#HispanicHeritageMonth: The celebration of Hispanic culture begins today and people are celebrating online with their favorite aspects of Hispanic history, culture, and community.
Apple Store: The store went down this morning as preorders for the iPhone 15 went live. Naturally in between frustration many memes of IT professionals proliferated the site.
Shana Tova: Rosh Hashana celebrations begin this weekend and X users are celebrating the countdown to the Jewish New Year.
The Charity Auction That Turned Into a Meme
What it is: If there's one thing the internet loves, it's rehashing celebrity drama, poking fun at the elite, and reliving controversies of yesterday. When the striking SAG members launched a charity platform to meet them for coffee or a Zoom date for proceeds to support struggling crew members without healthcare due to the strike, the internet both applauded the efforts and found their own way to have fun. Immediately users began photoshopping their own niche, outlandish items for bidding based on past celeb comments, memes, and dream scenarios.
What brands can learn: Some find celebrities out of touch, some find this harmless, but everyone can unite in a joke. The internet is in full humor mode, surfacing controversies and slapping celebrity faces on it so this is a great way to lean into a joke from a celebrity's past or reference a character/movie. This meme cycle has also leaned into how historic strike has gotten as a way to emphasize the unions' points with Gen Z and young people at the helm, really taking to this specific meme as they are right in the intersection of niche fandoms and fighting harsh realities with humor. A dash of nostalgia, a hint of satire, and wishing for better, feeling very similar to when celebrities came together to sing "Imagine" during the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, and were immediately the punchline of a joke. The only difference is that their gestures this time, are actually in effort to help people they work with daily. Brands should think about optics of something like this, and leverage IP or talent with caution. Assess if it's worth the risk to make a joke at these celebs expense, or if your tone will come off dismissive toward the strike if you're in the entertainment industry.
Examples: 1, 2, 3
Is the Guts tour the big concert of 2024?
NYC's Airbnb restrictions are leading to a new black market for short-term rentals.
A full deep dive into the Drew Barrymore controversy.
NSYNC is releasing their first new song in decades.
Watching
The Morning Show - Wednesdays, Apple TV+
A Haunting in Venice - Now Playing, Theatres/IMAX
Theatre Camp - Now Streaming, Hulu
Listen
"Balut" - Doja Cat
"Fake As Hell" - All Time Low & Avril Lavigne
"The Tree" - Maren Morris
The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We - Mitski
Revamped - Demi Lovato
It's the End of the World, But It's a Beautiful Day - Thirty Seconds to Mars
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