Chili’s pop-up finances fast food meals in latest dig at rising prices

A store emulating payday loan retailers doles out gift cards to “approved” visitors, while consumers at home can participate in social giveaways on X. 

How Dude Wipes cleans up with poop humor as its marketing evolves

CMO Ryan Meegan discusses the brand’s “secret sauce” to going viral and recent collaborations with the NHL and Professional Bowlers Association.

Burger King poaches Applebee’s CMO to build on modernization plan

Joel Yashinsky is tasked with driving an expansive Reclaim the Flame strategy that has produced viral marketing like the Whopper jingle. 

How JCPenney’s new brand positioning is subverting consumer expectations

“Anonymous Ads” was created and executed by new appointments Mischief and VaynerMedia, and helps the brand address a “sea of sameness” in retail.

Malibu encourages work-life balance in new ad starring Brian Cox

Known for serious roles such as Logan Roy in “Succession,” the actor ditches the boardroom to enjoy the beach and tells consumers to “Clock off!”

Lovesac taps Crocs veteran as first chief brand and marketing officer

As chief marketing officer at the footwear brand, Heidi Cooley helped drive profitability and turn the brand “into a cultural zeitgeist.”

Uber and Instacart deepen tie-up with advertising integration

The goal is to provide CPG advertisers of all sizes with a range of capabilities across the Uber Eats grocery and retail marketplace.

Ally’s WNBA deal brings it closer to gender parity in sports media spend

The brand’s sponsorship includes an endorsement deal with incoming rookie Paige Bueckers, who features in social content around a sweepstakes.

Lowe’s bets on sports video games to drive up Gen Z brand loyalty

A new pact with EA Sports will put the home improvement retailer’s rewards program front-and-center in titles like Madden and College Football.

Heineken flips phones for IRL interactions

A phone case that flips over when the word “cheers” is uttered and a matchmaking-like app for discovering new bars spotlight socializing.

The social traveler: Here’s what the numbers say

Two-thirds of Gen Z travelers use social media for inspiration and 52% of consumers overall would consider visiting a place featured on screen.

Panera reintroduces brand with focus on dine-in cafe experience

“It Just Meals Good,” the chain’s first work from 72andSunny, captures a variety of occasions for eating at Panera, whether catching up with a kid or an ex. 

BeReal launches US advertising platform led by former TikTok exec

Levi’s debuted one of the first lifestyle activations on the platform and achieved five-times higher engagement compared to other social networks.

Subway hires CMO from PepsiCo beverages to lead global marketing

Greg Lyons, who left the Pepsi owner late last month, will join Subway as it shifts its creative account to Publicis Groupe’s Leo New York.

Target launches campaign highlighting spring merchandise

The campaign comes after the mass merchant announced a multibillion-dollar investment in stores, technology and supply chain.

Why Minute Maid is teaming with WWE to punch up its new brand platform

The sponsorship supports “Bring the Juice,” which serves as the culmination of several years of brand transformation work.

Google Cloud touts new AI tools to simplify marketing, customer experience

At Google Cloud’s Next ‘25 conference, the tech giant will lay out innovations that speak to how brands and agencies can use artificial intelligence.

Beyoncé’s Cécred tells real women’s stories in first brand campaign

Created with Wieden+Kennedy, “A Deeper Understanding of Hair” revolves around a documentary-style film that details real hair care experiences.

Scotch-Brite jams to ‘So Fresh, So Clean’ to showcase joys of cleaning

“The Brite Side of Clean” centers around self-expression and spans CTV, social media, out-of-home and the 3M brand’s “Sparkle Squad” ambassadors.

Kit Kat protects downtime in a chaotic world with Break Brothers

The brand's first character-driven campaign looks to appeal to people dealing with hectic work environments and return-to-office policies.

Domino’s expands remit of AOR WorkInProgress after campaign wins

The independent shop behind Domino’s popular Emergency Pizza promotion has been named social AOR as brands ramp up work around creators. 

WPP inches away from legacy ID solutions with InfoSum acquisition

The deal ramps up the holding group’s AI-powered data and identity capabilities at a time of widespread signal loss for marketers. 

Campaign Trail: ‘Brutalist’ director helms Bloomberg’s ‘Contextualist’ ads

Director Brady Corbet made his commercial debut with three spots that turn idioms into insights in a campaign by Wieden+Kennedy New York.

Sociable: Trump extends US TikTok sell-off deadline once again

The ByteDance-owned app will now have until June 18 to work out a deal. 

How CMOs can stay reactive as Trump tariff chaos threatens budgets

Industry decision-makers must embrace a willingness to scrap some of their plans and reassess what makes commercial sense, analysts say.