This month's big themes? Community as talent and content franchise series. Turns out when everyone tells brands to "be authentic," some actually listen—and the results don't suck.

We even launched a series like this ourselves. Want more monthly inspo? Subscribe. Need some systematic creative healing? Book a demo.

Here's what ended up in our #staying-online Slack channel:

Stone Island flew to Medellín, Colombia for six months to document the Los Pikes motorcycle stunt community. Creative architect Isaac Lamb and vintage specialist Arco Maher embedded with riders like Paskin (20+ year veteran) and Dani Castañeda (representing the growing female presence in the scene).

The magic? Six riders experienced their first professional photo shoot, bringing genuine excitement to every frame. Stone Island's "Community as Research" strategy elevated underground culture with respect while proving their vintage reflective jackets were built for real motorcycle culture, not just looking cool at coffee shops.

When Gonogold said "We speed through life because of motorcycles," you felt it. Plus the slow-mo video absolutely rocks.

The New York Times' "Going Up" Instagram series turns elevator rides into intimate journalist profiles. Demetries Morrow, Senior Manager of Employee Storytelling, interviews writers during their daily commutes, making each one feel like the most interesting person you've ever met.

The format is professional but casual—these people share a communal kitchen daily. It costs almost nothing to produce but leverages writers' personal networks for organic reach. As journalists go solo on Substack and TikTok, legacy newsrooms need to show their human side to compete.

Smart move: completely avoiding the cringe factor that kills most corporate social content.

Minnesota Lynx players Courtney Williams and Natisha Hiedeman livestreamed 72 hours of WNBA All-Star Weekend, growing from 23,000 to 70,000+ followers. Peak viewership hit 18,000 during the actual game—with Williams streaming from behind the bench.

The StudBudz duo launched just weeks before All-Star break with the premise: "two Stud Budz who hoop and live our best life." Their content demolished traditional sports media barriers: orange carpet coverage, hotel room hangouts, Commissioner Cathy Engelbert dancing to "Knuck If You Buck," and Caitlin Clark joining the stream.

It's every sports fan's dream—unfiltered access to players being human. The result? Millions of social impressions and a model that builds the entire league's fanbase, not just individual brands.

Away Luggage partnered with Mary Beth Barone, the breakout star from Prime Video's "Overcompensating." Instead of polished travel aesthetics, they showcased authentic travel chaos—her room's consistently a mess, we can barely believe she can book a flight, and somehow it works perfectly.

The collaboration captures Away's sophisticated-yet-accessible brand while attracting younger audiences who prefer authenticity over celebrity endorsements. Away's Director of Social Alice Chen chose rising talent with a genuine voice over traditional influencer polish.

It's aspirational girl culture meets relatable travel disasters, proving that vulnerability can be more compelling than perfection.

Hinge's "It's Funny We Met on Hinge" campaign features seven real couples who share an uncanny coincidence: they all met in person before connecting digitally. Childhood neighbors, workplace interactions, missed connections that became digital rediscoveries.

Creative director India Sleem filmed in couples' homes with personal belongings visible, embracing "awkwardness, nerves, fear, and self-doubt" as relatable relationship foundations. No perfect scenarios, just authentic love stories during widespread dating app fatigue.

The genius insight? No one wants their "how we met" story to be "we swiped right." But missed connections that become digital discoveries? That's a narrative people can live with—and share with others.

Want more inspo and creative ephemera? We've got 10 more campaigns in our monthly moodboard.

Millions of scroll-stopping creative ideas live on Air—where inspiration meets organization. Want space to breath? Get some Air.

Creativity isn’t dying—it’s multiplying. The tools have changed, but the heart of it is the same: knowing what’s worth making, and making it matter. The opportunity now isn’t just to have great taste, it’s to build the systems that let that taste travel farther, faster. When you combine vision with scale, you don’t just keep up—you get to lead.

See you online,

Lou

Millions of scroll-stopping creative ideas live on Air—where inspiration meets organization. Want space to breath?

Get some Air