Adidas Safety Campaign Perfectly Responds to Samsung’s Controversial ‘Night Owls’ Ad

After Samsung released a campaign last summer featuring a woman running confidently alone at night, Adidas has debuted a similar ad calling out the “ridiculous” measures some take to feel safe while exercising on city streets. The Samsung ad, “Night Owls,” drew an angry response, with critics saying it didn’t reflect the dangers faced by…

Fubo Rebrands in Star-Studded Spots With Kevin Garnett and Mark Sanchez

What if sports fans could make their ideal streaming service? That’s the question that FuboTV answers with its new nationwide campaign starring athletes Kevin Garnett and Mark Sanchez. In the virtual MVPD’s largest branding campaign to date, it revealed it’s rebranding its consumer-facing products simply as Fubo, complete with a new look and reimagined suite…

Why Applebee’s Is Investing in Social Video Stories Starring Professional Athletes

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle entered the NFL on a $27.1 million rookie deal in 2021, nearly $18 million of which went toward his signing bonus. He’s also 24, likes playing mini golf with his friends and eating a bunch of fries when the training schedule allows. In a marketing landscape where data and…

How Large Platforms Can Elevate Marginalized Voices in Culture and Sports

A sporting event is nothing without snacks like our favorite sodas and chips. But the truth is, our favorite snack brands are doing even more behind the scenes than most of us are aware of, especially PepsiCo. As senior manager of sports marketing at PepsiCo, Erica Smith is truly dedicated to her role. Smith’s mission…

AT&T’s Lily Hams It Up With NCAA Stars—Past and Present—in March Madness Ad Blitz

As one of the NCAA’s “Corporate Champions,” AT&T is typically granted carte blanche to have year-round activation presence at all its championship games. It comes as no surprise that the tech and telecom juggernaut expanded its omnipresence to include the airwaves during the hotly anticipated March Madness tournament. This year, the brand unleashed “Madness Loves…

Women’s March Madness on the Move With New Campaign and ESPN Ad Sales Sellout

Ahead of Wednesday night’s official March Madness tip-off beginning with the First Four, ESPN unveiled the next phase of its “That’s Our Move” season-long campaign for women’s basketball. Following a record-breaking 2022 tournament–the first year the NCAA allowed the women’s edition to use March Madness branding–ESPN and brands are capitalizing on the unprecedented growth of…

Coors Light Taps Dick Vitale as the ‘Ambassador of Chill’ With Limited ‘Coors-icles’

College basketball fans are well acquainted with the lead-in to spring and all the chaos it can bring. With the NCAA’s March Madness tournaments taking off and the heat of competition on the rise, game enthusiasts might struggle to keep their cool. Considering the emotional rollercoaster of the season, Coors Light is introducing its limited-edition…

Human Rights Campaign to Invest in Women With New Advocacy Collaboration

Notable women’s sports advocate Kelsey Trainor is teaming up with Human Rights Campaign for a collaboration based on her popular Invest in Women brand. Trainor and the advocacy group’s partnership is making it unequivocally clear that all women are women. Though it’s timed to Women’s History Month in March, the campaign will continue well into…

Horizon Next Retains and Expands FanDuel Account Worth $200 Million

Sports tech company FanDuel has expanded its account with Horizon Next, the Horizon Media subsidiary that specializes in sports media. The appointment comes at the end of a competitive review led by ID Comms that began in November and wrapped up this week. The account is worth $200 million, according to a source familiar with…

CBS, WBD Sell Out Men’s March Madness Ad Inventory in Record-Breaking Fashion

Following 2022’s record-breaking year, the ad sales teams at Warner Bros. Discovery and CBS have something new to dance about. Ahead of Selection Sunday on March 12, the NCAA Division 1 Men’s Basketball Tournament’s advertising inventory is “virtually sold out”–surpassing last year’s $1 billion haul. In fact, the companies “significantly” surpassed the previous year, Jon…

The Speed of Culture Podcast: Building a Championship Culture

After winning the 2021 NBA championship, the Milwaukee Bucks became a basketball sensation with its leading star, Giannis Antetokounmpo. However, in 2012, the team had no established brand story or marketing team. Enter Dustin Godsey, the first marketing hire at the organization. In this episode of the Speed of Culture podcast, Suzy founder and CEO…

Corteiz and Nike’s Air Max 95 Ad Breaks Every Marketing Rule

Nike’s Air Max 95 drop with London-founded label Corteiz has been one of the most anticipated launches of 2023 among streetwear fans. But on March 2, the pair dropped an ad depicting a world where the launch was canceled. The 3.5-minute film, directed by Walid Labri through production company Division out of Paris, opens with…

Why Prime Video Created a Symphony Where Soccer Coaches Are the Conductors

Soccer is often called “the beautiful game.” It could also be compared to a symphony if the coach were an orchestra conductor guiding his “artists” – the players. Prime Video brought that metaphor to life to hype French soccer league Ligue 1 Uber Eats. As the official broadcaster of the league, Prime Video enlisted French…

PepsiCo Marketing VP Hopes Its ‘No Lays No Game’ Concept Will Run for Years

The idea of a world-famous sports personality coming to your door to watch a game is one that fans all around the world dream of. It is also one that PepsiCo may make a reality through its “No Lays No Game” campaign, which the brand’s most senior marketer believes has a core concept that could…

How Aflac Is Closing the Sports Gender Gap by Prioritizing Women’s Teams in March Madness

After Auburn freshman Kharyssa Richardson suffered a head injury in November 2022 at the Las Vegas Invitational, she lay on the hardwood floor for 45 minutes waiting for the paramedics to arrive. For brands with media investments in the NCAA, this was a major wake-up call to the inequities in college basketball and a sign…

Brave Commerce Podcast: Fostering Vulnerability and Defining Culture in the Workplace

On this episode of Brave Commerce, Grant Hill–basketball Hall of Famer, co-owner of Atlanta Hawks and board member of Campbell Soup Company–shares strategies for fostering trust and vulnerability by identifying and defining your workplace culture. Hill, who spent 19 years in the NBA, has expanded his business portfolio to encompass real estate, executive leadership, sports…

How the Chicago Red Stars Recreated Wednesday’s Viral Dance to Rebuild Brand Trust

With just weeks to go until the 2023 National Women’s Soccer League season begins, one team is looking to dance all over the competition. A founding member of the NWSL, the Chicago Red Stars have been part of the league since 2013. But the team has undergone several tumultuous years, finding themselves at the center…

Jordan Brand Aims to Inspire Young Athletes to Go ‘Beyond’ Adversity

Jordan Brand, the Nike-co-owned footwear and apparel line that continues the legacy of basketball star and entrepreneur Michael Jordan, has released a campaign to inspire youth and celebrate women athletes. The mission of Jordan Brand, which is one of the world’s most successful footwear brands, focuses on “flight” as it aims to support creative potential…

The Athletic Launches F1 Coverage, Rounding Out Its Sporting Calendar

The sports media publisher The Athletic, which The New York Times acquired last January for $550 million, is expanding coverage into the world of Formula 1 racing, spurred by growing audience appetite in a relatively under-reported area of the sporting world. The new vertical will be helmed at launch by a team of three reporters,…

Overtime Launches Boxing Vertical, Its Third Franchise, Citing Youth Demand

Sports media publisher Overtime launched its third franchise Tuesday morning. Overtime Boxing (OTX) centers on a series of four summertime match cards hosted in its exclusive venue, OTE Arena, featuring male and female boxers. The new vertical marks the latest offering from Overtime, whose unique business model entails creating standalone sports leagues featuring young athletes,…