5 Gravity-Defying Wicked Marketing Collabs

How much is Wicked’s marketing budget? That was the million-dollar question on social media last week when an unverified photo of Paris’s Arc de Triomphe seemingly lit up in green and pink to mark the movie’s release appeared on X. Though the marketing spend for Universal Pictures’ flick hasn’t been disclosed publicly, its extensive range…

Norwegian Footballer Erling Haaland Goes Beyond the Ordinary in Beats by Dre ad

Norwegian soccer player Erling Haaland is no ordinary athlete. Beats by Dre enlisted the star footballer for a new spot called “Ordinary is for everyone else,” highlighting Haaland’s knack for unique training methods and his affinity for nature. Created by Uncommon Creative Studio, the ad sees the footballer using various Beats by Dre devices, like…

McDonald’s Christmas Light Show is an Ode to Spontaneous Drive-Thru Dinners

When you’re hungry on the road, the warm yellow glow of McDonald’s arches can feel like a beacon of hope to your rumbling stomach. That’s the feeling McDonald’s is trying to capture in the festive installment of its long-running “Fancy a McDonald’s” U.K. campaign, which taps into the moments in life that simply call for…

Exclusive: How a New Funko Rival Is Chasing Collectibles Success

It’s showtime for Thrilljoy. One month after ex-Funko CEO Brian Mariotti unveiled his new collectibles venture at New York Comic Con, the upstart company has secured its first exclusive retail partnership–and locked down a contract with that wily Ghost with the Most. ADWEEK has your first look at Thrilljoy’s new Beetlejuice Pix! collectible, available only…

Verizon Quietly Cuts Adfellows Program, Severing Key Path for Diverse Ad Talent

Verizon is ending its annual adfellows program, ADWEEK has learned. Founded in 2017 by the telco’s former CMO Diego Scotti, adfellows’ nine-month fellowship provided career growth opportunities for diverse candidates. Adfellows will now be integrated across Verizon’s early talent programs, according to Christina Schelling, svp and chief talent and diversity officer. These include collegiate internships,…

Mattel Apologizes For Scandalous Misprint on Wicked Dolls Packaging

Toy maker Mattel went into crisis response mode over the weekend, as shoppers discovered that the packaging for its dolls tied to upcoming Universal Pictures release Wicked included the URL for age-gated pornography site Wicked.com, rather than the film’s official website (WickedMovie.com). X (formerly Twitter) was flooded with images of the packaging error this past…

Financial Brand Empower Names Goodby Silverstein & Partners as Agency of Record

Retirement and wealth management brand Empower has picked Goodby Silverstein & Partners (GS&P) as its new creative agency of record. GS&P will lead the brand’s strategic and creative marketing efforts “as it seeks to help more Americans access the financial advice, wealth management, and retirement services they need to help secure their financial future,” according…

Levi’s, MTV, Coca-Cola, and McDonald’s Among First Brand Hall of Fame Inductees

From Oct. 23-25, marketing leaders from top brands and agencies convened in Banff, Canada for The Gathering 2024. Founded in 2013 by Cult Collective, the three-day summit features speaking sessions, workshops, and special events, like night gatherings and intimate, off-the-record chats, to promote career-building and community among marketers. A highlight of the summit is the…

Progressive is Driving Impact By Leading With Humor and Heart

Whether it’s Flo’s bubbly personality and signature red lip or Dr. Rick’s deadpan advice for “un-becoming your parents,” Progressive Insurance’s creative strategy has led with humor at its core. Chief marketing officer (CMO) Remi Kent joined the insurance company in 2021, and three short years later, its stock price increased from $94.84 to $250.69 in…

Saucony’s New CMO Says Understanding Culture is Key To Lifestyle Push

Where competitors like Asics and New Balance have found success in striking a balance between their performance wear and streetwear offerings, Saucony is finding its footing with the latter, under the direction of new global chief marketing officer (CMO) Joy Allen-Altimare. Since joining the 126 year-old footwear brand in June, Allen-Altimare has forged partnerships that…

Go Inside Jimmy Fallon’s Tonightmares… If You Dare

This spooky season, there’s something scarier at Rockefeller Center than a Jenna Maroney-hosted Halloween party. The iconic Manhattan location is hosting Jimmy Fallon’s Tonightmares, The Tonight Show host’s first foray into the haunted maze craze that sweeps through theme parks and other family-friendly venues every October. Open through Oct. 31, Tonightmares invites the brave and…

The Real Reasons Why so Many Brands Have Broken Their DEI Promises

On June 6, 2024, a 35-year-old Tennessean named Robby Starbuck got wind of something that ticked him off. Tractor Supply, the retail chain where Starbuck bought feed for the cattle on his 12-acre ranch, had adopted multiple policies and initiatives aimed at fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI.) And so Starbuck, a former music video…

Getting Out of the Brand Book: Tinder and Brand.AI on Evolving With Culture

Millennial-made dating app Tinder is on a mission to win over Gen Z–and it’s employing AI to help with the task. That means identifying the brand’s “core truths” while acknowledging some harder truths, said Stephanie Danzi, senior vice president of global marketing at Tinder. “We’ve been on a bit of a journey to reclaim our…

Agencies and Brands Should Have Marriages Rather Than Flings

Agency and brand relationships, when they work, can result in campaigns that shine and long-term connections that create wins for both sides. When they don’t work it often leads to dissolutions, and the two sides rarely reconnect. Essentially, a good client-agency relationship is like a marriage, according to a panel discussion at ADWEEK’s Brandweek summit…

Nespresso NA’s CEO and Top Marketer Reveal the Keys to Their Powerful Relationship

Green Goblin and Spider-Man. The Montagues and the Capulets. The CEO and their top marketer. Peaceful coexistence might seem like a pipe dream, but at least there’s a viable path forward for C-suite execs. Speaking at ADWEEK’s annual Brandweek conference in Phoenix, Ariz. on Tuesday, Nespresso’s North America CEO Alfonso Gonzalez Loeschen and vp of…

ExxonMobil Faces California Lawsuit Over Plastics Recyclability Claims

California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit Monday against ExxonMobil, accusing the oil and gas giant of exaggerating the effectiveness of its plastics recyclability efforts and causing pollution in the state, The Wall Street Journal reports. According to the Journal, Bonta began a probe into ExxonMobil and other fossil fuel companies two years ago,…

Disrupting Beauty and Scaling New Brands With Maesa

In this episode of the Brave Commerce podcast,hosts Sarah Hofstetter and Rachel Tipograph are joined by Oshiya Savur, chief brand and marketing officer at beauty brand developer Maesa, for a deep dive into the evolving beauty industry. Savur shares Maesa’s unique approach as a beauty incubator, shedding light on how they disrupt declining categories by…

Why Poppi Used a New York Pop-Up to Promote a New Flavor and Drive Merch Sales

Every fall, fashion lovers gather in New York for a week to get a preview of what’s to come. This year, healthy soda brand Poppi joined in with a pop-up called Poppi World to promote a new cherry cola flavor and sell branded merch. Poppi World was aimed at bringing the digital-heavy brand offline. The…

Tubi’s New Brand Campaign Is Proving Popular

Just like the Land of Oz’s resident good witch Glinda, Tubi knows about popular. And a new brand campaign is quantifying the Fox-owned FAST service’s increasing popularity with some eye-catching numbers. With 75 million to 80 million monthly active users (MAU) in the U.S., Tubi can officially boast about outranking popular things such as Pickleball,…

Tubi Gives Emerging Filmmakers and Fans a Voice With Stubios

Thanks to a diverse media library and no financial barrier to entry, Tubi has emerged as the streamer of choice among a new generation of content consumers. Now, the Fox-owned FAST service seeks to extend its purple reign over that prized demographic by giving a leg-up to a new generation of content creators. Enter Stubios,…