regretfully, we are talking about sports
🦀 grindr x Madonna + mummy bread & stomach beer + Love Island is just getting started + 5th annual pencil sharpening + WORLD CUP! + What Would Jesus Drink? + Xbox clear tech!!!! + nerdy escorts 🦀
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.
listen, i’m all for sourdough experiments,
but please don’t make beer out of my stomach contents in thousands of years.
i am begging u.
this issue is heavily about sports, which is weird! because i (ryan) know nothing about sports! but thats ok. Sports sometimes talk to Brands. and then they Market to Consumers. and baby, i am a Consumer.
so cheers to those doing sports well in marketing. two human thumbs up! probably!
checking in with the girls and gays - we making the most of pride month this year? turn it up regardless thanks!
an incredible assortment of style news in this issue. all lovely and giving me hope that we actually CAN manifest the stylish world we deserve to live in. just keep dreaming and committing acts of art around u it’s WORKING
go team, happy ball!
hope it happens before halftime!
🦀📈 TODAY’S POLL
📲🦀 Viral Topics
Madonna Takes Over Times Square With Surprise Concert, Thanks to Grindr (WWD)
Madonna surprised thousands in Times Square on June 4 with an 18-minute impromptu Grindr-hosted set debuting songs from her new album Confessions II, popping out of a building in a Dolce & Gabbana corset, baby-doll bloomers, thigh-highs and silver boots as video screens and rainbow lighting — including Stonewall imagery — framed a Pride Month moment. The free pop-up, livestreamed on Grindr and sponsored by Dolce & Gabbana, mixed new tracks like “I Love New York,” “Hung Up” and “I Feel So Free” with dancers and an energized crowd of passers-by and fans.
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Scientists Made Sourdough Bread With Yeast Found on Ötzi the Iceman’s Mummified Body (Smithsonian Magazine)
Scientists studying the 5,300-year-old mummy known as Ötzi the Iceman successfully cultivated cold-adapted yeast strains found on and within his preserved remains, then used them to bake sourdough bread. The research revealed that Ötzi’s microbiome remains surprisingly active, offering new insights into ancient microbial life. Researchers say the yeast performed well in fermentation tests and may have future applications in bread, beer and other food-production processes.
Keizer Bricks & Minifigs shut down after viral LEGO collection controversy (KEZI)
A brick-sized brouhaha over a LEGO Star Wars collection Bryan and his 83-year-old father Ed say is worth roughly $200,000 prompted Bricks & Minifigs to permanently close its Keizer store after the company said it “uncovered significant evidence of gross negligence” following an ownership change and alleged failure to honor a consignment. The dispute drew national attention after YouTuber Reckless Ben’s videos racked up over 17 million views and a GoFundMe for the Mansells topped $400,000; the company says it has parted ways with Keizer franchisees Joshua Johnson and Brandon Best, though Best remains listed at a franchise in Eugene.
Buffalo Wild Wings called out for welcoming NBA fan who ran on court (USA Today)
A fan who ran onto the court during Game 1 of the NBA Finals to snap a selfie with Victor Wembanyama has been arrested and banned for life from all NBA arenas. The incident briefly halted play and sparked backlash after Buffalo Wild Wings jokingly offered to host the fan for the rest of the series “on us,” drawing criticism for appearing to reward disruptive behavior.
today’s issue of Silence, Brand! was sent from inside a b dubs…. #notspon [🦀 ryan]
“Love Island” Just Delivered Its First Viral Meme, And It’s Too Good (Yahoo)
In Love Island USA’s premiere compatibility game, host Ariana Madix had singles stand behind doors matching their answers so matching contestants could open the door and kiss, but KC, a nursing assistant from Fresno, chose “plants” and discovered no one behind his door. His stunned embarrassment sparked a flood of memes and jokes on social media.
Did Brandy Melville Really Close Its Fitting Rooms? (The Cut)
A flood of TikTok videos claim Brandy Melville has disassembled fitting rooms and removed mirrors at some stores — with a customer saying the King’s Road London shop now has a single rack, others pointing to closed-room signs or filmed staff taking down curtains, and an alleged assistant manager saying the company is rolling out a nationwide no-dressing-room policy and extending exchanges from 14 to 21 days because of gum and vandalism. The posts, which have frustrated young women critical of the brand’s narrow and inconsistent sizing and left some shoppers holding garments up like impromptu mannequins, have not been addressed by Brandy Melville on social media.
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Thousands celebrate the 5th giant pencil sharpening on Lake of the Isles (MPR News)
Thousands of people gathered at Minneapolis’ Lake of the Isles for the fifth annual sharpening of a giant No. 2 pencil sculpture carved from a storm-damaged oak tree. The quirky community tradition featured pageantry, performances and a ceremonial trimming of the pencil’s tip, celebrating creativity, renewal and neighborhood spirit as the beloved artwork continues to shrink a little more each year.
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G Flip Reacts to Becoming the Anthem of ‘Off Campus’ (Rolling Stone AU)
G Flip left stunned when Prime Video’s Off Campus turned “Bed on Fire” into a breakout anthem, propelling the song worldwide as fans flooded TikTok and streaming platforms and introducing the Australian artist to new audiences across America, Canada, Asia, the UK and Europe. They said TV syncs can reshape a song’s life cycle, praised Off Campus’s Australian-heavy soundtrack (including The Kid LAROI and AC/DC), joked they’ll now think of Garrett’s abs when playing the song live, and will support Robbie Williams on an upcoming Australian and New Zealand tour after their sold-out Dream Ride run in March.
Ariana Grande Embraces Every Version of Herself on Eternal Sunshine Tour: 5 Best Moments (Billboard)
Nearly 20,000 fans welcomed Ariana Grande back to touring as she kicked off the long-awaited Eternal Sunshine Tour — a scaled-back, 41-date run after a seven-year hiatus following her 2019 Sweetener World Tour (100 shows, $146 million gross and 1.3 million tickets, per Billboard Boxscore). Since 2019 she’s released Positions (2020) and Eternal Sunshine (2024)—both Grammy-nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album—with Petal due July 31 and other film and theater projects coming up, and Grande has hinted the outing may be her last tour “for a long, long, long, long, long time,” calling it a “one last hurrah.”
🦀 Silence, Brand! does not make a habit of talking about people’s bodies, but the internet sure does. Just a heads up of what’s to come on posts about the above!
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Sicily locals protest Dua Lipa and Callum Turner’s wedding as Italian city is shut down for three-day affair (Page Six)
Locals in Palermo have plastered posters and sprayed graffiti reading “Palermo is not for rent” and “Our square is not your living room” to protest Dua Lipa and Callum Turner’s three‑day wedding, as police close town squares, roads and enforce no‑drone zones around Palazzo Valguarnera‑Gangi, the Daily Mail and the Guardian report. Page Six says the couple will hold a cocktail reception at Palazzo Valguarnera‑Gangi and a main ceremony at Villa Valguarnera in Bagheria, and The Sun reports residents were asked to sign NDAs and that the weekend reportedly costs about $1.73 million.
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⚽🦀 World Cup
One of the most in-demand items in Houston? A pack of Panini World Cup stickers (Houston Chronicle)
Lionel Messi Injury: Argentina Boss Reveals Return Date As World Cup Nears (Sports Illustrated)
The Brands Celebrating the 2026 World Cup (WWD)
The Viral World Cup Collections Taking Over Fashion Girls’ Summer Wardrobes (E! Online)
Why heat, travel and sleep could challenge teams as much as the opposition at the World Cup (CNN)
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🦀 Trending
🎣 Fresh Catch: Give me 10
This audio went viral immediately after the latest episode of Love Island USA aired and TikTokers plus fans of the show are using it to show scenarios where they needed a little more time to act on/do something.
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