The Summer Watch List: Australian edition
Other editions: The Festive Watch List: UK editionThe Winter Season Watch List: UAE edition
@nattdesu for Nude by Nature · @twosometravellers for Luxury Escapes · @peachyfeverr for Powerade
Your guide to summer’s biggest moments, and where to focus your creator strategy.
01 / Creator investment keeps climbing, and summer is already taking shape.
77%
of Australian marketers will increase creator investment over the next two years. None expect to cut it.
45%
have no always-on creator program. Most are still buying moment by moment.
80%+
of holiday revenue came from creator relationships that started before October.
50%+
above rate card is what creators quote for a single last-minute Q4 post.
The best creators don’t wait for your brief. Their calendars fill first, with the brands already in the room.
Sources: Marketing Association of Australia x AiMCO, State of Creator Marketing Australia 2026 (member organisations, n=47 to 68). Traackr State of the Holiday Season 2026 with ShopMy and Lumanu data.
02 / The attention economy
Attention follows culture. And creators are helping shape where it goes.
TV
80%
more attention for streaming ads than linear TV ads. Scale is still there; the attention is moving.
Paid media
4 sec
for attention on a 15-second social ad to fall from around 75% to 25%. Bought reach, borrowed attention.
PR
68%
of Australians actively avoid the news. Earned credibility, but a shrinking audience.
Creators
+70%
higher click-through for creator-led ads than non-creator ads, at the same cost per thousand.
The white space
The trust of PR, the reach of paid, the culture of TV. All in one creator post.
Sources: Amplified x Video Futures Collective attention study, Australia, Dec 2025. University of Canberra, Digital News Report: Australia 2026. TikTok creator ad data, Feb 2024 to Jan 2025.
03 / The booking clock
It’s October. Here’s what’s still open, and when each window closes.
| Moment | When | Brief Vamp by | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring Racing | 3 Nov | 23 Oct | Fast track |
| Black Friday | 27 Nov | 30 Oct | Last call |
| Christmas | 25 Dec | 6 Nov | Closing |
| Summer travel + NYE | Dec to Jan | 13 Nov | Open |
| Australian Open | 11 to 31 Jan | 30 Oct | Open |
| F1 Melbourne | 2 to 4 Apr | 15 Dec | Open |
Moving late?
We’re built for that too. Trend-led creator content, turned around fast and live while the moment is still happening.
04 / Black Friday to Christmas
Six weeks that make the retail year.
$6.8bn
forecast spend over the 2025 Black Friday to Cyber Monday weekend
$804
average planned spend per shopper that weekend
~2.5x
more likely to be saved when an Instagram post features six to ten brands
Two ways in
Gift guides
Gift guides, top-ten lists and "what I’m buying" round-ups. Your product in the list shoppers save and come back to.
Lifestyle moments
Your product in the real moments of the season: wrapping, hosting, Christmas morning, the Boxing Day haul.
What your budget gets you
$50K
Gift guide inclusion with 15 creators, plus seeding to 20 more.
$100K
20 creators across TikTok and Instagram, with paid amplification on top performers.
$150K+
Listicles and lifestyle moments, always-on to Christmas Eve, with usage rights.
Brief Vamp by 23 October.
Sources: Australian Retailers Association, Black Friday forecast 2025. Traackr State of the Holiday Season 2026 (Instagram posts with six to ten brands in frame).
05 / Australian Open
The Australian Open has grown beyond tennis. Three weeks of summer, culture and a whole lot of attention.
1.37M
fans through the gates in 2026, an all-time record
179M
hours watched in Australia, up 20% year on year
3.66M
national TV reach for semi-final day, the #1 program in the country
Two ways in
Take creators there
A creator day at Melbourne Park. Getting ready, the outfit, the food, the night after. Your brand in every part of it.
Bring the AO home
Most of those hours happen on the couch. A watch party box puts your product inside the ritual, nationally.
What your budget gets you
$50K
The home box. Seeding to 20 creators, 15 paid, plus a paid test.
$100K
The home box plus a creator day on-site with 20 creators.
$150K+
A creator ambassador across all three weeks, with usage rights.
Brief Vamp by 30 October. Access books out first.
Sources: Tennis Australia, AO 2026 attendance and economic impact release (IER), June 2026. Nine Network Day 13 national total TV reach, as reported by Ministry of Sport.
06 / Summer travel
Most summer trips start with a post that makes someone want to go.
74%
of Australians planned a holiday between December and February last summer
62%
would book a summer holiday less than a month out
1 to 15 Jan
the busiest departure window of the season
Two ways in
Sell the trip
Creators visit your destination, hotel or experience and show people why it’s worth booking now.
Pack the bag
Your product as a summer essential. SPF, snacks, swim, tech. In the car, on the sand, in every post.
What your budget gets you
$50K
Summer kit seeding to 20 creators, 15 paid, plus a paid test.
$100K
20 creators across December and January, timed to departures.
$150K+
A hosted creator trip plus always-on through summer, with usage rights.
Brief Vamp by 13 November. Creator trips take weeks to plan.
Sources: Tourism & Transport Forum Summer Travel Survey 2025/26 (n=1,510). TTF Summer Travel Survey 2024/25 (n=2,011).
07 / F1 Melbourne
2 to 4 April 2027
The Grand Prix takes over the city, and the culture goes well beyond the track.
483,934
fans across four days in 2026, a Melbourne record
+18,436
more fans than 2025, with capacity still growing
93%
Melbourne hotel occupancy at its race-weekend peak
Two ways in
Trackside
Creators inside the paddock energy. Fashion, food, hospitality and the moments fans can’t see on TV.
The city weekend
No ticket needed. The parties, the restaurants, the outfits and the plans around race weekend.
What your budget gets you
$50K
The city weekend with 15 Melbourne creators.
$100K
City weekend plus trackside access for 20 creators.
$150K+
A hosted creator experience across the race weekend, with usage rights.
Brief Vamp by 15 December. Before the holiday shutdown.
Sources: Australian Grand Prix Corporation 2026 attendance, via Australasian Leisure Management and Speedcafe, March 2026.
08 / Also worth watching
Smaller events, niche communities and opportunities to show up where it counts.
Spring Racing
Melbourne Cup, 3 Nov
Best for fashion, beauty, drinks
Fast-turnaround, trend-led content. Getting ready, the outfit, the day out.
Brief by 28 Oct
Boxing Day + the Test
26 to 30 Dec
Best for food, drinks, retail, sport
The sales and the cricket share a day. Own the couch, the esky or the cart.
Brief by 16 Nov
New Year’s Eve
31 Dec
Best for fashion, beauty, drinks, travel
The anticipation outperforms the countdown. Getting ready, making plans, picking the spot.
Brief by 27 Nov
Summer music festivals
Late Dec to Feb
Best for beauty, fashion, drinks, tech
The playlist, the outfit, the trip there. Most of the festival happens before the gates.
Brief by 8 Dec
Sydney Festival
January (dates TBC)
Best for arts, hospitality, city tourism
A reason to explore the city. Creators as the guide to what’s worth seeing.
Brief by 1 Dec
Your moment
Got a launch coming up, or a date that matters to your category? Let’s build a plan around it.
09 / Summer packages
Three ways in, for any moment on the list. Pick one and we’ll build it around your brand.
Starter
$50K
Get in the conversation around one moment.
- 15 creators paid, plus seeding to 20 more
- 15 pieces of content
- Paid amplification test
- End-of-campaign report
Signature
$100K
Own a corner of the moment, on and off platform.
- 20 creators across TikTok and Instagram
- 25 pieces of content, plus a creator event or experience
- Usage rights and paid amplification on top performers
- Mid-campaign and final reporting
Takeover
$150K+
Lead the moment from start to finish.
- Creator ambassador plus 24 supporting creators
- Always-on across the full moment
- Usage rights for owned and paid channels
- Full performance reporting
10 / Pick your moment, then make your move.
Book a 30-minute summer planning session before 30 October.
01
Tell us your moment and your number.
02
We bring a creator shortlist and a costed plan.
03
You lock creators in before the calendars close.