May 2026 Community Trends: Pets, Family, Home, DIY and Gaming

Community-led categories such as pets, family, home and gaming are some of the most engaging spaces on social. They are shaped by identity, emotion and participation rather than products alone. The opportunity for brands is to take part in these spaces in a way that feels natural and relevant.

Table of Contents

Why Community-Led Content Performs So Strongly
How Brands Can Show Up in Pet Content
How Brands Can Approach Family Content Responsibly
How Home and DIY Trends Are Evolving
How Gaming Culture Is Shaping Social Content
What This Means for Brand Strategy
What Content Formats Are Working Best
Community Trends FAQs
Understanding the Role of Community

Why Community-Led Content Performs So Strongly

Some categories behave more like communities than marketing channels.

This includes:

• Pets
• Family
• Home and DIY
• Gaming

They share common traits:

• Strong identity
• Emotional connection
• Repeat behaviour
• High participation

People do not only watch this content. They:

• Relate to it
• Share it
• Recreate it

This level of involvement is what drives engagement.

How Brands Can Show Up in Pet Content

Pet content is often:

• Emotional
• Unpredictable
• Personality-led
• Easy to share

What is driving engagement

• Character over product
• Imperfection over polish
• Relatable moments

How brands can use this

Content ideas include:

• “POV: your dog runs the house”
• “Pet treat taste test”
• “What your cat thinks this is”
• “A day in the life of a dramatic pet”
• “Pet owner starter moments”

Key principle

Let the pet lead the content rather than the brand.

How Brands Can Approach Family Content Responsibly

Family content can be powerful but requires care.

It is shaped by:

• Relationships
• Memories
• Everyday moments

What tends to work

• Honest storytelling
• Daily routines
• Emotional connection

How brands can use this

Content ideas include:

• “Small family moments worth remembering”
• “Things to prepare before becoming a parent”
• “Simple day-out ideas”
• “Family routines that feel manageable”

Important considerations

Content involving children should include:

• Clear consent
• Awareness of privacy
• Safeguarding

Pepper supports this through the Responsible Kidfluence Code, which focuses on ethical standards and long-term trust.

How Home and DIY Trends Are Evolving

Home content continues to grow, particularly around:

• Outdoor living
• DIY projects
• Personalisation
• Small improvements

What is driving engagement

• Accessible creativity
• A sense of achievement
• Seasonal change

How brands can use this

Content ideas include:

• “Simple ways to feel productive at home”
• “DIY projects that look polished”
• “Seasonal home resets”
• “Small upgrades that make a difference”

Key principle

Content should feel achievable and realistic.

How Gaming Culture Is Shaping Social Content

Gaming is one of the most community-driven areas online.

It is shaped by:

• Fandom
• Identity
• Shared references

What is driving engagement

• Character-driven content
• Collectibles
• Creator-led gameplay
• Reaction formats

Gaming content often starts on platforms such as YouTube or Twitch and is adapted for short-form formats.

How brands can use this

Content ideas include:

• “What your favourite character says about you”
• “Gaming setup tours”
• “Collectible unboxings”
• “If this brand were a game character”

Key principle

This is about entering an existing culture with awareness and respect.

What This Means for Brand Strategy

Across these categories, consistent patterns appear.

Effective content tends to:

• Feel natural
• Reflect real behaviour
• Be led by creators
• Encourage participation

What to focus on

• Working with creators who understand the community
• Building content around behaviour rather than products
• Allowing flexibility in tone and format

What to avoid

• Overly produced content
• Forced messaging
• Misreading the culture
• Treating communities as passive audiences

What Content Formats Are Working Best?

• POV formats
• Creator storytelling
• Day-in-the-life content
• Before and after
• Reaction content
• Unboxings
• Routine-based content
• “Things only X understand” formats

A common theme is content that feels real and familiar.

Community Trends FAQs

Why do these categories perform strongly?
They are connected to identity and emotion, which supports engagement.

Should brands control the narrative?
It is more effective to allow the community to shape it.

Are creators important in these spaces?
They often bring credibility and understanding of the culture.

What is a common risk?
Content that feels out of place or inauthentic.

How can brands approach these categories effectively?
By participating in a way that reflects the community rather than interrupting it.

Understanding the Role of Community

Pets, family, home and gaming are not only content areas. They are communities built around shared experiences.

Content that connects tends to reflect how people live, interact and express themselves.

Approaching these spaces with awareness and consistency helps create content that feels relevant and engaging over time.