Internet Ghosts: Part 131
5/8: Offline dinners, Cyber decks, Yer a Cinnabon, Harry, "Thrends," and more...
A bit of the internet:
The Met Gala Takes Over | This years Met Gala dress code was 'Fashion is Art'. While the theme was fresh, the discourse online followed the same formula as years past: mixed reviews on outfits, celebrity crossovers, and Emma Chamberlain getting a moment. Also following the same formula as last year, we saw brands like Poppi, Staples, and Aquaphor returning to post pictures of their products in Met Gala outfits, showcasing that the Met Gala is a social brand moment here to stay.
Threads Trends | Threads is building its own set of trends, or “Thrends,” that are becoming exclusive to the platform. This week, two stood out in our feeds:
The first is a “date canceled” trend, where users share why a date fell through but hide the reason using the spoiler tag feature, which blurs the text until tapped. Responses range from expected to surprising, with a few brands joining in as well.
The second builds on Threads’ new sticker feature they are testing, specifically the magazine-style letter stickers that rotate in design and resemble cutout text.
KJ Apa “Identity Theft” | This week Mr. Fantasy released a new music video for his song “Do Me Right.” The video was star studded with celebs like Madelaine Petsch and Camila Mendes, earning a response video from KJ Apa crashing out over the artist stealing his friends. Who is the real Mr. Fantasy? We’ll never tell.
What brands are up to:
Adidas Drops “Backyard Legends” | Adidas’ new Backyard Legends spot already feels bigger than just a World Cup ad, people are talking about the casting, the cameos, and even admiring the cultural cues between “soccer” vs. “fútbol.” From the initial drop to all the extra social content introducing the characters and expanding the story, the campaign has turned into a viral asset that’s building hype not just for the World Cup, but for the Adidas brand itself. It feels way more personal and culture-driven than a typical sports campaign, which is probably why the internet is loving it.
Rare Beauty Goes Offline | Rare Beauty has built a reputation as a community-first brand, using the rewards platform, TYB (Try Your Best), to strengthen relationships with its fans. The brand recently partners with TYB to host its first community-exclusive dinner, “Rare Offline,” where select members were invited to meet up IRL. The dinner itself was fully unplugged, focusing on forming real connection, and attendees were given exclusive access to an upcoming product. This marks the first of many planned events, with Rare Beauty putting out an open call on their social to determine where they should host the next.
Hellmann’s Crashes The Met | Over the years, it’s become widely known that Anna Wintour keeps garlic off the Met Gala menu, but this year, Hellmann’s decided to challenge that with a unique spin on how brands activate on social during the event. Hellmann's teased a social stunt in the lead-up before attempting to crash “fashion's biggest night." They sent influencer Arielle Vandenberg to the Met steps in a garlic-inspired dress, only to be turned away at the door. The moment unfolded across social, building buzz before they announced a “Forbidden Flavors Menu” featuring four special flavors to purchase online.
Collabs of the Week | Highlighting some brand collaborations we saw this week:
Account to check out:
If you need a bright spot in your feed these days, take a look at Dr. Seuss (@drseuss) for a dose of positivity with a side of realness. Each season they hand the account over to a classic character for some fun, and we can’t wait to see who’s next.
Why They’re Worth A Peek: It’s tough to bridge the gap between a nostalgic adult audience and a younger tech-focused audience on social media but we’re loving what the team at Dr. Seuss is doing, really giving a voice to classic characters in a way that feels updated for their audience. We equally enjoy how they program their content thematically over short bursts of time, by narrowing in on specific characters or pushes.
Platform News:
Meta Updates:
Instagram adds an AI creator label to accounts that post AI content regularly
Threads launches DMs on desktop
When you copy and paste text over 500 characters now on Threads it will automatically break it up and thread it into multiple posts
LinkedIn Updates:
LinkedIn partners with Amazon to share data and target professionals with CTV ads
Extra Credit Scrolling:
