Why brands are going unhinged on TikTok (and winning big)

Dead cartoon owls, brain-rot cookie content, fake rebrands, and library thirst traps. Welcome to the era of DGAF branding.

In this episode of FC Explains, Grace Snelling breaks down why major brands and public institutions are ditching polished ads for chaotic content and seeing massive results.

From Nutter Butter’s unsettling TikToks and California Pizza Kitchen’s fake midlife crisis to Duolingo “killing” its iconic owl and libraries going viral with memes, this episode explores how being weird online has become a serious marketing strategy.

We look at the numbers behind these stunts, the cultural forces driving them, and why leaning into chaos can sometimes cut through the noise better than a Super Bowl ad.