Hello Ping fam 👋
Every once in a while, the internet picks a line…and just refuses to let it go.
This time, it’s: “This too shall pass.”
A line that sounds like something your mom forwards on WhatsApp…is now showing up in brand posts, captions, and moment marketing. And no, this didn’t start in a boardroom.
It started with Samay Raina having a near panic attack.
The Origin: Not A Joke, Not Really
In his comeback special Still Alive, Samay Raina talks about a moment before a show in the US - his first after the whole India’s Got Latent fallout. Anxiety kicking in. High-stakes comeback. He turns to his friend Balraj Ghai for help. Ghai does what any of us would do in 2026: asks ChatGPT
The response?
“This too shall pass.”
Cliché? Yes.
Effective? Also yes.
The Internet Does Its Thing
What was a throwaway line in a set…quickly became the thing. But here’s what made it stick - ChatGPT didn’t just give the line, it joined the joke. From collab posts to cheeky replies like “And pass, it did”, the AI became part of the narrative itself.
And that’s when the internet picked it up. Meme formats took over, Instagram reels ran with it and Gen Z added their ironic spin.
Suddenly, the line wasn’t just comforting, it was format + meme + character all at once.
Then Brands Did What Brands Do
And then came the most predictable part.
Brands didn’t just pick the line - they picked the entire moment. From Chaayos to Duolingo India to Airtel India
Everyone had their version of:“This too shall pass.”
Because now it wasn’t just a punchline - it was internet-approved + AI-backed + culturally circulating. Which makes it the perfect brand bait.
The Weird Part? It Fits Everywhere
Breakup? - this too shall pass
Bad day? - this too shall pass
Slow internet? - this too shall pass
It’s the most flexible line on the internet right now. Which makes it perfect for brands.
Low effort.
High relatability.
Instant recall.
Ping’s POV
This is moment marketing at its purest.
No deep insight.
No big idea.
Just: Spotting a cultural moment and inserting yourself into it. But it also says something bigger - Brands don’t need to create culture anymore, they just need to catch it early enough
Because sometimes…the best brand strategy is just
knowing which joke won’t die this week.
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