News

Author: Leah Kenneally, Marketing Manager, APPA

Reality TV has always influenced pop culture, but this season of the revamped Big Brother Australia is proving it can shape product perception too, in ways the promotional products industry can’t afford to overlook.

And yes… I’ll admit it. I’ve fallen straight back into the millennial trap of being sucked into the “old-school Big Brother format”, only this time with its supercharged social media ecosystem.

In 2025, Big Brother has expanded its reach dramatically with 24/7 livestreaming on TikTok and through the Channel 10 app, pulling in entirely new audiences including international viewers, who now have uninterrupted access to the house. This has turned casual moments into potential viral talking points.

Last week, while scrolling into a TikTok Live, I stumbled across a surprisingly relevant conversation. Three housemates were deep in discussion about T-shirts, debating sizing, thickness, fabric quality and what makes a tee feel premium. With zero prompting, they name-dropped two standouts:

• AS Colour, an APPA Supplier Member
• American Apparel, distributed by Premium Apparel Ltd, an APPA Supplier Member

What made the moment so powerful wasn’t just the organic endorsement, it was the size and nature of the audience seeing it unfold in real time. More than 2,700 people were watching on TikTok at that moment alone, with many additional viewers tuning in through the Channel 10 app. That’s thousands of Australians and many international viewers, hearing APPA supplier brands praised authentically, casually and completely unscripted.

And the reach of this season is no joke. Big Brother’s 2025 relaunch is smashing records:

Big Brother 2025 Snapshot

• #1 show on Sunday night for 16–39s and 25–54s, capturing 53.5% and 42.6% of these demographics
• Channel 10’s biggest reality launch of 2025 in 16–39s
• Largest-ever launch on 10 Streaming, up 107% from 2023
• On TikTok, the livestream has hit 320,000 unique viewers and more than 828,000 likes — rapidly growing
• 24/7 live access is attracting new, younger and international audiences who want always-on, interactive content

This matters for our industry because it highlights a major shift: influence is moving from polished advertising to raw, unfiltered, real-time conversations.

The Power of Influence in Unlikely Places

What happened on that livestream is a reminder that product talk can erupt anywhere and when it does, it can reach thousands instantly.

The housemates weren’t reviewing brands. They weren’t promoting anything. They were simply chatting about T-shirts like friends at a BBQ. Yet the moment became an authentic, unscripted plug for two APPA suppliers.

It reinforces three key takeaways for promotional product businesses:

1. Quality speaks the loudest, even when no one’s watching
   AS Colour and American Apparel didn’t orchestrate this moment. Their reputation did the talking.
   
   
2. Authenticity beats advertising
   Viewers trust natural conversations more than perfectly polished campaigns.
   
   
3. Influence now happens everywhere
   TikTok Lives, 24/7 streams, podcast chatter, gaming platforms - these are today’s real-time discovery channels.

For APPA Members, it’s a powerful reminder: when our industry creates products people genuinely love to wear, they naturally slip into conversations we could never script, reaching audiences we may never otherwise access.

For APPA Supplier Members, it’s a call to keep creating high-quality, on-trend products that earn their place in everyday life.

For APPA Distributor Members, it’s an opportunity to help clients achieve real impact by choosing products that truly resonate.