Former comedian and actor Russell Brand has ventured into the world of alternative health products, offering his followers a questionable solution to combat what he claims are “evil energies” in our modern world. This move comes as part of Brand’s recent rebranding as a right-wing Christian influencer, marking yet another chapter in his controversial career.
This story is completely bonkers pic.twitter.com/yECFLHiFW8
— calfkicker (@calfkickercom) October 16, 2024
Is it a scam?
Overnight, Brand posted an advertisement featuring the Lifetune Mini, a product he’s promoting as a “magical amulet” that purportedly protects wearers from WiFi signals and other electromagnetic radiation. This small device, which resembles a resin keyring attached to a necklace, comes with a hefty price tag of €200 (approximately $240) for a single amulet. In a classic marketing strategy, the company offers two for €370, a discount that still keeps the price firmly in the realm of luxury goods rather than practical health products.
The Company Behind the Amulet
The company behind this product, Aires Tech, has recently made headlines by partnering with the UFC. In a press release, the UFC announced a global marketing partnership that will showcase Aires Tech branding within UFC’s biggest events. This collaboration attempted to lend an air of legitimacy to the company, despite the dubious nature of its products.
Aires Tech’s website offers an assortment of hologram-embellished stickers and pendant necklaces priced between $90 and $350, with even more expensive bundles available. These products are promoted by top-ranked UFC flyweight Maycee Barber, who claims in a promotional video that the products provide “confirmation that choosing to use these products and choosing to do this is the right step.”
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But Aires Tech made a big misstep with the choice of their ambassador. In late June 2024, Barber came out with a laundry list of serious ailments that are potentially derailing her career.
Barber recounted a challenging recovery from a lengthy hospitalization lasting nine days after her last match, during which she developed pneumonia. Despite the doctors’ assurances of readiness, her training revealed a lack of intensity and physical capability necessary for a five-round fight. With mounting fatigue, body aches, and worsening symptoms linked to an Epstein-Barr virus infection, she sought a team of medical professionals for answers. Tests revealed significant health issues, exacerbated by previous antibiotic treatments, ultimately leading her to put her UFC career on pause.
The Shoddy Science behind the Amulets
The technology paige on their website claims they have a patent on a ‘Method for Protecting Biological Objects from the Negative Influence of Technogenic Electromagnetic Radiation.’
A further look reveals that this is a website not meant to withstand scrutiny.
Let’s break it down briefly:
It claims to create a “fractal coherent matrix” to protect against electromagnetic radiation.
It mentions a “fractal-matrix coherent converter” and “self-affine lattice resonator.”
It talks about harmonizing various properties of electromagnetic radiation.
It describes a “spatial holographic matrix” with “multi-level gradation.”
It invokes Fourier transforms and “resonant harmonization.”
In reality, this is essentially gibberish dressed up in scientific terminology. It combines real scientific terms (like electromagnetic radiation and Fourier transforms) with made-up concepts (like “fractal coherent matrix”) in ways that don’t make scientific sense.
The ‘paper’ is signed President of the AIRES Human Genome Research Foundation I. Serov.
This domain peaked our interest. Upon further investigation we established that Aires tech is based out of Saint Petersburg – but they’ve changed their domain. It is now https://www.matrix.com.ru/. A look at that index page reveals a whole slew of medical claims that are absent from their US page, likely due to legal implications.
The page outlines treatments for the following ailments: thyroid diseases, adenoiditis and hypertrophy of tonsils in children, prostate issues, retinal detachment, hypertension, degenerative-dystrophic diseases of the spine and joints, ischemic stroke, osteochondrosis, astigmatism, diabetes, HIV, and intercostal neuralgia from Doctor S.P. Lapina. Needless to say there’s no way to verify that Lapina has any kind of education or a degree.
Another of the sources listed in the document is a German pseudoscientist and author of ‘We Are Antennas’ Eldon Byrd.
Byrd has also been lecturing on mind control for decades now, and has been featured in such prestigious publications as ‘Terrorized Germany,’ and “Mind Justice,” a youtube channel and janky, web2.0 looking blog pic.twitter.com/jGD3YhgF5x
— Evan (@BacklogReviewer) October 15, 2024
His letter for mind justice details the mind altering experiments he ran on animals and himself pic.twitter.com/DyTTcMzTHJ
— Evan (@BacklogReviewer) October 15, 2024
The actual patent provides some useful additional information about this wild project.
Just in case you thought the ‘transformer’ from the image above is some sort of an actual transformer like the type that’s in CPUs usually – it’s not. This patent provides a clear cut explanation that it’s a drawing.
And while they claim to have a patent in the US- that’s not actually true. Their patent is pending in US.
A further look at the pattent reveals the brain behind this ‘operation’ Igor Nikolaevic Serov.
The natural progression of our research dictated that a middle aged man from Russia who spent the better part of a decade publishing jibberish science and couldn’t get 5k views on youtube couldn’t be doing this alone. A deep dive into Aires tech linked in revealed that there’s a lucrative fundraising likely behind their ability to secure household names like Russell Brand and huge brands like the UFC.
“American Aires to date has raised approximately $13,000,000 and is an Ontario based technology company that is focused on the research, development and implementation of innovative technology solutions to allow consumers to safely engage with electronic products of the 21st century. The Company is currently engaged in the business of production, distribution and sales of products intended to protect persons from the harmful effects of electromagnetic emissions, which is produced from electronic devices such as cell phones, Wi-Fi routers, tablets and electronic cars to name a few. The Company has developed a technology that restructures and transforms electromagnetic field haze into a more biologically-compatible form to reduce the harmful effects of electromagnetic radiation. The Company’s current principal products are the Air Shield Extreme, Aires Black Crystal, Aires Defender Infinity, Aires Defender Automotive, Air Shield Pro, Air Defender Pro and Air Guardian.
American Aires Inc., is a publicly listed company trading on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the symbol WIFI, and on the Frankfurt exchange in Germany under the symbol A5A.”
Further, it appears that their partnership with Maycee Barber wasn’t a one off. A yahoo finance press release dated September 12th details:
“American Aires Inc. (CSE: WIFI) (OTCQB: AAIRF) (“Aires” or the “Company”), a pioneer in cutting-edge technology designed to protect against electromagnetic radiation and optimize human health, has announced the issuance of common shares of the Company (the “Shares”) to UFC’s Maycee “The Future” Barber via MK Barber, Inc. and Dr. Nicholas Dogris, a neuroscientist and certified QEEG/Brain Mapping expert based in Santa Barbara, California, United States.”
Further down the press release:
“The Company’s #AiresAthletes campaign partners currently features NFL Legend Tiki Barber, Toronto Maple Leafs’ John Tavares and Toronto Raptors’ and Canada Basketballs’ RJ Barrett. The majority of partnership compensation will be in Aires shares, affirming partners’ belief in the technology and long-term enterprise value of the Company.”
From the same release we can gauge that Maycee Barber (via MK Barber, Inc.) received CAD $68,413 in shares for the services provided to the Company. That’s roughly $50,000 for her to wear the amulet to weigh ins and post about it.
A separate press release details that the company has grown 45% year over year and gives and inside look into their financials:
“Sales increased YoY by 45% or $0.9 million to $2.8 million from $1.9 million reported in Q2/2023 following recent advertising and marketing initiatives.”
Sales for the aires tech products hit $2,7M, with the company netting $1.7M but overspending on marketing and ending up with a 300k loss in second quarter of 2024.
Echoes of the Past: The Power Balance Bracelet Saga
The unexpected virality of the Livestrong bracelets in the early 2000s can be seen as the genesis of modern influencer marketing. Lance Armstrong, in a recent interview, revealed the origins of these iconic yellow wristbands. Initially skeptical about the idea proposed by Nike, Armstrong watched as the bracelets gained traction during the 2004 Tour de France and exploded in popularity during the Athens Olympics.
The Livestrong bracelets were created for a good cause – raising funds for cancer awareness and research – without ulterior motives. Their success, selling over 82 million units, demonstrated the power of celebrity endorsement and cause-related marketing.
Shaq and Kobe both wore Power balance bracelets pic.twitter.com/IpPxpH99wN
— calfkicker (@calfkickercom) October 16, 2024
There was an attempt to exploit this. In 2008, Power Balance bracelet phenomenon swept through the athletic world. The Power Balance bracelet, a simple rubber band with a holographic sticker, claimed to enhance balance, strength, and flexibility by harnessing “naturally occurring frequencies.” Despite the lack of scientific evidence, these bracelets gained immense popularity among professional athletes and sports enthusiasts alike.
The marketing strategy behind Power Balance bracelets was similar to that of Aires Tech, relying on vague testimonials and letting consumers “decide based on their experience” what the product actually did. However, the Power Balance company eventually faced legal challenges and bankruptcy, serving as a cautionary tale about the pitfalls of pseudoscientific products.
Russell Brand’s Reinvention
Brand’s promotion of the Lifetune Mini is part of a larger reinvention strategy following a series of controversies and allegations that effectively “cancelled” him in mainstream media. His rebranding efforts have included:
- Positioning himself as an anti-establishment voice
- Embracing alternative platforms like YouTube and Rumble
- Adopting and discussing various conspiracy theories
- Emphasizing free speech and portraying criticism as attacks on this right
- Maintaining his charismatic, entertaining style while discussing serious topics
- Connecting disparate news stories to support broader narratives about global elites
- Cultivating a devoted fanbase through alternative means like subscriptions and merchandise
- Portraying himself as a victim of coordinated attacks by the establishment
How bad was Russell Brand’s behavior?
New allegations paint a disturbing picture of comedian Russell Brand’s treatment of women throughout his career in entertainment. Multiple women have come forward with serious accusations against Brand, including forcible SA.
The allegations span nearly two decades, beginning when Brand was an up-and-coming comedian in the early 2000s. Women describe a pattern of Brand using his fame and power to pursue and exploit much younger women, some as young as 16.
Several women allege Brand SA-ed them, including forcible penetration and choking during oral. One woman says Brand assaulted her against a wall in his home in 2012. Another says he attempted to her in 2013 after chasing her around his house.
Former colleagues paint a picture of rampant misconduct behind the scenes at Brand’s television and radio shows. Staff say Brand would frequently expose himself, make lewd comments, and use his position to pursue sexual encounters with audience members and guests.
Despite numerous complaints to management at the BBC, Channel 4, and production companies, Brand’s behavior allegedly went unchecked for years. Some staff say complaints were ignored or brushed off as “boys will be boys.”
This was all exposed almost exactly a year ago in Channel 4’s Russell Brand documentary ‘Russell Brand: In Plain Sight’ . Russell Brand has denied the SA accusations. Police have conducted multiple interviews with him regarding the alleged assaults. No criminal charges have been filed but the investigation is described as ongoing in several UK media articles about Brand.
Where does this leave us?
Russell Brand’s foray into the alternative health market with the Lifetune Mini raises significant ethical and scientific questions. By promoting a product that claims to shield users from electromagnetic radiation without substantial evidence, Brand not only perpetuates pseudoscientific beliefs but also capitalizes on the vulnerabilities of his audience. The collaboration between Aires Tech and UFC, alongside the questionable endorsements from figures like Maycee Barber, further muddies the waters, blurring the lines between legitimate health solutions and marketing gimmicks.
As Brand continues to reinvent himself in the wake of serious allegations, his shift towards trying to monetize his gullible audience highlights the need for critical thinking and consumer vigilance in a landscape increasingly rife with misinformation.