RIP HARAMBE
🦀 new google app icons + 2girls1cup mention (in 2026??!!!) + subservient ghostface + nondairy arugula + chomps rotisserie chicken + dua lipa x google maps + ludacris x bayer + nike x BTS 🦀
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.
RIP HARAMBE
gone but not forgotten
That’s it.
That’s the intro.
ICYMI
In yesterday’s Silence, Brand! Live, we chatted about bedazzled salt and tummy-ache girlie essentials before getting into a very real conversation about the Patrick Ta beauty drama, viral dot cakes, WWE witchcraft, and the anatomy of a TikTok trend that smells like summer.
🦀📈 TODAY’S POLL
📲🦀 Viral Topics
Influencer Fights Ticket After Cop Claimed She Used Phone With Missing Hand (Complex)
Adaptive-athlete influencer @slightlyoff.balance went viral after posting bodycam footage from February showing a Palm Beach County deputy cite her for allegedly holding a cellphone in her “right hand” despite her not having a right hand. She entered a remote not-guilty plea and planned to fight the $116 distracted-driving ticket, which was dismissed at the deputy’s request before the scheduled May hearing for “lack of evidence.”
Love Island USA Season 8 Cast Revealed, Including an NBA Player’s Daughter and the Brother of a Former Islander (People)
Peacock revealed the Season 8 cast for Love Island USA ahead of its June 2 premiere, featuring a Paralympian, an NBA player’s daughter, and the brother of a former Islander as this summer’s singles head to Fiji looking for love.
Katy Perry & Chief Keef Hang Out After 2013 Twitter Beef (TMZ)
Katy Perry and Chief Keef appear to have officially squashed their longtime Twitter feud after reconnecting publicly more than a decade later, with fans now speculating about a possible music collaboration between the two.
🦀 They worked it out on the remix… literally. Lore explainer » here.
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Boy From Viral Ring Camera BBQ Clip Receives Pizza Party Invite (TMZ)
Ariel Smith tells TMZ that after a Ring camera clip showed a boy named Jacquez politely knocking to ask for BBQ leftovers, she and her boyfriend (surprised because they’d only made enough for themselves and had only Cheetos left while their son was away) invited him to a driveway pizza party with chips, drinks and popsicles. She checked with his mother first, Jacquez picked today for the get-together, and the clip, posted on Instagram, sparked a large online debate about the interaction.
Google’s new app icons are getting the meme treatment (Business Insider)
Google is rolling out revamped app icons across Workspace apps to create “consistency and cohesion,” and users on X have turned the redesign into a meme trend by pitching real-life icons like Doc Martens for Docs, bed sheets for Sheets and sandals for Slides.
Harambe’s Personal Photographer Opens Up About His Viral Images And The Gorilla’s Iconic Memes On The Anniversary Of His Death (Straits Times)
Wildlife photographer Jeff McCurry, who served as Harambe’s personal photographer at the Cincinnati Zoo, recounts their close bond, says he learned of Harambe’s 2016 death from news coverage, and explains how his images unexpectedly became viral meme templates that he largely found flattering.
Drake’s ‘Janice STFU’ and Cameron Whitcomb ‘Kingdom of Fear’ Make Spotify’s Predictions for 2026 Song of the Summer (Billboard)
Spotify has unveiled its 2026 Song of the Summer predictions, spotlighting 30 tracks across pop, rap, country, dance, and global music. Canadian artists Drake and Cameron Whitcomb earned spots on the list, alongside major names like Ariana Grande, Olivia Rodrigo, Noah Kahan, and Zara Larsson. The streaming platform’s editors say this year’s contenders reflect a mix of upbeat party anthems, nostalgic dance tracks, and emotionally driven “sadboy summer” songs.
🦀 ok but the thing is that spotify doesn’t get to choose. its for the people to decide.
Gwyneth Paltrow’s Parmesan Cheese Substitute Goes Viral (BuzzFeed)
Gwyneth Paltrow sparked a fresh online debate after revealing she sometimes swaps Parmesan cheese for diced arugula in recipes to avoid dairy. The unusual substitution, has viewers spiraling over her unconventional approach to healthy eating.
🦀 Trending
Instants in Feed
On Instagram, brands are screenshotting content from the new Instants feature and reposting it to the feed. The trend turns what was designed to be a fleeting, 24-hour moment into a permanent piece of content that can drive longer-term engagement.
Square Up
TikTokers are using an audio where one person aggressively says “square up” and the other responds with a confused “square up?” The sound is being used to describe moments when people suddenly realize they have to face the consequences of their own actions and immediately want no part of it.
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🦀 Brand News
‘Scary Movie’ launches Subservient Ghostface, a play on Subservient Chicken (AdAge)
Not to link out to a wikipedia page (we’re gonna), but here’s additional context about the OG burger king Subservient Chicken stunt and its reboot in 2014.
Chomps Turns Rotisserie Chicken Into Fashion With Limited-Edition “Le Chic’ken” Purse (PR Newswire)
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Gymshark and Bratz Launch the Perfect It-Girl Gym Capsule (Hypebae)
NYC Child Care for All Jingle x Lin-Manuel Miranda (NYC)
Nike and BTS Introduce BTS WORLD TOUR “ARIRANG” Merch and Nike By You Experience (Nike Newsroom)
Wrangler Debuts Two Boozy Collaborations (WWD)
Footwear News@FootwearNewsWrangler Debuts Two Boozy Collaborationstrib.alWrangler Debuts Two Boozy Collaborations11:02 AM · May 28, 2026 · 114 Views
Snack Like You Mean It With New Hot Pockets Snack Breaks (PR Newswire)
PEOPLE’s WAG World Debuts with Camille Kostek’s Revealing Interview (People)
Travel the world like Dua Lipa with Google Maps (Google Blog)
CASETiFY x Tamagotchi Reanimates Digital Nostalgia for Spring 2026 (Stupid Dope)
Uber Drift Puts You in the Passenger Seat of Japan’s Street Racing Scene (Hypebeast)
Del Taco comes out with a new value menu (NRN)
‘Health Doesn’t Need to Be Ludacris’: Bayer signs rapper-actor to multivitamin campaign (FiercePharma)
Good Read: We Checked In on Hot Topic. It Has Gone Mainstream. (NY Mag)
🏆🦀 Brand W
Hello Fresh hopping on the recent trend where you say various phrases in different intonations.
📡🥴🦀 Industry News
TikTok has added a “Drafts” folder for stories (@oncescuradu)
Facebook launches a ‘Plus’ subscription that gives you extra features (The Verge)
Instagram has added in the main app a new feature for reels creation, “Teleprompter” (@oncescuradu)
Instagram now allows users to remove reposts of their posts shared by others (@ahmedghanem)
TikTok has released a new story style called “Flip Story” (@ahmedghanem)
Snapchat now requires users to add music to photo Spotlight posts (@ahmedghanem)
‘Instagram truly is the new LinkedIn’: why gen Z is using social media to get hired (The Guardian)
Instagram now includes filters in music search (@ahmedghanem)
💥🦀 Hey, So That’s Bad!
The DOJ Wants to Know Who on Reddit and X Is Criticizing ICE’s Tactics (Bloomberg)
In Argentina, U.S. Tech Billionaire Peter Thiel Finds An Escape (New York Times)
This is veryyyyy fishyyyyyy [🦀 dejaih]
Jared Leto and Sam Altman Say They Can Thwart Ticket Scalper Bots by Scanning Your Eyeballs (Gizmodo)
One of Houston’s newest foodie influencers might not be a real person (Chron)
🎀🦀 Aesthetic
Gucci becomes title partner of Alpine F1 team for 2027 (Motorsport)
Nobody Shops Secondhand Like Gen Z, Provided They Can Return It (WWD)
Inside Olive Young’s Long-Awaited LA Launch (Business of Fashion)
An Evening with Dua Lipa at Her Augustinus Bader Pop-Up (Yahoo)
Jeremy Scott and Longchamp Celebrate 20 Years of Collaborations (WWD)
Vespa to Mark 80th Anniversary With Four-day Gathering in Rome (WWD)
On’s Latest Collab With Erewhon Wants to Outfit You for a Different Kind of Run — the One to the Grocery Store (WWD)
Coach Collaborates With Brain Dead on a Playful Capsule Collection (Hypebeast)
Slack Created Their Own Nike Dunk Low And Air Max 1 Customs (Sneaker Bar Detroit)
Japan’s Pokémon Jet Red and Jet Green plane designs revealed (Nintendo Wire)
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Dunkin’ Is Celebrating National Donut Day With A Tote Bag Giveaway & New Stoney Clover Collection (Spoon University)
Gentle Monster Wants You To Wear Your Veggies (Hypebae)
🎧🍿🦀 Entertainment
‘Primetime’ Trailer: Robert Pattinson Stars as ‘To Catch a Predator’ Host Chris Hansen in A24 Thriller (Variety)
How Issa Rae built TikTok’s first micro-drama hit (LA Times)
Keke Palmer romance rumors swirl with ‘Hot Ones’ host Sean Evans after his crush confession (Page Six)
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“The Publicists Have to Be Stopped!”: Keke Palmer, Lisa Kudrow and Quinta Brunson on the Comedy Actresses Roundtable (Hollywood Reporter)
keke palmer just casually referenced 2girls1cup in this hollywood reporter round table interview [🦀 dayna]
Joan Cusack Makes First Red Carpet Appearance in 11 Years at Toy Story 5 Premiere (People)
Hailey Baptiste forced to retire from French Open match with left knee ligament injury (New York Times)
Sad her doubles matches with Venus Williams have to be cancelled [🦀 dejaih]
UCLA pitcher shares his secret weapon: A two-inch toy dinosaur named ‘Jerry’ (LA Times)
The Mets Are Getting Smacked Again But At Least We Got The Voice Of Patrick Star Doing The Lineup Intros! (Barstool Sports)
Good Read: ‘Backrooms’ Director Kane Parsons on the Games, Shows, and YouTubers That Shaped Him (GQ)
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We hope you enjoyed this installment of Silence, Brand!—a tri-weekly, late-night potluck of internet absurdity 🦀
Ryan Benson • Dayna Castillo • Dejaih Smith • Benton Williams • Janine Davis