On timeline-altering events, keeping luxury weird, and being sorta woo woo
In Conversation with Ryan, Dayna, Dejaih, Benton and Janine of Silence, Brand!
This week, we are featuring the consortium of crabs behind one of our favorite marketing Substacks, Silence, Brand!
Ryan: Creative Director @ LOUDMOUTH (a creative advocacy agency) + Managing Editor & Trendspotter of Silence, Brand!
Dayna: Founder of Silence, Brand!, a Substack that covers the intersection of brand, social media, and fandom, and I do a bit of freelance consulting on the side
Dejaih: Sr. Social Community Manager at Sony Pictures, Jeopardy! & Wheel of Fortune, Editor & Trendspotter Silence, Brand!
Benton: Cultural strategist & creative producer, Editor & Trendspotter Silence, Brand!
Janine: Brand Social and Community Manager at IHOP, Editor & Trendspotter Silence, Brand!
š¤” On keeping luxury weird
Dayna: Iām a big fan of Muglerās recent social campaign. They launched a digital series starring avant-garde performance artist David Hoyle, positioning him as a sharp-tongued host guiding viewers through the brandās theatrical, camp legacy through episodic content while introducing their SS26 Pre-Collection. Casting David Hoyle isnāt the obvious choice for a luxury fashion campaign, but when you understand his legacy as a performance artist and drag icon, itās a perfect fit. Heās fashion-adjacent in a way that takes a legacy to earn.
Dejaih: One approach Iāve seen recently and thought was interesting was Jacquemus making his grandma his first brand ambassador. Something about the familial aspect and all the fun rules has me excited to see how this moment will propel or strengthen the brand as the relationship continues. #SilverfluencersForTheWin
Benton: To signal luxury, you have to be human. AI is now a commodity so accessible that itās already passĆ©. Brands that prove they have the resources and time to craft impressive campaigns without shortcuts are already establishing themselves as synonymous with this new era of luxury. Hermesā has led the pack with their illustrated branding on social; last year, Apple TV went viral for its new intro made with practical effects; and in early February, Fortnite revealed their collab with Chappell Roan through stop-motion embroidery.
In contrast, when it was revealed that the Olympicsāan institution known for its rigorous brand standardsāused generative AI for the Winter Olympics, its legacy of prestige became the butt of the joke.
š¦ On keeping their claws busy
Ryan: Iāve been finally applying my interest in scrapbook activities by using a Hobonichi Weeks Planner (theyāre like, big in Japanā¦) and Iāve been having a lot of fun keeping more than just a boring to do list, but also having ONE place to write down all of my thoughts. Itās been a nice way to turn scraps into something a little more creative than trash.
Dayna: Iām currently building out an influencer strategy for a client that flips the usual campaign model. Instead of casting creators, weāre pulling from over 100 organic brand testimonials posted by regular people over the past two years. I canāt wait to connect with these non-influencers and invite them into a more intentional relationship with a brand they already love.
Janine: Iām looking forward to trying new hobbies for leisure. I recently started playing my ukulele and Iām excited to get more into it.
š« On being sorta woo woo
Ryan: Okay, not to be too woo woo, but Iāve been obsessed with the solar cycle for a year or two now. Ever since I learned thereās a real correlation (donāt sue me iām not a scientist) between high solar flare moments and large world conflicts, Iāve been enthralled by it. I keep watching the progression of our solar cycle to know when people might be most angry and flippant. Not foolproof, but it does tell me when to stay inside sometimes!
https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/solar-cycle-progression
š¤° On marketing fore-mothers
Dejaih: Ana Anjelic. Sheās a renowned brand-builder with rich creative and strategic expertise. Her ideas have shaped how I feel about building a brand universe with your brandās story plus I am working on a trend map inspired by what Iāve learned from reading her work.
Janine: Iāve looked up to Sharon Pak of Insert Name Here for awhile now. Iāve followed her since her time with Colourpop. Sheās proved time and time again that it pays off to take a chance on yourself.
āļø On where you can go digging for crabs
Benton: Every Friday last year, I held a personal Office Hours at this coffee shop in Athens, GA called 1000 Faces, where I'd order drinks from 8ā12 and post an open call on my Instagram for anyone to join me. Aesthetically, it's the textbook definition of what Kyle Chayka describes as "airspace," but the coffee, roasted in-house, is unbeatable. And when 12 of your friends drop by to chat, you're grateful for those big ass community tables. I will be inviting the baristas to my wedding.
š«Ø On life-altering shifts in the crabās timelines
Ryan: January 6th. I was a social media manager for what turned out to be a very right-aligned non-profit. I watched the internet be used as a tool to mount an attack on democracy. Then I watched the attack unfold live on TV only to see all of the same voices come out after and attempt to rewrite history in the same places they made diary entries about facing war.
Dayna: The death of Vine.
Dejaih: This is biased BUT our first Silence, Brand! meet up in LA. We put a lot of heart into it, and it brought us closer, especially realizing how our efforts were connecting us with our ideal audience.
Benton: My life is divided into 2 chapters: Twitter pre-Elon and Twitter post-Elon.Janine: When Zayn left One Direction.
thanks for having us! š¦šš