Welcome to Silence, Brand!, a tri-weekly potluck of internet absurdity at the intersection of brand marketing and internet culture written by a collective of award-winning digital marketing professionals. If you like what we do, please consider becoming a paid subscriber.
its still august — the longest month of the year…
This week the internet enlisted in Vice City, huffed donut candles, painted its pants red on purpose, and adopted a fugitive pig. The line between marketing genius and mass hallucination has never been blurrier… so let's get to catching what's bubbling up before it fully surfaces.
IKEA and Xbox are teaming up on a line of gamer furniture, because apparently the final boss was always going to be assembling it yourself. Over in fandom news, the internet briefly spiraled over a rumor that Wattpad was purging its explicit Harry Styles fan fiction; the platform says nothing changed, but the mourning period was real.
In entertainment news, Mariah Carey is “unironically” reissuing the Glitter soundtrack for its 25th anniversary and Turnstile recruited an unlikely trio (Elton John, Slayyyter, and Panda Bear) for a remake of "Never Enough."
CAVA shrank its iconic yellow takeout bag into a limited-edition collectible charm and it appears that "Target Run" is making a comeback as a lifestyle ritual, not just an errand.
🦀 And apparently now you can send VOICE NOTES ON TIKTOK????
GAME CHANGER FRRRRR
[this informational banger spotted by 🦀 dejaih]
In case you missed it, in yesterday’s Silence, Brand! Live we chatted about about the suspiciously 2020-coded Instagram logo refresh, and the eternal question of whether platforms are giving us features we actually asked for or simply throwing increasingly decorative objects at the wall to keep us from leaving.
From there, we got into trend ownership, the flattening of whimsy into sticky gems, why brands cannot appoint themselves tastemakers, the very rapid rise of Chanty Beluga, and Marc Jacobs casually volunteering to dress Luigi Mangione for court.
… just a normal internet Thursday for us
Army unit offers soldiers 4 days off to play Grand Theft Auto VI if they reenlist (EW)
A Georgia Army unit is dangling a four-day pass to play Grand Theft Auto VI in front of soldiers who reenlist for two more years, and 20 of 130 eligible have already signed on the dotted line. Forget signing bonuses; military retention now apparently runs straight through Vice City.
How Teen ‘After-Prom’ Kings in LA Monetized the High School Rager (Wired)
MyPlots, a party-promotion and ticketing app launched in January 2025 by 21‑year‑old Jack Schwartz, has become popular with under‑21 crowds in Los Angeles, claiming more than 1 million users, in‑app ticketing with a 20% fee, and flashy promotional tactics. While expanding to older attendees and courting $10 million in angel funding for bigger events (including a planned 10,000‑person festival), the company faces scrutiny over underage parties, alcohol and liability risks and the limits of its relatively amateur tech.
Silicon Valley has a new insult for performative hustle posts: ‘grindslop’ (Business Insider)
“Grindslop” is a new cheeky tech buzzword for performative posts flaunting brutal work hours that exploded into debate after Mintlify cofounder Han Wang’s “Remember to not smile” essay drew backlash. Mentions of grindslop on Twitter rose from 21 in January to 422 in April and 453 in July.
This Free People Outfit Disaster Has 12M Gasping (BuzzFeed)
A TikToker’s 13-million-view video has the internet questioning a very confusing Free People jumpsuit. What looks like a pair of jeans worn irresponsibly high turns out to be an actual strapless denim one-piece. The viral reaction is a reminder that sometimes the best fashion marketing is simply letting the internet collectively ask … “okay so what am I looking at?”
The internet thought Wattpad was coming for its Harry Styles smut. Here’s what actually happened (Fast Company)
The internet briefly panicked after a rumor spread that Wattpad had banned explicit content, with users fearing years of iconic fan fiction, especially One Direction and Harry Styles smut, were about to disappear. The concern started after people noticed some popular stories coming down around the same time wording in Wattpad’s guidelines appeared to shift.
Fans immediately treated it like a cultural emergency, joking that they were about to “lose the ancient texts” and reminding Wattpad that One Direction fanfic helped build its audience in the first place. But Wattpad says there has been no actual change to its explicit-content policies. So, for now, the Harry Styles smut archive lives to see another day.
Why Adults Are Obsessed With Dollhouses Again in 2026 (Elle)
At the Kensington Dollhouse Company, mother‑daughter duo Rebecca and Lucy Clayton craft museum‑quality 1:12‑scale interiors for mainly adult collectors as part of a broader revival of bespoke miniature making. Fueled by TikTok and Instagram, specialist shops, influencers and the hobby’s historical roots as luxury “cabinet houses,” the global dollhouse market is expected to grow from $1.2 billion in 2025 to $2.5 billion by 2034, with enthusiasts citing nostalgia, creative therapy, and a fantasy of domestic mastery.
‘Tastes Just Like the Chips’: Pringles Flavored Vodka Arrives (The Daily Pour)
Make Your Home Smell Like Donuts With This Dunkin Collab (Sporked)
Gap Taps Southern University’s Human Jukebox for New Denim Campaign Ahead of Homecoming Season (Essence)
IKEA and Xbox have announced a joint line of furniture for gamers. (Game GPU)
“The Simpsons” at Jack in the Box: leaked images tease at collectible cups and themed eats (Attractions Magazine)
Dexerto@Dexerto
A collab between The Simpsons and Jack in the Box has leaked It features a Treehouse of Horror Munchie Meal, D’oh!nut Holes and six collectible glow-in-the-dark cups
7:15 PM · Aug 20, 2026 · 53K Views
18 Replies · 83 Reposts · 1.26K Likes
Cup Noodles and Dash Team Up to Deliver the Ultimate Dorm Room Survival Kit This Back-To-College Season (PR Newswire)
Blaze Pizza launches ‘Practical Magic 2’ inspired menu (Pizza Marketplace)
CAVA Shrinks Iconic Yellow Bag into Limited-Edition Charm (QSR Magazine)
The Influencer Follower-Count Era Is Ending (Business of Fashion)
Meet the Weirdest Mascots Competing in Japan’s 2026 Yuru Kyara Championship (Tokyo Weekender)
On brand for a custard company called Cuss when they ask “what are you filling your besties hole with?” No other brands can touch that. [🦀 dayna]
Now that’s how you do a campaign launch!!! [🦀 dejaih]
Social media on trial as $200bn case against Facebook and Instagram begins (The Guardian)
PETA Reveals the Animal Rights Campaign Hayden Panettiere Was Working on Before Her Death at 36 (People)
read the room PETA — not the time to newsjack [🦀 dayna]
Swedish police orders Tiktok and Meta to remove 30 ads for criminal services (CTV News)
Roblox Claims A Dead Kid ‘Waived All Rights’ Because She Clicked ‘Agree’ At 8 Years Old (Kotaku)
Good Read: Meta glasses are a workplace menace (The Verge)
e.l.f.’s Viral Pickle Lip Balm Is Back With Two New Flavors (NewBeauty)
Supreme Chief Creative Officer Steps Down After 22 Years (Hypebeast)
The Pants That Fade on Purpose: A Brief History of Nantucket Reds (Observer)
The Uniform of Rebellion Is Shaped By Youth Culture. Today That Means Something Different (Teen Vogue)
Fenty Beauty Reinvents Foundation: Rihanna Unveils Pro Filt’r Fluid Flex Formula (WWD)
It’s Time for Brands to Invest in Women Who Lift (Vogue)
Margaret Qualley Brings Chanel’s Barefoot Sandals to the Red Carpet (Vogue)
Good Read: Opinion: The ‘Target Run’ Is Making a Comeback (Business of Fashion)
Sons of Anarchy cast to reunite and play themselves in Charlie Hunnam’s new meta FX show (EW)
Tubi Launches Permanent ‘Terror on Tubi’ Horror Hub With 13,000+ Hours of Scares (Bloody Disgusting)
“Bluntman” Arrested With 128 Pounds Of Weed Bound For Gathering Of The Juggalos (Stereogum)
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Are Moving Back to the UK. Prince William and Kate Middleton Are “Concerned.” (Vanity Fair)
Mariah Carey ‘Unironically’ Reissuing ‘Glitter’ Soundtrack for 25th Anniversary (Rolling Stone)
Her fans BEGGED for this so glad she delivered what the fans wanted to see. [🦀 dejaih]
Good Luck Charlie Star Mia Talerico, 17, Is Officially a High School Senior: ‘Now I’m Starting to Feel Old’ (People)
Turnstile Recruit Elton John, Slayyyter, and Panda Bear for Never Enough Remake (Pitchfork)
The NFL’s new ‘celly’ campaign is an homage to TikTok fandom (Fast Company)
Grammy-winning songwriting legend Diane Warren adopts ‘Wilbur’ the rogue WeHo pig (LA Times)
Mattel welcomes Marilyn Monroe to Barbie Signature Series (Brands Untapped)
Mattel Game Studios is ready to extend physical play to a virtual world (Retail Dive)
We hope you enjoyed this installment of Silence, Brand!—a tri-weekly, late-night potluck of internet absurdity 🦀
Ryan J DiLazio • Dayna Castillo • Dejaih Smith • Janine Davis
Our team of award-winning brand marketers and culture experts trawls the depths of the social internet, catching trends as they bubble up, so you’re prepared when they surface.
In addition to our newsletter, we offer bespoke cultural intelligence services for agencies and in-house teams, providing brand-tailored reports and insights to equip partners with the tools (and taste) to stay culturally fluent in a world that never stops posting.
For all media pitches, service inquiries, story pitches and anything related to this here newsletter, hit us up at: editor@silencebrand.net 🦀
Follow our LinkedIn for updates and occasional shitposts.
be our date to streamer prom
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Aug 19
Welcome to Silence, Brand!, a tri-weekly potluck of internet absurdity at the intersection of brand marketing and internet culture written by a collective of award-winning digital marketing professionals. If you like what we do, please consider becoming a
a substack named "chanty beluga" publishes an issue
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Aug 18
Welcome to Silence, Brand!, a tri-weekly potluck of internet absurdity at the intersection of brand marketing and internet culture written by a collective of award-winning digital marketing professionals. If you like what we do, please consider becoming a
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