In Pursuit of Reader Revenue, Publishers’ Rebrands Aid the Effort

Last year, for the first time in nearly 15 years, The Economist Group broke from its longtime branding strategy and tapped the creative transformation agency Wolff Olins to overhaul its visual identity, a decision that aligned the legacy publisher with a larger trend transforming the industry. Indeed, The Economist Group is not the only media…

Pepsi and Chlöe Harken Back to Footloose With Spot for Soda Shop Bop

Pepsi is a sucker for history. The brand is going to the retro well once again for its latest campaign, celebrating the release of its Cola-Soda Shop line of beverages. Pepsi is getting a marketing assist from R&B singer Chl?e for a new spot, with the songstress performing a modernized version of Footloose, the title…

Wondermind Wants to Get Your Mental Health in Shape

Wondermind, a mental health startup co-founded by newsletter entrepreneur Daniella Pierson and Selena Gomez, officially launched its content hub with hopes of furthering the brand’s mission of “democratizing and destigmatizing” care for emotional wellbeing. The new hub features expert-backed tips and advice for improving mental and emotional health. “We want someone who’s 15 years old…

Celebrity Entrepreneurs aim for Light Touch—if at all—in Mixing Politics and Marketing

Celebrities’ political and personal beliefs unavoidably impact the brands they’re affiliated with–regardless of if it’s a business they own or a brand partner paying them for sponsorship. Elon Musk’s fame comes from his businesses. But his larger-than-life, attention-grabbing online persona and antics put him more squarely in the celebrity arena than other titans of industry….

Dial It Up to TurboCrisp With Marshmello’s Crux Air Fryers

Although summer is over, Grammy-nominated artist Marshmello is reminding us it’s never too late to roast some s’mores–or chicken, or vegetables–if you have the right technology. Taking a detour from the studio, Marshmello heads to the kitchen to collaborate with Crux, the kitchenware brand founded by Shae Hong, to launch a new line of air…

Where Gen Z and Millennials Split on Brand Love

Because people have unique preferences and different dispositions, it’s sometimes unwise for marketers to lump consumers into a certain target group based on age. But because culture and technology are rapidly changing from one generation to the next–something that hasn’t been the case throughout history–sometimes it’s not. Consider a new report on Gen Z’s favorite…

M&M’s Introduces a New Mascot All About Inclusivity

Earlier this year, M&M’s updated its cast of candy characters to better fit with the times. The brand stopped using the prefixes “Mr.” and “Ms.” to place more focus on the mascots’ unique traits, instead of their gender. Green traded in knee-high boots for casual sneakers. Brown transitioned from high stilettos to low block heels….

Hispanic Heritage Month Series: Celebrating Culture and Calling for Representation

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, Adweek is highlighting the Hispanic and Latinx members of our industry who are defying expectations and elevating culture in advertising, marketing and media, while shedding light on the greater issues and lack of resources they face. Topics will range from highlighting agencies doing creative work across Latin America to…

Gun Safety Advocates Take Aim at Firearm Marketing They Say Stokes Paranoia

Gun advertising once evoked groups of hunters and father-son trips into the great outdoors. But over the last 40 years, the weekend sportsmen demographic shrunk as a marketing target for brands such as riflemaker Winchester. Now gunmakers have moved away from the wholesome images of unwrapping a rifle from under the Christmas tree. That advertising…

Artsy CMO Everette Taylor Steps Down

Everette Taylor is exiting as CMO of Artsy, the online marketplace for buying and selling art, after nearly three years in the role. A replacement hasn’t been chosen yet. Taylor joined Artsy in December 2019 following a career path that included high-profile marketing leadership roles at companies such as Microsoft and startups like Growthhacker, the…

Queen Elizabeth II Dies, Mourning Period Begins

Buckingham Palace announced that Queen Elizabeth II, the world’s second-longest-reigning monarch, has passed away surrounded by family at her Balmoral residence in Scotland. In Britain, the passing of the 96-year-old–a popular and constant figurehead whose reign has spanned generations, prime ministers and presidents–will send somber shockwaves through the nation. Preparations for the mourning period and…

Road to Brandweek: As Travel Loyalty Surges, Marriott Seeks New Terrain in the Metaverse

The pandemic has challenged the travel and hospitality industries like nothing they’ve ever experienced before. However, according to Marriott’s Brian Povinelli, the hospitality giant has been seeing continued resilience. “Demand across customer segments in many markets around the world continues to be strong,” said Povinelli, Marriott’s svp of global brand, loyalty and portfolio marketing. Povinelli…

MrBeast Burger Opening Beefs up American Dream Mall Experience

The American mall, as we once knew it, is dead. Once the prime shopping location and hangout spot for teens, many malls have transformed into lifestyle experience centers. Among the new offerings are celebrity-driven projects, such as last weekend’s grand opening of YouTube star MrBeast’s burger shop, which turned into into a mall experience that…

Cinema Pre-Show Ads Have Gotten Longer—Here’s Why

During the opening weekend of Jordan Peele’s new thriller Nope, 100 movie theaters across the country aired short films sponsored by the job search site Indeed. The brand bought out the entire 16-minute long movie pre-show–the period before the movie starts, when 30- to 60-second ads typically air for anyone who arrives early to the…

This Couture Dress for the VMAs Was Actually an Ad for Instacart

Any event can be instantly improved with a good snack. But what’s one to do when snacks are not allowed? Instacart has a potential solution: turn your event wear into a secret carrier and just sneak the tasty treats in. In an effort to break some rules and inspire snacking wherever you are, Instacart took…

Unilever Hit With Greenwashing Ad Ban for Vague Environmental Claims

Unilever is the latest business to fall foul of ad regulators for making “unclear” claims relating to the environment. Cleaning product brand Persil has been hit with an ad ban for a TV spot which ran in the U.K. as part of its longstanding “Dirt is Good” campaign. The ad focused on the product’s sustainability…

Kohl’s Tries to Beat Shoppers’ Blues by Placing Dual Emphasis on Savings and Style

Random deals don’t cut it for retail customers these days. Kohl’s, among other retailers, learned that lesson this summer. During its August Q2 earnings release, company executives cited inflation and middle-income shoppers’ economic anxieties for sales dropping 8.5%. Investors were warned that demand was likely to remain “soft” for Kohl’s roughly 1,100 stores, which are…

To Celebrate 75 Years, Nascar looks in the Rearview Mirror

With the upcoming racing season marking its 75th anniversary, Nascar is both celebrating its past with a new throwback logo and innovating for the future. Racing fans will find a lot to appreciate amid the design elements of the new logo. The overall oval shape is reminiscent of a racetrack and was inspired by the…

Ahead of Expected IPO, Instacart Debuts Biggest Ad Campaign Ever

After years of developing and honing a service appreciated by shoppers around the country, Instacart has recently turned its attention to another avenue for driving growth: brand building. As Laura Jones, Instacart’s chief marketing officer, put it, the shift in marketing is about “moving from transactional to inspirational.” Instacart’s latest campaign–its largest ever, in terms…

NFT Platform Heir Hopes to Catch Fire by Tying Tokens to High School Sports Stars

Two acronyms have been major trends in the world of sports marketing this past year: name, image and likeness (NIL) deals and NFTs. While NFTs have started to lag, one brand is banking on being able to lift them up with the help of rising college athletes. And, of course, a little nostalgia. NFT platform…