The Empire State Building is one of (if not the most) iconic symbols of New York City, so it’s unsurprising that many people go to extreme lengths to see it. But a recent pair of visitors have taken it too far.
On July 1, a man and a woman wearing all-black masks and clothing climbed to the top of the Empire State Building’s 204-foot spire and quickly went viral for their feat. Holding hands at the pinnacle, the two flew a pro-peace banner for the city to see, and even managed to get engaged and take breathtaking pictures during their expedition.
The duo has since been identified as Angela Nikolau and Ivan Kuznetsov, a couple with a daredevil past notable enough for a Netflix documentary, with the Empire State stunt just the latest in their slate of adventures (and probably a way to promote their film).
By the time they made it back down, it wasn’t just law enforcement that was waiting for them—it was social media, too. As soon as close-up images of the couple and the billowing flag dropped on sites like X and Instagram, it all quickly became a meme ripe with potential for thirsty brands trying to ride on their coattails, turning the moment into brand slop.
In real life, the couple’s black banner with white text read: “When the power of love beats the love of power, the world knows peace.” But on social media, the banner became a template for brands looking to tap into the viral moment through their own PSAs.
The U.K.-based retailer Currys posted on X an edited image of the couple and their flag, with advice about brewing tea in a kettle instead of a microwave. “The Empire State climbers had an important message,” the new caption said.
The cookware brand Caraway issued a caution about PFAs. Brands like Petco, Loverboy, and Spritz, among dozens of others, also chimed in. And loyal sports fans expressed their allegiances. “Go birds dickhead,” the flag read in an X post.
The meme-to-brand-promotion pipeline is now moving more quickly than ever, and it’s causing mixed reactions.
The lack of creativity behind the posts and the uniformity of the core idea illustrates how hungry people are for original campaigns. “I miss when social media marketers had original ideas and didn’t just base their whole strategies on trend slop…” one user on X said.
“This is so, so embarrassing,” another user added. “These brands really think they ~did something~.”
But others argued that fun and quick use of social media is indeed a smart marketing route, pushing back on the backlash that bandwagon campaigns like this often get. It’s not original, but it works—for better or worse.
“A lot of social media managers complaining about this today, while millions of ppl are smashing the Like button and sharing it with friends. It’s a timely connection point,” a user said. “Not every social post has to be a big strategic marketing campaign.”