Dolly Parton started a meme challenge and everyone is on board, Planters killed off Mr. Peanut and Twitter is reeling, a new influencer account is blowing up, and Taylor Swift’s documentary is making headlines before it’s even out. All that and more of the viral stories and links to catch you up on the week!
Mr. Peanut Is Dead & Twitter Is Both Mourning (& Praising) the Loss
In a shocking move, Planters killed their monocle-wearing spokesnut Bartholomew Richard Fitzgerald-Smythe—a.k.a Mr. Peanut—this week, in a 30-second spot ahead of the Super Bowl. He was 104. In the ad that has been viewed over a million times, Mr. Peanut is driving the nutmobile with actor Wesley Snipes and another man when it gets knocked off the side of a cliff. While hanging from a tree, Mr. Peanut intentionally falls off the branch in order to save the two men before an explosion below confirms his death. His official Twitter account @MrPeanut (now titled “The Estate of Mr. Peanut”) tweeted in the announcement, which now has 107,000 likes. Planters said his funeral service will be hosted during the big game. While many on social media mourned his death, some celebrated it as the demise of capitalism, and others agree that the act highlights the “surreal hellscape of Brand Twitter.” In an era where Millennials find bizarre marketing appealing, this Planters campaign shows how far brands are willing to go to capture people’s attention.
Celebs & Brands Get in On Dolly Parton’s #SocialChallenge
Dolly Parton posted a meme this week, and everybody is joining in on the “social challenge” party. The meme—a four-photo mosaic showing the difference between LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and Tinder photos—has quickly become a major social media trend as celebrities and brands post their own versions. Stars like Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers jumped aboard the Dolly train to share their photos for what many are not referring to as the #DollyPartonChallenge, #CanDoItAllChallenge, or the #SocialChallenge. Meanwhile, brands like Shake Shack and Netflix—who even put their own twist on it—didn’t miss the marketing opportunity.
An Influencer Parody Account Gets 410K Followers In A Week
Popular meme creator George Resch—known as @tank.sinatra on Instagram where he has 2.2 million followers—has a new account, and it’s already gained 410,000 followers in just a week. @influencersinthewild outs online creators for the desperate measures they’ll take for photos on Instagram with submitted footage of them staging “impromptu” photos. The reality behind the perfect pics is usually not pretty. While Resch told BuzzFeed News that it’s a way to “sniff out any fakers,” he said it’s mostly all fun and games. In one post, he clarifies “this page is not about shaming people or trying to troll “influencers”. At most it’s a neutral documentation of a massive shift we’ve undergone as a society where people literally will take pictures ANYWHERE at ANY time to make sure they have content for their social media. We all wanna look cute.”
Everyone Is Already Excited For Netflix’s Taylor Swift Documentary
Netflix dropped the full trailer for their Taylor Swift documentary Miss Americana, and it’s building up serious hype. The film doesn’t premiere on Netflix until January 31, and the trailer already received three million views within 24 hours. It’s already receiving early praise at the Sundance Film Festival, and we know it’ll be a hit with Gen Z and Millennial viewers who chose Swift as the top musician who best represents their generation. With the video streaming wars ongoing, original content like this will be a way for Netflix to maintain their viewership with young consumers, who still choose the platform as their top streaming service to watch content on weekly.
Links We’re Passing
#MyHeartWhen #Nosepainting is the latest TikTok trend (you kind of just have to see it).
The teen’s petition to move the Superbowl to Saturday gets over 20,000 signatures.
A makeup artist on TikTok transformed herself into Timothée Chalamet.
Roddy Rich’s “The Box” just might be the “Old Town Road” of 2020.
After years, Hunger Games finally gets a prequel series—but it’s about President Snow and reactions are mixed.
Everyone is obsessed with a Starbucks barista that looks like Harry Styles.
Riverdale’s Cole Sprouse is producing (and starring) in a new fiction podcast.
Mean Girls is getting a movie based on the musical, which is based on the original movie.
New Netflix teen drama I Am Not Okay With This wants to “fill the Stranger Things-shaped hole in your life.”
