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.
The internet spent this week magnifying horses, exposing the truth behind a VHS dating account, and turning a thrift-store purse into Birkin money. In other words: business as usual. Here’s what bubbled up while you were doom-scrolling.
Hey so those "spontaneous" viral NFL WAG clips? A very coordinated content play. (just so you know). Robert Pattinson has fully ascended to the internet's favorite weirdo, meme by meme. And Alex Cooper's Unwell beverage run ended almost as quickly as it launched.
Birkenstock is leaning harder into the ballet-flat trend after its Repetto collab, LoveShackFancy teamed with Fanatics on a limited-edition college collection, and J.Jill tapped influencers for the very first time.
Do You Love The Color Of The Sky?
And in another brand pile-on, Instagram changed their logo (and so did everyone else)
In other news,,,
Dayna’s been on a press tour of sorts this week and had featured commentary in:
Marketing Brew’s “Trying to personify your brand? Consider a puppet”
“After several years in which brand mascots occupied the social spotlight, Castillo said puppets are a natural evolution for brands looking to personify themselves. Using a puppet can be a way to infuse a more human-like nature into a brand, while also minimizing risk.”
Just Watch’s “From Hannah Montana to Camp Rock: Why Disney Channel’s ‘Golden Era’ Is So Back”
“The internet has allowed these fandoms to remain active long after the shows and movies ended by giving their communities places to stay connected.”
PR News Online’s “PR Roundup: Claude’s Watermark Debate, the Say-Do Gap Is Killing Culture, and a Giant Hairball Rolls Through NYC”
[On K18’s NYC hairball stunt] "Sometimes the smartest thing a brand can do is create the conditions for curiosity and then get out of the audience's way.”
If you happen to be a reporter looking for a quote from anyone in the Silence, Brand! gang, shoot us an email at editor@silencebrand.net 🦀
NFL WAGs Going Viral at Practice Are No Coincidence (Front Office Sports)
Those viral NFL training-camp videos featuring quarterbacks and their famous partners aren’t necessarily spontaneous moments. The league is intentionally leaning into players’ relationships as part of a broader content strategy designed to attract women and younger audiences. Consider it the Taylor Swift effect, but turned into a repeatable social playbook.
RIP Kinda Chic
The OG person who posted the “kinda chic” text on screen trend that has been all over the feeds this past week (not to mention coopted by like … every brand) posted a new text on screen image that reads “It’s not kinda chic. It’s kinda copying.” to her Instagram account 2 days ago.
Christian girl podcast meme is retrending (TikTok)
🦀 The Christian girl podcast meme is making its round again! X user @holzawn went viral for sending this 2024 clip from the Girls Gone Bible podcast.
Seth@holzawn
Oomf was soft launching a flaking So I sent her this & it WORKED
5:12 PM · Aug 8, 2026 · 5.93M Views
148 Replies · 2.29K Reposts · 55.5K Likes
Viral Woman Accused of Pressing Remote Zapper to Wake Up Trump in Oval Office Says She Was Touching Her Pregnant Stomach (People)
A woman standing behind Donald Trump during an Oval Office event became the center of an extremely online conspiracy after viewers thought she was using a secret remote to wake him up.
This week’s most compelling new Steam game is Horse Magnifier, which is about magnifying horses (PC Gamer)
The internet has apparently decided we need a game about magnifying horses. Horse Magnifier: The Full Horse asks players to manipulate magnifying glasses until their distorted equine matches the target. The bizarre puzzle game has already earned a wave of very positive reviews (and we are looking forward to playing with it over the weekend.)
The Creators of VHS Dates Are Ready to Come Clean (New York Times)
Remember dating before apps? An Instagram account called VHS Dates is reviving the awkward, earnest world of 1980s and ’90s dating tapes, presenting them like rediscovered artifacts from another internet-free universe. Followers have become surprisingly invested in the strangers on screen, as the algorithm gives us access to somebody else’s old-school search for love.
Philadelphia moves cream cheese off the bagel with LTO (Brand Innovators)
This is Instagram’s new logo (The Verge)
The Pillsbury Doughboy Is Coming for Hollywood (Hollywood Reporter)
Drunk Elephant Is Definitely a Brand For Adults—Their New Launch Proves It (Byrdie)
This explains why I’ve seen the og colorful products at TJ Maxx lately!! Drunk Elephant made the move to phase out their bold and colorful design for more mature palette. [🦀 janine]
Alex Cooper’s Unwell Beverage Run Ends Almost as Fast as It Began (Yahoo)
McDonald’s unveils unexpected first-ever partnership (TheStreet)
7UP targets younger consumers with lime-led soda reformulation (Vending Market Watch)
Taco Bell Teams Up with Tajín and Peso Pluma for Limited-Time Collab: All the Details (Men’s Journal)
Georgie is delivering this rush season (plus tapping into a major investor’s audience, Alix Earle) [🦀 dejaih]
This mishmash of internet slang from @takisusa doesnt make any sense and I’m not even sure what they were trying to say.
Pinterest partners with Zillow for ad targeting (Social Media Today)
Meta Showcases How AI Glasses Help People With Disabilities Live More Independently (FB Newsroom)
Mosseri tried seeing if the reaction to the new IG logo would be different on Threads... it was not. [🦀 janine]
“Rubio Realizing” memes become a White House gift (Axios)
After Its Popular Repetto Collab, Birkenstock Is Going Bigger With Ballet Fashion (WWD)
J.Jill Taps Influencers for the First Time (WWD)
LoveShackFancy, Fanatics Team on Limited-edition College Collection (WWD)
Disney x Von Dutch (TikTok)
Disney collabed with Von Dutch for the og millennial disney channel baddies! Interesting that VD has not posted the collab on their socials. They are promoting their eurosummer Ibiza line, seemingly focusing on reaching Gen Z. [🦀 janine]
Beauty Historian Erin Parsons Launches the Makeup Archive She Always Dreamed Of (WWD)
Been a big fan of @erinparsonsmakeup over the years! It’s inspiring to see this creator go from a vintage makeup enthusiast to an expert in the space with their own archival museum. [🦀 janine]
10 Trends Set to Define Fall 2026 Fashion (Who What Wear)
Owen Wilson Enlists Travis Scott’s Help After Losing His Son at a Music Festival in New Rolling Loud Trailer (People)
New Crunchyroll Collab Brings Anime Streaming to Cars (CNET)
Nipsey Hussle, Bino Rideaux and the marathon behind ‘Prolific’ (Andscape)
Practical Magic 2 Popcorn Buckets: AMC and Regal Reveal Collectible Lineup (Fantasyland News)
Theater Employee Makes a Hilarious Spider-Man: Brand New Day Poster After Cinema Never Received Official One, and It’s Going Viral (IGN)
PBS Station Sues to Regain Access to 70 Years of Archival TV History (Gizmodo)
A Thrift Store ‘Golden Girls’ Purse Just Sold for Birkin Money (WWD)
The Brief Wondrous Cancellation of Hank Green (Vanity Fair)
Good Read:How Robert Pattinson became the internet’s favorite weirdo (CNN)
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.
Pitchfork Gives Silence, Brand! a Brutal 0.0 Rating
·
Aug 13
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
holy hairball
·
Aug 11
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
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.