How the Portland Fire Marketed a Basketball Team with No Players
The Portland Fire tackled the classic expansion challenge of marketing a team before any players were signed. SVP Kimberly Veale leveraged the jersey launch and a partnership with the NBA Trail Blazers to create visual brand momentum in January. A schedule reveal featuring *Portlandia* stars generated thousands of season‑ticket deposits, proving that content can drive demand without a roster. After the April 3 expansion draft added eleven players, the team pivoted to personality‑focused social media to deepen fan engagement.
How Meat-Snack Marketers Are Meeting the Moment
Archer Jerky secured a high‑profile partnership with Disney’s *The Mandalorian*, using Baby Yoda to launch a limited‑edition jerky tied to the film’s premiere. The meat‑snack category posted 6.6% growth in 2025 and is projected to exceed $22 billion in 2026, driven by...
Inside Legal AI Startup Legora’s Celebrity and Sports Partnerships Playbook
Swedish legal‑AI startup Legora, now valued at $5.6 billion after a $550 million Series D and a $50 million follow‑on round, has launched a high‑profile marketing push featuring Jude Law as the face of its “Law” campaign. The effort blends celebrity endorsement with sports...
It’s Still ‘Business as Usual’ for Cannes Lions Attendance This Year—Mostly
Cannes Lions is expected to host over 13,000 attendees this year, essentially matching last year’s turnout despite geopolitical tension, soaring oil prices and ongoing agency consolidation. While some holding companies such as WPP are scaling back on ancillary perks, most...
All Things Creator Marketing with Mae Karwowski
Mae Karwowski, founder and CEO of influencer agency Obviously, will speak at Marketing Brew’s "The Next Phase of Social & Creator Marketing" on May 12. She notes U.S. creator ad spend is expanding four times faster than the broader media...
AI Brands Are Pumping Ad Dollars Into Linear TV
Leading AI companies are pouring tens of millions of dollars into linear television advertising to shape public perception and drive adoption. By April 20, 2026, OpenAI has spent roughly $64.9 million, Google $81.7 million, Microsoft $34.4 million and Meta $64.2 million, amounts that nearly...
A’ja Wilson and Jalen Brunson Are Starring in Lowe’s Debut Basketball Campaign
Lowe’s has launched its first basketball marketing campaign, partnering with WNBA star A’ja Wilson and NBA guard Jalen Brunson. The initiative aims to tap the cultural influence of basketball to reach Gen Z and millennial shoppers, mirroring tactics that succeeded...
How Dallas’ WNBA Team Is Spreading Its Sponsorship Wings This Season
The Dallas Wings leveraged back‑to‑back No. 1 draft picks—Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd—to attract high‑profile sponsors. In the last month the franchise signed deals with CVS, Kroger and Geico, each tied to community‑impact initiatives. Partnership revenue doubled in 2025 and is...
Google Rolls Out New Tools to Automate Even More of the Marketing Process
Google announced a suite of new AI Max capabilities ahead of its Marketing Live event, including AI Brief, a natural‑language tool that lets advertisers set creative and targeting guardrails, and AI Max for Shopping, which automates ad copy, URL expansion...
Why so Many Creators Are Joining the C-Suite
Companies across industries are creating C‑suite‑style roles for influencers and creators, from T‑Mobile’s chief switching officer to the NFL’s chief kindness officer. Brands argue that these creators bring authentic social capital that can translate viral buzz into real‑world sales, as...
How Adobe Is Building AI and Agentic Tools for Brands—While Keeping an Eye on Actual Adoption
Adobe announced a suite of AI‑driven tools aimed at boosting brand visibility and agentic capabilities as AI‑assisted retail traffic surged 393% year‑over‑year in Q1 2026. The new Brand Concierge and LLM Apps let brands appear inside large language model interfaces, while...
‘Everybody Gets It’: Inside the Brand Partnerships Powering ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’
The sequel to *The Devil Wears Prada* is set to open May 1 with a projected $66 million box‑office debut, prompting a wave of brand partnerships. More than 15 major advertisers—including Smartwater, TRESemmé, Zillow, Samsung and Walmart—have signed co‑marketing deals that blend...
Inside the Kotex Brand Overhaul
Kotex, a century‑old feminine‑care brand owned by Kimberly‑Clark, is undertaking a full brand overhaul to regain relevance. The revamp centers on a new "You Asked. We Heard." campaign, a "Own your flow" tagline, and redesigned pads that directly address consumer...
Clip It Good: How Marketers Are Making Experiences Worth Clipping
Marketers are turning long livestreams into bite‑size clips to boost brand visibility, a tactic highlighted by TBWA\Chiat\Day Chicago’s Skittles campaign that sent a gaming‑flute controller to streamers. Brands like Ramp and Fixated are building dedicated clipping infrastructure, using multiple cameras...
Ad Spend on YouTube, Google Search, Amazon Sponsored Products Is Growing: Report
Tinuiti’s latest report, based on more than $4 billion in managed ad spend, shows double‑digit growth across most digital channels in Q1 2026. Meta’s Instagram Reels now generate a third of the platform’s ad impressions, lifting Instagram ad spend 28% year‑over‑year, while...
How Grant & Ash Are Rewriting the Rules of Creator Brand Safety
Since 2022, TikTok and Instagram duo Grant & Ash have built a 900,000‑strong following with comedy‑driven, brand‑heavy performances. Their satirical songs parody retailers and pop‑culture icons, allowing them to partner with brands such as Netflix, Bose, La Roche‑Posay and Sephora...
Advertisers Are Optimistic About Netflix’s Dynamic Ad Options
Netflix is expanding its ad-supported tier by offering dynamic ad insertion (DAI) for the 2027 Women’s World Cup broadcast. The streamer’s ad revenue is projected to reach $3 billion in 2026, reflecting steady growth since the ad tier launched in 2022....
Polymarket and Kalshi Are Turning TV Programming Into One Big Casino
Polymarket turned the Golden Globes broadcast into a live prediction market, displaying real‑time odds that correctly forecast 26 of 28 winners. The partnership marks a major mainstream push for prediction platforms into entertainment, prompting rival Kalshi to secure deals with...
‘Marketing Brew Weekly’ Won a Webby!
Marketing Brew Weekly, the weekly podcast extension of the Marketing Brew newsletter, won a 2026 Webby Award in the Marketing category. Launched in September 2025, the show eschews traditional interview formats in favor of editorial‑team style discussions on topics like...
‘The Creative Is Coming Out of the Internet’: What This Year’s Webby Winners Say About Advertising
The 2026 Webby Awards highlighted a shift in advertising where creative originates on the internet rather than being imposed on it. Winners showcased AI‑enhanced campaigns, from a Dr Pepper jingle generated online to the “death of Duo” stunt, and blended digital...
Meta’s AI Push Has Made Its Way Into Ad Creative. Not All Marketers Are Happy About It
Meta has been automatically applying AI‑generated tweaks to advertisers' creative assets, often without the brands’ knowledge. Snag Tights discovered altered ads that misrepresented its products, prompting the company to request a shutdown of Meta’s AI testing on its account. Other...
The Advertising, Media, and PR Award Winners From the 30th Annual Webby Awards
The 30th annual Webby Awards announced winners in advertising, media and PR, highlighting the best digital campaigns across more than 100 categories. Jury‑selected honors went to brands such as Centivo, NikeSkims, LinkedIn, and Wieden+Kennedy, while a new AI category recognized...
Inside the Making of Peloton’s Viral Hudson Williams Ad
Peloton unveiled a new "Let Yourself Go" ad starring Hudson Williams dancing to David Bowie’s "Fame," directed by Bethany Vargas, whose résumé includes Lady Gaga’s "Abracadabra" video. The spot, rolling across TV, OTT, social and digital out‑of‑home in the U.S....
All Things Creator Marketing with Becky Owen
Becky Owen, CMO of creator agency Billion Dollar Boy, explains why U.S. creator ad spend is expanding four times faster than the broader media market. She emphasizes that creators’ community‑driven, authentic approach delivers performance‑based results that traditional ads struggle to...
How Advertisers Are Thinking About Meta’s Affiliate Tool Rollout
Meta unveiled a suite of creator‑focused affiliate and checkout tools at Shoptalk, extending shoppable Reels on Instagram and product‑tagging on Facebook. The affiliate program, backed by partners such as Amazon, eBay, Temu, Shopee and Mercado Libre, lets creators earn commissions...
What’s up with Those Museum of Sex Bus Ads?
The Museum of Sex has wrapped more than 3,000 New York City MTA buses with its logo, a campaign that began in December and will run through the end of the year. Founder Daniel Gluck says the omnipresent ads have...
How Gen Alpha Is Changing the In-Store Experience
A recent MG2 Advisory survey shows 73% of Gen Alpha favor brick‑and‑mortar shopping over e‑commerce, sparking a resurgence in mall traffic. Retailers are responding by turning stores into experiential "third spaces" with coffee shops, DJ sets, pop‑up events and creator‑driven...
Why Brands Are Turning to Video Games for Creative Inspiration
Brands are increasingly borrowing retro video‑game aesthetics to make ads more emotionally resonant. Coinbase’s Oscar‑season spot uses early PlayStation graphics to illustrate financial freedom, while Met‑Rx, Skittles and Jack in the Box have launched Nintendo‑style videos and even a playable game. With over...
‘Don’t Trust Those Models’: How Marketers Are Thinking About the Next Era of Transparency
At the ARF AudiencexScience conference, Horizon Media’s Bob Lord warned marketers not to trust black‑box AI models that run ads, citing risks of opaque decision‑making. He advocated for open‑source collaboration, highlighting tools such as Claude and Google’s recently released Meridian...
Meet the Newest ‘Running Point’ Character: Jake From State Farm
State Farm announced a co‑branded partnership with Netflix’s basketball comedy *Running Point*, inserting its mascot Jake from State Farm into Season 2 as a scripted character. The move marks the first time Jake appears in a television narrative rather than a...
Can the Trade Desk Remain ‘King’ of the Open Web?
The Trade Desk, the world’s largest independent DSP, posted 19% YoY revenue growth in Q4 2025, buoyed by AI‑driven product upgrades like Kokai and Audience Unlimited. Founder‑CEO Jeff Green bought $150 million of stock to underscore confidence, while the firm deepened joint‑business...
How Soccer Orgs and Sponsors Are Putting Local Spins on World Cup Campaigns
As the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup spreads across 16 host cities in three countries, sponsors are abandoning generic campaigns in favor of hyper‑local activations. Broadcasters like Telemundo are targeting key Hispanic markets, while Visa staged an artist‑driven showcase in...
All Things Creator Marketing with Tiffany Rivers
Tiffany Rivers, VP of emerging media and influencer marketing at Media Cause, will speak at Marketing Brew’s "The Next Phase of Social and Creator Marketing" on May 12. She advises nonprofit clients such as the University of Florida, Parkinson’s Foundation,...
Merrell’s Pitch to Non-Outdoorsy Consumers: Go Outside Instead
Merrell, the 45‑year‑old hiking‑footwear brand owned by Wolverine Worldwide, unveiled its first global brand platform, “It Starts Outside,” aimed at making outdoor activity feel accessible to everyday consumers. The 30‑second digital spot features Olympian Alexi Pappas, marathoner Lisa Thompson, and...
How IBM’s Masters Campaign Marks a Shift in Its Sports Strategy
IBM marks three decades of sponsoring the Masters by launching a pop‑up activation in New York’s Madison Square Park. The event features a golf simulator with AI‑driven “hole insights,” a digital “Masters Vault” of over 50 years of broadcast footage,...
‘This Famous Butt’: How Verizon Created that Ad with Connor Storrie
Verizon launched a four‑minute horror‑styled brand film, “Look Behind You,” starring Connor Storrie and directed by Nia DaCosta. The ad blends a spooky cabin narrative with a tongue‑in‑cheek focus on the actor’s famed glutes to showcase the reliability of Verizon’s...
Social Platforms Are Facing Increased Scrutiny. How Long Will Advertisers Stick Around?
Recent jury verdicts ordered Meta to pay $375 million and Google/Meta $6 million for child‑safety and mental‑health harms. Despite these landmark cases, advertisers have kept spending, with Meta posting double‑digit ad‑revenue growth in each quarter after the scandals. Rising CPA costs, AI‑related...
How Meta’s AI Push Is Changing Ad Creation
Meta is pushing to automate ad creation, targeting a fully AI‑driven process by the end of 2026. The rollout includes the Andromeda ad retrieval system and expanded Advantage+ tools that handle creative, targeting, and budget decisions. Marketers report mixed results:...
Hockey-Stick Growth: The Year of the PWHL
Women’s hockey rode an Olympic‑driven surge, culminating in the Professional Women’s Hockey League’s first nationally televised game on Ion’s sports network. The March 28 matchup between the New York Sirens and Montréal Victoire marked the league’s entry onto the same broadcast tier...
Tech Companies Are Churning Out Agentic AI Tools, but Agencies Are Still Scratching Their Heads
Tech giants are rapidly releasing agentic AI tools aimed at reshaping commerce and advertising, highlighted by Google’s Universal Commerce Protocol and Meta’s new agents. Brands are urged to enrich product data to enable seamless AI‑driven shopping experiences, while retailers like...
Where Should Retail Media Networks Make Their Pitch for Ad Dollars?
Retail media is transitioning from a lower‑funnel, conversion‑only model to a full‑funnel, brand‑building channel, prompting networks to showcase broader capabilities. Major players such as Albertsons Media Collective and Walmart‑Vizio used this year’s IAB NewFronts to demonstrate scale, data assets, and...
How Paramount+’s ‘Dutton Ranch’ Came Blazing to Life at SXSW
Paramount+ staged a high‑impact activation at SXSW, projecting a fiery Dutton Ranch logo on the Fairmont Austin for four hours across three nights. The campaign paired the OOH display with DR‑branded Angus ribeye specials at select Austin steakhouses, creating a...
How InStyle Is Reaching the Next Gen with Its Original Social Series
InStyle magazine has turned its social‑first mockumentary series *The Intern* into a digital flagship, racking up more than 36 million views across eight seasons. The follow‑up series *The Boss*, launched in February, has already attracted 2.3 million views. By weaving brand integrations...
Geico Plans to Stake Its Claim in Women’s Sports, Starting with March Madness
Geico is launching a three-part docuseries, *Miles that Matter*, featuring women’s basketball stars Azzi Fudd, Napheesa Collier, and men’s player Trey McKenney, to anchor its new focus on women’s sports. The campaign ties athlete stories to family moments in the...
Aerie Doubles Down on Its No-AI Pledge in Its Latest Campaign
Aerie reaffirmed its "no AI" policy by launching a new campaign that features only real people, including Pamela Anderson, and explicitly rejects generative‑AI‑created models. The brand’s Instagram post announcing the pledge became its most‑liked content, surpassing 40,000 likes. In Q4...
How Sportsbooks Plan to Turn Bracket-Mania Into Long-Term Betting Interest
Sportsbooks are leveraging March Madness to turn casual bracket participants into long‑term bettors. BetMGM and Fanatics deployed former college athletes—Haley and Hanna Cavinder and gymnast Livvy Dunne—as social‑first influencers to attract younger, especially female, audiences. The campaigns combine digital content,...