Monolith and Memes 
By: Jade Spadoni 

2020, ah what a year it’s been. Just when we thought it couldn’t get any more strange, it outdoes itself, and this time in the form of a mysterious shiny monolith. On November 24th, we were alerted via our Twitter feeds that a strange metal structure appeared in the desert of Utah. While images of the monolith (and questions regarding its origin) circulated around Twitter, users began to swap out the monolith with other items and they did not disappoint (thank you Guy Fieri for this gem). Of course, brands and their social media managers didn’t miss a beat and took the opportunity to join the conversation. Big name brands such as McDonald’s, Home Depot, Southwest Airlines, and Walmart are among those that have joined in with sharing memes of their own and in normal 2020 fashion, things are getting weird (we’re looking at you Home Depot). Personally, McDonald’s redesigned Monolith with Oreos’ response is my favorite so far. 

In addition to brand’s sharing their memes, Ripley’s Believe It or Not is offering a $10,000 reward to the person who comes forth as the owner of the bizarre structure or who can share information on where to find it.

And, as if this story couldn’t get any more strange, as of today, the monolith in Utah has been removed, and as of December 1st another has mysteriously appeared in Romania. 

Who (or what) do we think is behind this? While it looks man made, I’m not dismissing the idea of a not-of-this planet artist (cue aliens guy from Ancient Aliens).

Sherwin-Williams Competitor Picks Up TikTok Paint Star 
By: Ben Thomas

A few weeks ago, Fleetwood Mac’s Dreams rocketed up the charts 33 years after its original release, thanks to the viral TikTok of Nathan Apodaca, skateboarding and chugging Ocean Spray, backed by the song. It was the perfect example of the tagline, “It Starts On TikTok”, in action. The video amassed millions of views, prompted myriad other versions and led to Ocean Spray gifting Apodaca a new pickup truck. It was peak internet, and the perfect response from Ocean Spray.

Cut to a few weeks later, and brands on TikTok are making headlines again, albeit for very different reasons. After a Sherwin-Williams employee found TikTok fame by posting videos of paint mixing, he was fired for “gross misconduct”. The wrath of TikTok descended. The firing made headlines and Sherwin-Williams had a social media crisis on its hands, while the employee has now been hired by a competitor to develop his own paint line.

The two responses show the power of TikTok, its impact on culture and on business. What began as a social media novelty is now a juggernaut that brands can’t ignore. It transcends the platform, can shape the news cycle and can either build or break a brand.