Brand Strategy

  • Jon Hamm, Bown Yang and Scarlett Johansson ride a jet ski in Ritz’s star-studded Super Bowl LX campaign
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    Courtesy of Ritz
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    Deep Dive

    ‘Don Draper is rolling over in his grave’: Super Bowl 60 ads play it safe

    Most brands returned to the same conceptual wells while emergent ad categories like AI and health and wellness offered a mixed bag.

    By , • Feb. 9, 2026
  • Illustration of a crowded football stadium where fans on both sides cheer toward a giant central screen showing a cartoon bear floating in clouds, holding a soda and kicking a football. The scene uses a purple and red color palette, with yard lines on the field and enthusiastic spectators raising foam fingers, snacks, and pom-poms.
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    Illustration: Emma Erickson

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    Super Bowl 2026: Viewership, engagement and ads analysis

    Breaking down all the key stats from the big game’s ads, including cost, reach, social engagement and more.

    By • Feb. 9, 2026
  • Explore the Trendline➔
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    Spencer Platt via Getty Images
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    Trendline

    Multichannel Optimization

    There’s greater urgency around the need to optimize multichannel marketing efforts and unite channels including retail media, social media and others.

    By Marketing Dive staff
  • Milo Ventimiglia for Edward Jones
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    Courtesy of Edward Jones
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    Q&A

    Edward Jones’ brand chief on marketing wealth management via sports, ads

    Chief Brand, Experience and Marketing Officer Hema Widhani discusses the firm’s recent ad campaign and college football partnership.

    By • Feb. 9, 2026
  • A man with long hair wearing a denim vest with a short-sleeve button-up shirt with a print of chilis and tacos holds a bottle of Ortega sauce as if to drink it.
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    Courtesy of Ortega
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    Ortega goes for younger consumers with brand refresh

    The update comes as the brand looks to combat declining sales amid supply chain issues and increased competition.

    By • Feb. 9, 2026
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    Stock.adobe.com/Siphosethu F

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    Sponsored by illumin

    Programmatic advertising in 2026: Proving performance while it still matters

    What if programmatic’s biggest risk isn’t wasted spend, but delayed insight before budgets are gone.

    Feb. 9, 2026
  • Uber Eats Build Your Own Super Bowl commercial
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    Retrieved from Uber Eats on February 03, 2026
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    Uber Eats lets fans build their own Super Bowl ad with in-app integration

    The delivery platform created a content library full of alternate scenes for its own commercial that include cameos from a handful of celebrities.

    By Aaron Baar • Feb. 5, 2026
  • Chipotle promo image for "The Realest 30."
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    Courtesy of Chipotle
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    Chipotle pokes fun at AI Super Bowl ads to spotlight real ingredients

    After another brand's AI-generated Super Bowl spot airs, the restaurant chain will post a video on Instagram Reels to dole out free entree codes. 

    By • Feb. 5, 2026
  • An image of a man leaving a Chipotle. He is holding a brown bag.
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    Getty Images
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    Chipotle teases robust marketing plan amid search for ‘unicorn’ CMO

    The fast casual chain plans to better support its marketing with targeted media as it looks to reverse negative sales growth.

    By • Feb. 4, 2026
  • Lady Gaga appears in Rocket's teaser for its Super Bowl ad
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    Courtesy of Rocket
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    Why Rocket’s Redfin is kicking off a $1M home giveaway at the Super Bowl

    CMO Jonathan Mildenhall explains how consumers can take part in a home search via a scavenger hunt in the Redfin app.

    By • Feb. 4, 2026
  • Actors Bowen Yang, Jon Hamm and Scarlett Johansson ride a jet ski against a tropical backdrop
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    Permission granted by Ritz
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    Ritz doubles down on salty positioning in second Super Bowl campaign

    The Mondelēz brand continues to embrace more culturally attuned marketing with a Ritz Island ad starring Bowen Yang, Jon Hamm and Scarlett Johansson.

    By • Feb. 3, 2026
  • Man smiles while holding a mug and looking out the window.
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    Getty Images
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    VML: Marketing must balance consumer anxiety and hope in 2026

    Marketing trends, such as microdramas and consumers who are expressing a sense of “dysoptimism,” are identified in the agency’s “Future 100” report.

    By • Feb. 3, 2026
  • Melissa McCarthy, Nicholas Gonzalez and Itatí Cantoral for E.l.f.'s latest Super Bowl ad
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    Courtesy of E.l.f. Cosmetics
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    E.l.f. taps into halftime show hype with purpose-driven Super Bowl play

    The brand will be giving loyalty members a free subscription to Duolingo to help democratize access to learning a second language.

    By • Feb. 3, 2026
  • AI bot Technology and business design
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    Getty Images
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    Sponsored by Apollo.io

    How to write better AI prompts for prospecting

    If your AI outputs sound generic — your inputs probably are too. In part two of "Selling with AI", Apollo.io breaks down the exact structure for writing AI sales prompts that drive results with real examples from experts.

    Feb. 2, 2026
  • George Clooney in Grubhub's Super Bowl ad
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    Courtesy of Grubhub
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    Grubhub — and George Clooney — make Super Bowl debuts to ‘eat the fees’

    The delivery platform promotes a new offer to remove delivery and service fees on restaurant orders over $50 in an oddball ad directed by Yorgos Lanthimos.

    By • Feb. 2, 2026
  • Actors Danny McBride and Keegan-Michael Key sing into a microphone in a garage.
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    Permission granted by State Farm
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    State Farm slams rivals as ‘Livin’ on a Prayer’ in Super Bowl return

    The celebrity-packed effort airing in the first quarter centers on a fictional Halfway There Insurance firm and parodic cover of a Bon Jovi classic.

    By • Feb. 2, 2026
  • Three men with with their arms over each others shoulders while holding Heineken's.
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    Courtesy of Heineken
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    Heineken weds friendship with fandom for global platform

    “Fans Have More Friends” asserts the importance of sociability and unites the brewer’s sponsorships across soccer, Formula 1 and music festivals.

    By • Jan. 30, 2026
  • A zoomed in image of a building with gold signage. The sign says "P.F. Chang's."
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    Scott Olson via Getty Images
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    P.F. Chang’s names new CMO on tails of brand platform launch

    Holly Smith replaces Sonika Patel, who lasted less than a year in the role but oversaw the launch of a “Light the Fire” campaign around the holidays. 

    By • Jan. 30, 2026
  • Dove and Bridgerton collaboration
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    Courtesy of Dove
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    Column

    Campaign Trail: Dove finds real beauty in ‘Bridgerton’

    The Unilever brand and agency Mythology used a masquerade ball in the style of the Netflix hit to boost long-running work around self-confidence.

    By • Jan. 30, 2026
  • Pepsi campaign imagery showcasing a polar bear prepping for a taste test of Coke Zero and Pepsi Zero Sugar.
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    Retrieved from YouTube on January 29, 2026
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    How Pepsi is taking the fight to Coca-Cola at the Super Bowl and beyond

    The marketer is continuing a revived Pepsi Challenge around its Pepsi Zero Sugar brand, and its big game ad features an icon from Coke’s advertising.

    By • Jan. 29, 2026
  • Business team in a modern office discussing data analytics and artificial intelligence.
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    Getty Images
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    Unpacking the marketing industry trends forecast for 2026

    Marketers must remain resilient as they navigate ongoing challenges, including an uncertain economic backdrop and the advancement of AI.

    By Marketing Dive staff • Jan. 29, 2026
  • A mannequin shot from the back stares at a wall of TVs broadcasting a music video in a new ad from Crocs.
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    Permission granted by Crocs, Inc.
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    Crocs puts self-expression over algorithmic sameness with new platform

    Agency Flower Shop handled creative on “Wonderfully Unordinary,” a platform that centers on self-expression and real-world experiences.

    By • Jan. 28, 2026
  • An image of a giant logo that says Applbee's.
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    Bruce Bennett via Getty Images
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    How Applebee’s Date Night Pass builds on the chain’s marketing-led success

    CMO Michelle Chin details the return of the fan-favorite offer and the lessons she’s learned in her first few months at the Dine Brands chain.

    By • Jan. 28, 2026
  • Kraft Heinz ketchup
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    Courtesy of Kraft Heinz
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    Heinz taps into Super Bowl snack culture with novelty ketchup keg

    Developed by internal agency The Kitchen, the KegChup plays on data showing 84% of consumers make their own snacks for the big game.

    By • Jan. 28, 2026
  • People on the subway celebrate the Olympics
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    Courtesy of Coca-Cola
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    Coke’s World Cup campaign taps into unifying power of fan emotions

    Ads set to a cover of Van Halen’s “Jump” show shared excitement for a tournament that is arriving in a highly fractured political climate.

    By • Updated Jan. 29, 2026
  • aperol
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    Getty Images
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    Q&A

    How Campari is staking a claim in the low-alcohol market

    Allison Varone, head of marketing for Campari America, explains how the maker of Aperol and Crodino is attempting to resonate with younger drinkers.

    By • Jan. 27, 2026