Mattel Is Seeking a Chief UNO Player With ‘Good Vibes’

Calling all card lovers: Mattel has a new job opening for a professional UNO player. The remit of the brand’s first chief UNO player is to play UNO Quatro, a new version of the classic card game that challenges people to connect four tiles in a row. Instead of posting on job sites like LinkedIn,…

A Rebrand Gone Wrong: Saying Goodbye to My eX

Over the weekend, Elon Musk announced a major change for Twitter. We all hoped it was a joke, that he wouldn’t actually change the name of such a well-established brand. But as we’ve all come to see, he was quite serious. With the support of CEO Linda Yaccarino, Musk has changed the name of Twitter…

Barbie Marketing 101: The Road to Inclusion Doesn’t Happen Overnight

Our world has exploded in pink and Barbiemania has officially taken over. Mattel’s bet that Greta Gerwig’s new film Barbie can help re-energize the 64-year-old brand is paying off: the film sold an estimated $155 million in tickets at U.S. theaters. Barbie also collected an additional $182 million overseas. And the cherry on top: it…

For Dwyane and Zaire Wade, Thorne’s Global Campaign Debut Is a Family Affair 

Luxury health and wellness brand, Thorne, has teamed up with basketball legend, philanthropist and entrepreneur, Dwyane Wade, and his up-and-coming baller son, Zaire, for a campaign and partnership each of them hopes is “built to last.” Produced by BUCK, the campaign, titled “Build to Last,” comprises two 30-second hero spots; one featuring the retired, 3-time…

‘Crypto in Technicolor’: This Brand Wants to Make the Token Economy Accessible and Human 

Cryptocurrency has an image problem. After a wave of momentum and buzz, including a Super Bowl 2022 full of crypto ads, the collapse of crypto network Terra and exchange FTX’s bankruptcy last year sent the market into disarray. The fallout means that for the average consumer viewing crypto today, “the prevailing feeling is mistrust,” said…

Intuit TurboTax Names R/GA Its Lead Creative Agency

IPG creative agency R/GA has won Intuit TurboTax’s business, following a creative review that began in March. Intuit brands include Intuit TurboTax, Credit Karma, QuickBooks and Mailchimp. R/GA will work on increasing consumer adoption of TurboTax offerings TurboTax Live and TurboTax Full Service. To do this, it will take a full-funnel approach to strategy, spanning…

Behind the Scenes of the Technicolor Fiat Ad That Broke Every Rule in the Book

At the end of June, Olivier Francois, the CEO of Italian car brand Fiat made a bold declaration: “Fiat will no longer produce gray cars.” It was a brave statement, given the shade’s popularity among drivers in Europe. However, it was made even braver because Francois made the rallying cry sitting inside a Fiat 600…

Unilever Says the ‘Jury Is Out’ on Generative AI, For Now

With 400 brands to sell across 190 countries to millions of consumers, Unilever certainly recognizes the potential generative AI tools such as ChatGPT or Dall-E could play in helping it produce ads that shift products at scale. At any given time, the Ben & Jerry’s owner has around 300 applications of AI supporting its supply…

British Airways’ 500 Unique Billboards Wins Outdoor Grand Prix at Cannes

CANNES, France — British Airways’ “A British Original” campaign has been awarded the Outdoor Grand Prix at Cannes Lions. The work was the first created for the brand by London-based Uncommon Creative Studio and featured 500 unique print, digital and outdoor executions. Each nodded to the box-ticking question most travelers happen across when booking a…

La-Z-Boy Taps Colle McVoy to Refresh the Brand for Modern Audiences

Minneapolis agency Colle McVoy has been selected by La-Z-Boy, the nearly century-old furniture company, to help lead a refresh of the iconic brand. The agency will provide strategy, design, public relations and influencer marketing to reposition the La-Z-Boy brand from one of nostalgia to a more active, dynamic and distinctive brand for modern audiences. La-Z-Boy,…

This Grumpy Teddy Bear Won’t Share Ed Sheeran’s Hot Sauce

Close your eyes and think of a hot sauce brand. What do you see? Skulls and crossbones? Flames and grim reapers? Red Peppers? What about a teddy bear? In the first spot to promote his Tingly Ted’s hot sauce range, “a dip designed to make you smile, not sweat,” musician Ed Sheeran is teamed up…

With Workers TikToking on the Clock, Brands Rethink Employee Advocacy

On April 4, LA-based TikToker Melanie Moradi posted a Gucci unboxing video, unveiling the generous uniform set the designer brand bestows on all its new employees, herself included, to her 13,500 followers. Set to Lil Pump’s “Gucci Gang,” the short clip showed two huge shopping bags, filled with olive green blouses, blazers, shoes and leather…

With Workers TikToking on the Clock, Brands Rethink Employee Advocacy

On April 4, LA-based TikToker Melanie Moradi posted a Gucci unboxing video, unveiling the generous uniform set the designer brand bestows on all its new employees, herself included, to her 13,500 followers. Set to Lil Pump’s “Gucci Gang,” the short clip showed two huge shopping bags, filled with olive green blouses, blazers, shoes and leather…

How an Army of Creators Is Helping Bose Modernize Its Marketing

Jim Mollica has roots in media, with tenures at giants like Viacom and Disney under his belt. Now as chief marketing officer (CMO) at audio business Bose, his day to day looks a little different–selling high-end sound products instead of media slots around SpongeBob SquarePants. What has remained the same, though, is an obsession with…

Dove’s Latest Campaign Turns Its Back on TikTok’s Bold Glamour Filter

TikTok’s new Bold Glamour filter has been downloaded more than 16 million times since it launched last month. Dove is taking a stand against it and the unrealistic beauty standards it perpetuates in an influencer-led campaign from Ogilvy and David. Part of the long-running Dove Self-Esteem Project, the #TurnYourBack effort kicked off March 9 with…

Let’s Talk About Brand Podcast: Branding Boldly With Robin Albin

No, you don’t have to invent something totally brand new and different to have an impactful brand, but it certainly doesn’t hurt to buck trends and chart your branding path sometimes. As founder and brand strategist at Sherpa/Creative Catalyst, Robin Albin has helped create unique brand positioning and voices in a variety of industries. In…

3 Lessons Brands Can Learn from Funko’s $36 Million Merchandise Dump

On March 1, toy brand Funko–rarely the sort of company that makes national headlines–made national headlines with a single paragraph buried in its fourth quarter earnings report. After delivering what was already bad news (a quarterly net loss of nearly $47 million), the company announced that it would be “managing inventory levels to align with…

Unwrapping Durex and Diesel’s Unexpected Collaboration

Diesel earned its brand provocateur status through decades of surprising stunts and taboo-busting ads, and its latest collaboration with Durex shows it’s not stopping now. The Renzo Rosso-founded fashion house rose to fame in the ’90s for creative like “Kissing Sailors,” which showed two men locking lips, and billboards that depicted the Virgin Mary wearing…

As Axel Springer Expands, Its US Identity Remains a Question

The German media company Axel Springer SE announced plans in February to shift its commercial focus toward the U.S. and its lucrative advertising market. But it will need to more clearly define its identity and the value of its portfolio of publishers in order to realize its goals, according to interviews with media buyers and…

Adweek Podcast: Building a Brand With Jess Zafarris

On this week’s very emotional episode of Yeah, That’s Probably an Ad, Adweek managing editor of creativity, creator economy and DEI Shannon Miller is joined by managing editor for marketing and agencies, Jameson Fleming, and special guest Jess Zafarris on her last day as Adweek’s director of audience engagement. Over the last three years, Jess…