectly positive celebration of all things European, all in our own back yard. The English viewership for Eurovision 2022 – particularly in the final – was the highest of any competing country, and the second highest in 2021.

This is a reactive moment worth sitting up and taking notice of 

 

3. LOVE ISLAND 2023 – 5TH JUNE 

A fixture in the British cultural landscape at this point, Love Island goes from strength to strength every year. Love Island in 2023 is no different, with Maya Jama taking over hosting duties from Laura Whitmore, and two whole series of the show across the year. 

The audience for Love Island is perfect to engage with on social. They are a naturally online, passionate audience that will respond positively to brands joining the conversation. Or at least, they will if brands do their homework and watch along with them. While the Love Island audience is passionate and love to love enthusiastic supporters of the show, they can see through bandwagon jumping and brands engaging with the show because it’s popular, and so if you do decide to go down the Love Island route… Watch along with them! 

 

4. ELTON JOHN AT GLASTONBURY – 25TH JUNE 

Elton’s final UK concert – no, really. And what a high to go out on? Music’s biggest and most lauded stage, ending a touring career on the Pyramid Stage is quite the final bow. 

Whether you were lucky enough to get tickets or not, this is going to be a performance and celebration for the history books. Glastonbury’s viewership has increased each year, reaching a record breaking high with 34.1m streams on iPlayer, and 2.3m on BBC Sounds

– 116% and 205% increases on the figures for Glastonbury 2019 (when the festival was last held). Elton can top those figures standing on his head, though it might make it harder to hit the higher notes… 

2022 HEADLINER SIR PAUL MCCARTNEY AVERAGED 2.7 MILLION VIEWERS

 

5. WOMEN’S WORLD CUP – 20TH JULY 

The Lionesses roared to the top of the Women’s Euros, and all eyes are on the Women’s World Cup to see if they can channel similar success. 

Not only are England the favourites, but the match kick-offs are enticingly early and easy to accommodate in the working day (we won’t tell if you don’t…) – any messages of support and reactions to the highs and lows of every game they play in are sure to be well received. 

 

6. RUGBY WORLD CUP – 8TH SEPTEMBER 

Considered to be the third biggest sporting event after the FIFA World Cup and Olympic Games, the Rugby World Cup has become a force to be reckoned with. Never the first to jump on trends, having only acquired a Twitter account three years after it launched, the tournament has grown and grown to achieve 2.1 billion views in the 2019 competition, nearly six times the figure achieved at Rugby World Cup 2015. 

England losing out to South Africa was the most watched Rugby World Cup final ever, averaging at 44.9 million live viewers over its runtime, and ITV bringing in a quarter of that viewership alone. Long story short, if you have ignored the Rugby World Cup in your social media strategies before, it’s time to sit up and take notice. 

MOST -WATCHED SPORTS BROADCAST OF THE YEAR 

 

7. RYDER CUP – 25TH SEPTEMBER 

Sky’s golf coverage is going to the next level in 2023, not just because of the exclusivity they continue to hold for the live broadcast rights to the Ryder Cup, but to their increased investment in golf programming across all platforms.  

This continued investment in golf comes at a time where interest in the sport is only getting stronger, and at a good time too, as UK audiences will be able to watch the Ryder Cup and three additional men’s major golf tournaments, plus all five women’s golf majors through Sky Sports in 2023. It’s never been a been a better time to get into golf, and many viewers are expected to do just that this year.  

 

8. BIG BROTHER’S RETURN - TBC 

After a tantalising tease at the finale of Love Island 2022, Big Brother is returning to ITV after a five-year hiatus. The reality show that (arguably) started them all returns to a crowded landscape, and only time will tell how the format has aged in five long years of reality show evolution. 

Live evictions will, once again, be the talk of the town and viewers can hopefully expect a more diverse and true-to-life cast compared to other reality shows. Authenticity is something that Gen Z in particular craves, and so this could be a perfect time for Big Brother to return, and a prime opportunity from a reactive social point of view.  

IT’S DOWN TO YOU

While we can point you to moments worth taking notice of, the rest – as they say – is up to you and your social team to make the most of. For a greater introduction to our flavour of reactive creative social media coverage, head to the Mint portal, or read Martin’s overview laying out the three core pillars that drive the Tangerine creative reactive machine. 

 
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