Blog post
September 12, 2019

Sustainable Social Media Hype

WHAT IS SOCIAL MEDIA HYPE?

In today’s digital age, hype is a powerful marketing tool on social media platforms. The social media sphere is often caught up in different waves of hype. Hype takes shape in the form of seemingly unending buzz around a particular new product, event, venue opening and so on.

As with many other marketing tactics, hype leverages on consumer behaviour. It feeds on consumers’ need to remain updated with the latest trends for fear of missing out. Hyped products are essentially portrayed as extremely desirable. This lays a self-imposed, societal pressure on users to be part of the action, resulting into a perpetuating cycle that feeds such hype.

IS IT POSSIBLE TO CREATE SUSTAINABLE HYPE?

Yes. Some definitions of hype attach the time element to it – hype will ultimately die off over time. This is true to a certain extent, but hype can be sustainable if executed strategically.

HOW TO CREATE SUSTAINABLE HYPE?

1. MAKE YOUR MARKETING ACTIVITY PERIODICAL

Marketing campaigns that have proven to be successful can be brought back periodically. For instance, Ben & Jerry’s Free Cone Day takes place annually in April. This has been a tradition since 1979. Due to repeated editions of this event, Ben & Jerry’s has successfully crafted a mental note in the minds of its consumers. As a result, the Free Cone Day has since become an annual sustainable hype that Ben & Jerry’s fans participate in. What marketers can learn from Ben & Jerry’s is to leverage on successful marketing campaigns, making it a periodic event that consumers can look forward to.  

2. HOLISTIC PORTRAYAL

Hype does not necessarily have to be of a particular campaign. Instead, hype can be tied to a brand name. If consumers conclude that the hype created by a certain brand is not substantial, they will tend to switch off when it comes to future hype generated from that brand. This stems from the lack of trust in a brand’s marketing tactics and reduces the desired impact of marketing activities.

Hence, it is essential for brands to paint a holistic portrayal of the product or event that they are advertising. This might seem like an arduous task as marketers tend to showcase the best aspects of the subject in hand. That might seem strategic. However, if the audience are often left feeling disappointed due to the inflated expectations, they might grow to be skeptical of future marketing hype. Hence, brands have to find the balance between unrealistic portrayals and enticing marketing.

3. THE USE OF TRIGGERS

Triggers are cues that lead to certain behavior, which in turn reward the behavior. This is called the habit loop (Triggers -> Behavior -> Reward).  Triggers can be internal or external. Internal triggers lie inside the consumers’ minds and emotions. For instance, people often find themselves opening the Instagram application when they are bored. Boredom is the internal trigger that cues them to scroll through Instagram. On the other hand, external triggers are cues in the environment. It can come in different forms, such as paid advertisements and mobile notifications.

Marketers often take advantage of this habit loop by positioning its product or service in the loop. Some restaurants have special promotions on a specific day of the week. If Restaurant A has special promotions on every Wednesday that will be announced on their Facebook page, fans of the restaurant will tend to check out the Facebook page on Wednesdays. The day (Wednesday) is the trigger which leads to the behavior of checking out the restaurant’s Facebook page. In turn, consumers will be rewarded with the knowledge of the promotion and ultimately the actual promotion itself if they decide to dine at the restaurant.

Hence, triggers help to generate hype around long-running promotions to sustain it (though the volume of hype might not be phenomenal).

TO USE HYPE AS A MARKETING TOOL, BRANDS MUST BE ABLE TO LIVE UP TO THE HEIGHTENED EXPECTATIONS

Hype is clearly a useful tool in brand marketing – but caution must be taken when generating hype as it can play out as a double-edged sword. With all the buzz and attention, can the product live up to heightened expectations? The consumer’s experience must specifically be taken into account as that would set the tone for other prospective consumers, image of the brand, and the relationship the brand has with its customers.

All in all, the consumer’s experiences must have a positive output in order to reap benefits from social media hype. Should reality fall short from expectations, brand image may suffer and overwhelming hype may backfire upon the product and the brand itself.

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If there’s one topic Australians never tire of debating, it’s housing. Whether it’s at the pub, around the dinner table, or dominating headlines, property prices, rent hikes and the “can I ever afford a home?” questions are constant fixtures of the national conversation.

But let’s be honest—rising house prices aren’t new. What is changing is how the conversation is evolving, who’s shaping it, and which narratives are starting to stick.

 Using Lumina’s Stories and Perspectives, we analysed 19 stories and over 50 perspectives across a 30-day period from 15 March to 14 April 2026 to understand what’s actually driving the housing narrative in Australia right now—and why it matters. 

 

Which are the stories shaping conversation and who's driving it?

 

 

Housing Supply and Affordability Divide — Analysts and economists link supply shortages directly to soaring prices. Cities that built more homes saw far less price growth. 

Key drivers: Gerard Burg (Cotality), Peter Tulip (Centre for Independent Studies), Australian Associated Press

Tax Reform Debates Heat Up Ahead of Budget — 14 competing perspectives. Advocates say reforms are essential for fairness; the property industry warns they’ll push rents up 30%. 

Key drivers: Anthony Albanese, Jim Chalmers, Angus Taylor, Housing Industry Association, Saul Eslake

Grattan Institute Connects Housing to Democratic Trust — A major report argues that the housing crisis is eroding public confidence in democracy itself. 

Key drivers: Aruna Sathanapally, Grattan Institute

 

 

Australians make housing supply the biggest story


This perspective was
100% of the coverage of this story and generated 85 media items, making it the most widely covered story of the entire period. The main insight is the public drawing a direct line between housing supply levels and property prices across Australia’s capital cities. 

Perth and Brisbane, where home construction has lagged well behind population growth since the pandemic, have seen property values surge massively. Meanwhile, Victoria — which built a proportionally higher number of new homes — saw less growth, compared to the national average.

It ran everywhere from PerthNow to regional papers across NSW and Victoria. The fact that the Australian Associated Press syndicated the data meant it hit dozens of outlets simultaneously.

 

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The key drivers are property analysts Gerard Burg from Cotality and Peter Tulip from the Centre for Independent Studies. Both are pushing the same message. If you want to fix affordability, you have to fix supply. Their proposed solution is liberalising zoning laws, particularly in NSW and Victoria, to allow more homes to be built faster. 

 

Why does this matter for communicators?

This story had the widest media footprint of the entire period, reaching outlets from The West Australian to regional mastheads across the country. If your organisation operates in housing, property, or urban planning, the “supply-equals-affordability” narrative is now firmly established in public discourse, and therefore, your messaging needs to account for it. Audiences know of the supply argument before, and with experts aligned on the issue, it’s harder for policymakers to dismiss it easily. 

It’s also worth noting how the analysis around who the key drivers are adds a layer traditional media monitoring might miss. The AAP’s role as the primary distribution channel meant this story reached dozens of the bigger mastheads like PerthNow and The West Australian  and  hyperlocal outlets like the Cobram Courier and Benalla Ensign, simultaneously. For communicators, this distribution pattern indicates that a story has penetrated both metropolitan and regional audiences, making it impossible to dismiss as just a capital-city concern.  

 

Tax reform rebates are the most contested story of the month

The housing tax reform debate was the most contested generating 14 distinct perspectives across 23 media items becoming by far the most multi-sided story of the month. However, the top three perspectives were the most interesting to look at considering how disputed the opinions of either side are and sit at the highest level in the government. 

At the centre of it is the Albanese Government’s consideration of reducing the capital gains tax discount and limiting negative gearing ahead of the May budget. The country is essentially split down the middle on this one. 

Perspective 1: This made up for 34.8% of the story coverage. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Treasurer Jim Chalmers, and housing advocacy group Everybody’s Home are arguing that the current system unfairly benefits wealthy investors while locking out first-home buyers. Economist Saul Eslake backs this view. Together, they account for about a third of the story’s total coverage.

Perspective 2: This had an equal share in coverage at 34.8% of the story. Opposition figures Angus Taylor, the Housing Industry Association, and Victorian Libertarian Party Leader David Limbrick are warning that scrapping these tax incentives will scare off investors, shrink rental supply, and push rents up by as much as 30%. They command an equal share of the conversation (Herald Sun)

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What’s interesting is what sits beneath these two dominant perspectives. A third angle that was 17.4% of the story coverage  was driven by Chalmers and Greens Senator Nick McKim, frames the whole debate as a question of intergenerational fairness. And then there are the young “rentvestors” who rent where they live but own an investment property elsewhere. They’re worried about getting caught in the crossfire of changes that weren’t designed with them in mind (Australian Financial Review)

Trust is eroding in the Australian democracy — and housing is the problem

The Grattan Institute released a report warning that trust in Australian democracy is under pressure, and housing is one of the reasons why. This soon became the second biggest story, generating 58 media items. 

Led by Grattan CEO Aruna Sathanapally, the report argues that persistent inequality, including the housing affordability gap, is eroding the social contract between citizens and government. The report explicitly names the housing crisis as one of the major unresolved challenges fuelling public disillusionment. Sathanapally is the key driver of this story, commanding over 93% of its coverage. Her influence matters because she’s reframing housing as something bigger than an economic problem. She’s positioning it as a threat to democratic stability. That’s a powerful narrative shift, and one that gives housing advocates a new way to make their case. 

For anyone in public affairs or government communications, this connection between housing and democratic trust is worth watching. It’s the kind of framing that can reshape how policymakers prioritise the issue. 

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How does this inform PR & Comms strategy?

  1. Know which side of the debate your audience sits on: The tax reform story alone has 14 perspectives. If you’re crafting messaging around housing policy, understand which perspective your stakeholders identify with and who they consider a credible voice. A one-size-fits all approach might not work.
  2. Follow the key drivers, not just the headlines: The unexpected pairing of Greens Senator Nick McKim with Treasurer Chalmers on intergenerational fairness suggests this issue is cutting across traditional party lines in ways that could reshape coalition dynamics. Meanwhile, the "rentvestor" audience represents a politically orphaned group that neither side of the debate is referencing or considering, making them a potential swing audience whose concerns could quietly shape how any reform actually lands.
  3. Watch the emerging narratives: One Nation’s growing support, the “rentvestor” demographic, and the connection between housing and democratic trust are all stories that could become dominant in the months ahead. 

 

What does this tell us about the Australian housing conversation?

It’s not a new crisis anymore. It’s a nationally entrenched issue that is now being addressed by the public by way of debates along with policymakers and experts at the highest government level. These debates are on solutions, trade-offs and fairness. The conversation is much more sophisticated where audiences are not just talking about “prices being too high”, but discussing supply, investments, short term relief vs long term reform. What’s also essential is to look at the key drivers or the key voices driving the top narratives.  From economists to policymakers to advocacy groups, the voices gaining traction are influencing how the issue is understood and what solutions feel viable.

Understanding not just what’s being said, but who is driving the conversation and why it’s resonating, is becoming critical for organisations looking to engage credibly. That’s where Lumina’s Stories and Perspectives comes in, helping you move beyond headlines to uncover the narratives and voices shaping the issues that matter most. 

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Want to see these insights for your own industry or brand? Discover what Lumina Stories and Perspectives can surface for you.

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Blog
What’s really driving Australia’s housing conversation right now?

Explore how housing in Australia has become a nationally entrenched issue where audiences participate in shaping conversation as much as the policymakers.

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The media landscape is accelerating. In an era where influence is ephemeral and every angle demands instant comprehension, PR and communications professionals require more than generic technology—they need intelligence engineered for their specific challenges.

Isentia is proud to introduce Lumina, a groundbreaking suite of intelligent AI tools. Lumina has been trained from the ground up on the complex workflows and realities of modern communications and public affairs. It is explicitly designed to shift professionals from passive media monitoring back into the role of strategic leaders and pacesetters. 

“The PR, Comms and Public Affairs sectors have been experimenting with AI, but most tools have not been built with their real challenges in mind.” said Joanna Arnold, CEO of Pulsar Group

“Lumina is different; it is the first intelligence suite designed around how narratives actually form today, combining human credibility signals with machine-level analysis. It helps teams understand how stories evolve, filter out noise and respond with context and confidence to crises and opportunities.”

Setting a new standard for PR intelligence

Lumina is centered on empowering, not replacing, the human element of communications strategy. This suite is purpose-built to help PR, Comms, and Public Affairs professionals significantly improve productivity, enhance message clarity, and facilitate early risk detection.

Lumina enables communicators to:

  • Understand & Interpret: Move beyond basic alerts to strategically map the trajectory and spread of narrative evolution.
  • Focus & Personalise: Achieve the clarity necessary to execute strategic action before critical moments pass.
  • Execute & Monitor: Rapidly deploy strategy firmly rooted in real-time, actionable insight.

Get a demo today: Stories & Perspectives module

We are launching the Lumina suite by making our first module immediately available: Stories & Perspectives.

In the current fragmented, multi-channel media environment, communications professionals need to be able to instantly perceive not just how a story is growing, but also how it is being perceived across different stakeholder groups.

Stories & Perspectives organizes raw media mentions into clustered, cohesive Stories, and the Perspectives that exist within each, reflecting distinct media, audience, and public affairs angles. This unique functionality allows users to:

  • Rise above the noise: Instantly identify which high-level topics are gaining momentum or fading from attention.
  • Get to the detail, fast: Uncover the influential voices, niche communities, and specific channels actively shaping the narrative.
  • Catch the pivot point: Precisely identify the moment a story shifts—from a strategic opportunity to a reputation risk—or when a new key opinion former begins guiding the conversation.

"Media isn’t a stream of mentions," said Kyle Lindsay, Head of Product at Pulsar Group. "But rather a living system of stories shaped by competing perspectives. When you can see those structures clearly, you gain the ability to understand issues as they form, anticipate how they’ll evolve, and act with precision. That’s what we mean when we talk about AI built for communicators, and that's what an off-the-shelf LLM can't give you."

The Lumina Roadmap: AI tools for the future of comms

The launch of Stories & Perspectives is the first release of many. Over the upcoming months, we will systematically roll out the full Lumina roadmap, introducing a comprehensive set of AI tools engineered to handle every phase of the communications lifecycle.

The full Lumina suite will soon incorporate:

  • Curated media summaries: AI-driven daily summaries customized specifically to the priorities of senior leadership, highlighting only the most relevant stories.
  • Reputation analysis: Advanced measurement tracking how critical themes like ethics, innovation, and leadership are statistically shaping corporate perception.
  • Press release & media relations assistant: Tools designed to accelerate content creation and craft hyper-focused, personalized pitches that reach the precise contacts faster.
  • Predictive intelligence layer: Technology engineered to track and anticipate story momentum and strategic change before the window of opportunity closes.
  • Intelligent agents: Background agents continuously scanning all media channels for emerging key spokespeople and previously undetected reputation risks.
  • Enhanced audio, broadcast & crisis detection: Complete, real-time oversight of all channels—including audio and broadcast—enabling rapid context building and optimal crisis response delivery.


Want to harness the power of Lumina AI for your PR, Comms, or Public Affairs team? .

Complete the form below to register your interest.

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Blog
Announcing Lumina: The purpose-built AI suite for PR, Comms, and Public Affairs

An intelligent suite of AI tools trained on the language, workflows, and realities of modern public relations and communications.

Ready to get started?

Get in touch or request a demo.