Happy Friday the 13th!
*spooky crab clicks*
choose ur fighter: Britishcore or Balkan breakfast. or don’t, because they’re not competing against each other! now i’m thinking about Rebecca’s British Chinese takeout (gonna get a Chinese) and that motor oil sauce. yummy
I encourage you to read to the bottom of this issue (or just skip there) to see the VMAs appearance that mattered the most.
happy tarb autumn!!
Sausage rolls and Oasis: ‘Britishcore’ TikTok trend drives interest in UK culture (The Guardian)
The TikTok trend "Britishcore" has taken the platform by storm, showcasing the appeal of everyday British life and culture to a global audience. From mundane activities like a "cheeky Tesco run" to satirical celebrations of the Oasis reunion, the trend has sparked a surge of interest in UK fashion, comedy, and travel, with overseas content creators eagerly joining in on the fun.
LEGO Wants to Source Half Its Plastic From Renewable Materials By 2026 (Mental Floss)
LEGO is making strides to reduce its environmental impact by aiming to source 50% of its plastic from renewable and recycled materials by 2026. The company is using mass balance and other methods to track and increase the use of sustainable materials in its manufacturing process, despite facing some criticism from environmental experts.
Beetlejuice lips: New Beetlejuice-inspired makeup trend exposes influencers (Glamour)
The beauty community has been buzzing with a new makeup trend inspired by the film 'Beetlejuice Beetlejuice'. Dubbed "Beetlejuice lips," the trend involves creating black stripes on the lips using bright lip gloss or lipstick and black eyeshadow. However, some creators with lip fillers have found it challenging to achieve the desired effect, sparking a debate about cosmetic procedures and honesty in the beauty industry.
Viral TikTok Has Folks in Awe of How British People Wash Their Dishes (Distractify)
In September 2024, a TikTok video by user @spiritual_af sparked a debate about how people in the U.K. wash their dishes. Some claim that they wash, scrub, and let dishes dry without rinsing off the soapy bubbles, while others insist on rinsing. The video garnered over 12 million views and led to a lively discussion about dishwashing habits in the U.K.
A Viral TikTok About Kiwis Just Taught Us About Weaponized Incompetence (Betches)
Tiktokkers are breaking down this analogy involving kiwis in order to explain and visualize the concept of weaponized incompetence.
Wii Menu Template
TikTokkers are using this template to show off their favorite memes.
Balkan Breakfast (Know Your Meme)
Balkan Breakfast refers to a series of viral videos documenting an alleged traditional Balkan breakfast consisting of raw tomato, salt, peppers, cucumber, cheese and bread. In the videos, the Balkan way of eating vegetables is with your hands or a knife. For instance, a tomato is often eaten like an apple and salt is poured onto it before each bite.
Kourtney Kardashian Barker’s Brand Is Launching an Ozempic-Style Supplement. Is It Legit? (Vogue)
Pepsi Chases Delivery Drivers to Reclaim Pizza Night (AdWeek)
Liquid Death to award regular folks with a $30,000 Nascar sponsorship deal (The Drum)
TikTok Trending: Unpacking this Autumn's biggest trends (TikTok Newsroom)
New Studies Show That Snapchat Facilitates Positive User Experiences (Social Media Today)
Creator startup Spotter raises another $7.4M (Tech Crunch)
The State of Social 2025 (Brandwatch)
Trademarks, drinks and podcasts: How viral creators like 'Hawk Tuah Girl' stretch their 15 minutes of fame (DigiDay)
Bluesky adds videos to the platform to take on Elon Musk's X (Mashable)
Good Read: The Stardom Factory (
)4 Ways Creators Have Influenced the 2024 Election (AdWeek)
Charli XCX & Troye Sivan Get to ‘Talk Talk’-ing Before the ‘Brat’ Remix Album Drops: Listen (Billboard)
'Drag Race' winner Sasha Colby introduces 'daughter' Chappell Roan at MTV VMAs (EW)
Kendrick Lamar Drops New Song on Instagram (Pitchfork)
Shannon Sharpe is 'embarrassed' about having sex on Instagram Live (EW)
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Microsoft lays off another 650 from gaming division (Tech Crunch)
Facebook flagged and removed emergency wildfire information as 'spam' (Mashable)
Meet o1: OpenAI's advanced reasoning 'Strawberry' model (Mashable)
Good Read: Apple iPhone 16 Release: Your Complete Schedule Through To Onsale Date (Forbes)
After a seven-year absence, J.Crew brings back physical catalogs (Fortune)
Good Read: The Desperation of the Instagram Photo Dump (New Yorker)
Inside Hulu's Only Murders in the Building Escape Game (AdWeek)
Not all brands deserve a W, but this one does:
Okay, and this one is special: Kelley Heyer at the VMAs
Kelley Heyer, the creator of the viral TikTok dance that goes with Charli XCX's song, did not receive an invitation to the MTV Video Music Awards last Thursday, even though Charli was nominated for Best Trending Video. Kelley publicly made her case on TikTok, asking the brands that benefited from the popularity of her trending dance to support her in securing an invitation.
According to Malene Pribebe Hold on LinkedIn, MCoBeauty’s CMO Meridith Rojas slid into Kelley’s DMs to offer a collab with Bacardi to get the TikTok star to the show.
Despite Charli XCX being snubbed by the VMAs (receiving zero awards), getting Kelley to the VMAs to document her experience was a fantastic brand interaction that deserves all the flowers.
crab clicks!!! to Duolingo AND MCoBeauty!!
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, David Cline, Dejaih Smith, and Benton Williams
Glad to see Kelley got the spotlight she deserved 💃🪩