Silence, Brand! 06.20.25
🦀 we asked a lawyer about the CapCut TOS update + AI glass fruit + slurs at VidCon w/ talk tuah + RIP Margo + salmon sperm for glass skin + Golden Chocobo + wikipedia gaming + Allison plates + 🦀
somewhere in New Jersey, 40 people are sleeping head-to-toe in a single beach house…
ngl …
pretty tempted by that glass fruit 👀
that can probably be explained by how much we like nerds clusters
we’re big on the texture-based mouth-feels over here
RT if you want to gnaw on an HDMI cable
ope! did we miss the tiktok ban???
is that still happening or nah?
fresh catch:
move over girl dinner, we present the "The Allison Plate”
BIG L for Kroger after fumbling Juneteenth in a big way
trends:
Sir Mix-A-Lot is trending again thanks to one particularly feral lyric
let’s give a warm “welcome back” to that cursed WAP x One Direction mashup
show us those BIG HANDS HOLDING PRODUCT (we love it. no really. we do)
and don’t even get us started on…
travelers booked a hotel on Booking.com… and showed up to a dirt lot lol
Whitney Cummings sparked chaos and walkouts during a VidCon taping of Talk Tuah
what it means to be feeding the military pasta and lobster 🦞
trump really said “ay yo! fuck yer rose garden!” 🚜
RIP MARGO
if you were on TikTok in 2020, you definitely remember Margo the bearded dragon “not Marco, or Mango, or Wells Fargo”
she was a queen
she got a Tiagz remix
she had ✨presence✨
today it was announced that she joined Howie the Crab in the great viral terrarium in the sky — RIP to a real one
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OK AND AS A BONUS [!!!]
we asked our favorite attorney at In|Flow Law Group—a creator economy lawyer group—what’s ACTUALLY happening with the super hyped CapCut TOS update and he got back to us with this info:
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“Yes, CapCut did update their terms of use, but not regarding their usage rights sections. Those sections are about a year old now. Regardless of how old those usage rights clauses are, they are still kind of frightening to people, but they're pretty custom.
Now, many people use CapCut as a video editing tool, but people who use [it] also know that CapCut does allow you to upload to your profile on [their platform]. Obviously, there's other ways to create content on CapCut, such as making templates for other people to use … Those templates get uploaded to CapCut as part of its services.
And that's still content that now they're able to use from you as you're giving them a license to offer it to other people to then use and then therefore make your template more popular on the platform.” — Rayman Khan [honorary crab and lawyer IRL 🦀⚖️]
we’ve evolved, so we added a paid tier!!!
freebies still drop fridays, but paid gets the full unhinged brilliance—special reports, chaos, and rare insight.
basically, you’re funding our glorious descent into crabby madness.
🦀 TL;DR: Join or be a sad little fomo crab.
phew.
now that we don’t have to worry about what CapCut is doin with our stuff…
ON TO THE LINKSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
Kroger responds after Georgia Juneteenth cakes go viral (Newsweek)
Kroger responded to backlash over offensive Juneteenth cakes, stating that the products were inconsistent with their guidance and have been removed from stores.
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Why Everyone Is Obsessed With The Viral Allison Plates (BuzzFeed)
The viral “Allison Plate” trend on TikTok is being celebrated as a more intentional, elevated take on the chaotic charm of 2023’s “Girl Dinner.” Creator @ally_wong arranges visually striking, nutrient-dense snack plates on handmade ceramic dishware, emphasizing presentation and mindful food choices. While Girl Dinner leans into randomness and ease, the Allison Plate adds a layer of artistry and calm, inspiring TikTokers to slow down and enjoy the act of plating and eating.
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Family Goes Viral for Showcasing How They Fit 40 People in Their Beach House Every Summer (People)
A TikTok video of Alexa Caradimitropoulo's family beach house in New Jersey went viral, showcasing the feat of housing way too many people in a single residence.
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AI is making edible lava and glass fruit to set your mind at ease, but I'm left unsettled (TechRadar)
Google's Veo 3 Fast is an AI video generator creating bizarre ASMR videos, featuring glass strawberries being cut like jelly and a woman eating molten rock. While some fans appreciate the novelty and quality of the AI-generated videos, others question whether they can truly replicate the intimacy and immediacy of traditional ASMR experiences.
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“Pre ordering a hotel room is crazy”: Travelers book hotel on Booking.com. Then they arrive and see it hasn’t even been built (Daily Dot)
A TikTok video went viral showing travelers arriving at a hotel booked through Booking.com, only to find that the hotel had not been built yet. However, there are questions about the video's authenticity, as some commenters claim the construction site shown is actually for a school, and it's unclear whether the booking was genuine.
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Haliey Welch recorded 'Talk Tuah' in front of a live audience at VidCon. It got messy. (Mashable)
At VidCon, during a chaotic live taping of Talk Tuah, guest Whitney Cummings used slurs while ranting about Hollywood. Her comments triggered walkouts and backlash, with YouTuber Jack Manifold publicly calling out the use of slurs on X. The incident further dampened an already tense event, which had already been disrupted by crowd unrest and Welch’s controversial past.
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Bark Like You Want It
Sir Mix-A-Lot is back on TikTok with a trending audio featuring the line “better get on your knees and bark like you want it.” People are using it to show off the things they’re obsessed with—whether it’s a hyperfixation, a guilty pleasure, or something that makes them unreasonably feral.
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WAP x That’s What Makes You Beautiful
A chaotic mashup from 2020 is making the rounds again on TikTok— it blends Cardi B’s “WAP” with One Direction’s “What Makes You Beautiful.”
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Ski Mask the Slump God Teaser
Ski Mask the Slump God is teasing his return with a leaked snippet of “Catch Me Outside 2,” and TikTok dancers wasted no time. Choreo is already locked in and spreading fast.
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O’Bagel Big Product
This trend is giving peak lofi: Small biz owners are walking into frame, showing off one oversized product, then cutting to a static images of other products—all synced perfectly to the beat. It’s scrappy, high-charm, and super scroll-stopping. Can’t wait to see more of these.
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Sam's Club is now delivering pizzas, but it's not trying to be the next Domino's (Modern Retail)
How SharkNinja became a viral marketing machine—and what new hires from Ikea and Ulta Beauty signify (AdAge)
Meta Launches $399 Oakley AI Smart Glasses (Business of Fashion)
Empire State Building dissing Eiffel Tower goes viral (Newsweek)
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Virtual Concession Stands and Storefronts Coming to Disney Streaming Services (AdWeek)
Lyrical Lemonade Crumbl Cookies Collab (Crumbl Cookie Flavors)
Social platforms like Reddit and Pinterest are striking more retail media partnerships (Modern Retail)
Wikipedia Is The Latest Place To Join The Daily Gaming Craze (Kotaku)
Snap acquires Saturn, a social calendar app for high school and college students (Tech Crunch)
Google is using YouTube videos to train Veo 3 and creators can’t opt out (Dexerto)
Good Read: How to Avoid Job Scams on Social Media Platforms (Teen Vogue)
Good Read: The 10 Biggest Most Loser-ish Moments of the Year So Far (Consequence of Sound)
Good Read: Creators turn to agentic AI to manage fan engagement (DigiDay)
Resource: The Largest Communities on Reddit (Social Media Today)
US soldiers being served "deployment meal" sparks speculation (Newsweek)
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Trump Is ‘Flouting the Law’ in Delaying Enforcement of TikTok Ban, a Top Senate Democrat Says (Variety)
Trump is paving over the Rose Garden and people are outraged (Indy100)
Temu US Sales Plunge 25% Amid Tariff Barrage (Business of Fashion)
Caitlin Clark Eager to Move Forward After Viral Fever-Sun Scuffle (Fox Sports)
NBA Finals winners, losers: How Pacers beat Thunder, forced Game 7 (USA Today)
The Lakers aren’t alone. The value of sports franchises has skyrocketed (CNN)
Anthropic says most AI models, not just Claude, will resort to blackmail (Tech Crunch)
Lies of P's Overture DLC has received a much-needed balance adjustment (Eurogamer)
Midjourney launches an AI video generator (The Verge)
A Seventeen Labubu Has Sold For $31,250 (Stereogum)
Why Salmon Sperm Is the Latest Game-changer for Glass Skin (WWD)
What Amazonian designers can teach global fashion brands (Vogue Business)
Good Read: Beyoncé, Miley, & Zendaya Are Leading a Patrick Kelly Renaissance (W Magazine)
Resource: The Must-See Art Shows of 2025 (W Magazine)
Pedro Pascal Look-Alike Winner Is A ‘Daily Show’ Crew Member — And He Has A Message for the Actor (Today)
Gabby Windey on Why She Joined ‘The Traitors’ After Doing a Vibrator Ad, Her Viral Podcast and the Patriarchy: ‘F— Them! Ruining Our Lives!’ (Variety)
Fat Joe Sued for $20 Million by Former Hypeman in Explosive Complaint (Variety)
Beyoncé and Miley Cyrus Perform "II Most Wanted" in Paris (Consequence of Sound)
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BLACKPINK's Jennie cries, shakes, and screams for help in amazing 'Hot Ones' appearance (Mashable)
VidCon celebrates Hank Green, Rhett & Link at first annual Hall of Fame ceremony (Mashable)
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Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser"Disgusting and embarrassing": The internet reacts to Drake's post about how he lost $8 million gambling (Daily Dot)
Someone Already Tried Selling Magic: The Gathering's Golden Chocobo Final Fantasy Card For $50,000 (Kotaku)
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Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browserBruce Springsteen Says New Biopic Captures 'Some of the Most Painful Days of My Life' (Rolling Stone)
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Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browserBTS Members Reunite for 12-Year Anniversary as They Complete Required Military Service This Month (People)
Resource: Crunchyroll: Global State of Anime (CrunchyRoll)
Resource: The 75 Best R&B Artists of All Time (Billboard)
Lisa Frank.
Girl.
WYD???
Put your panties back on and get off that dance floor.
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Dunkin’ how come your employees don’t know how to use a fire extinguisher?
@abc7chicagoA customer at a New York Dunkin Donuts saved the day when she noticed the shop’s industrial toaster had caught on fire and promptly asked the staff for a fire extinguisher to put it out. Footage captured by Cristina Conklin shows her reaction to the fire growing on top of the toaster and beginning to touch the ceiling as staff members walked past it. “Apparently there’s a very not serious fire in Dunkin right now,” Conklin says sarcastically in the footage. “Nobody seems to care.” Conklin then pans the camera over to the rest of the seemingly unconcerned employees. Eventually one employee attempts to put out by waving the end of a plastic broom over it. “Do you have a fire extinguisher? Do you know where it is?” Conklin can be heard asking the employees. “Do you guys have a manager you can call?” Eventually an employee grabs Conklin the fire extinguisher and she sets down her camera to teach the staff how to use it. Once the fire was put out Conklin could be heard said, “you’re gonna have to call the fire department.” “I saw a fire with 3 teens not knowing what to do at Dunkin when I went to get my coffee,” Conklin told Storyful, “ and I helped them put it out with a fire extinguisher!” “I lost a nail but I’m good,” Conklin says to the camera at the end of the ordeal. “Everybody is safe.” #news #dunkin #dunkindonuts #fireTiktok failed to load.
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Silence, Brand! is an internet culture and marketing newsletter compiled by unhinged brand marketing professionals—an elite army of internet idiots.
Thank you to this installment’s contributors: Ryan Benson, Dayna Castillo, Lenny Leithauser, Apple Xenos, Dejaih Smith, Benton Williams, and Janine Davis
Lisa Frank takes a monthly L & omg the deployment meals(!!!)