Influencer Marketing
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Old Navy’s MrBeast deal boosts engagement amid bigger bet on creators
A back-to-school campaign with the top YouTuber is showing early promise, including a traffic bump, as the Gap Inc. retailer rewires its marketing.
By Peter Adams • Sept. 11, 2026 -
Opinion
Why brand personality matters more than ever
Callaway Golf’s recent marketing stumble emphasizes the need for brands to establish clear personality guardrails, writes Gartner’s Julie Reeves.
By Julie Reeves • Sept. 9, 2026 -
Campbell’s heats up digital focus amid marketing reformulation
Channels including social, influencer and e-commerce will command 85% of working media budgets as the marketer tries to meet modern consumer tastes.
By Peter Adams • Sept. 8, 2026 -
Why Dr. Squatch is investing in experiences — not ads — with IShowSpeed
Chief Brand Officer John Ludeke explains why the Unilever brand is betting that it can get Gen Z consumers to create content alongside the top streamer.
By Chris Kelly • Aug. 31, 2026 -
Chipotle deploys 100 creators for latest ads spotlighting fresh food
This is the first national advertising push from Chief Brand Officer Fernando Machado and Chipotle’s first major work with new agency partner Kids.
By Peter Adams • Aug. 31, 2026 -
Coke tackles college football season with creator content, fantasy sports
For its social-first approach, the brand will work with creators at partner colleges to produce content around events like games and tailgates.
By Peter Adams • Aug. 26, 2026 -
Publicis tackles fragmented NIL market with Travis Kelce, 3 Arts Sports
A new joint venture called Tekta seeks to streamline marketing activations with student athletes and make them more measurable for clients.
By Peter Adams • Aug. 24, 2026 -
Creator fit beats follower count for brands: Here’s what the numbers say
The creator economy is expected to hit nearly half a trillion dollars next year, but the disconnect between creators and brands persists.
By Sara Karlovitch • Aug. 21, 2026 -
Chipotle broadens Gen Alpha marketing with Salish Matter collab
A partnership with the 16-year-old YouTube and TikTok star marks the first time the brand has brought a custom creator order to its Kid’s Meal.
By Peter Adams • Aug. 19, 2026 -
Deep Dive
Brands shake up back-to-school marketing to reach ‘hyper value-seekers’
Retailers like American Eagle are diversifying further beyond capital-I influencers and adjusting their media mixes to be more targeted this season.
By Peter Adams • Aug. 18, 2026 -
Under Armour ends partnership with The Rock amid marketing reset
The athletic brand said the decade-long relationship came to a “natural conclusion” just months after it parted ways with Steph Curry.
By Cara Salpini • Aug. 17, 2026 -
Gap’s fall campaign enlists ‘Obsession’ star to promote denim
Ads show Hollywood breakout Inde Navarrette dancing alongside Malcolm Todd, who performs a new version of Robyn’s “Dancing on My Own.”
By Peter Adams • Updated Aug. 21, 2026 -
Bazooka puts reality TV rivalry center stage in social-forward campaign
Two stars of “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” go head-to-head in an effort that features in-person activations and a social content series.
By Sara Karlovitch • Aug. 10, 2026 -
P&G’s Always Discreet fights incontinence stigma with NFL campaign
“Protect the Moment” is the brand’s biggest media campaign activation to date and features three moms of NFL players in ads and social content.
By Chris Kelly • Aug. 10, 2026 -
Coke asks busy Gen Z, millennials to log off for quality meal time
A global integrated campaign developed by WPP Open X and led by Grey spans a pair of brand films, out-of-home ads and digital activations.
By Peter Adams • Aug. 4, 2026 -
Express nods to its Y2K heyday in campaign that unites fashion, music
CMO Joe Berean discusses a fall effort featuring pop star Tinashe and NFL player Tee Higgins that iterates on the retailer’s “Dress to Express” platform.
By Chris Kelly • Aug. 3, 2026 -
Column
Campaign Trail: Journeys amps up absurdity to break back-to-school conventions
Anomaly helped imagine the first day of school at its most musically surreal while building on the retailer’s brand platform.
By Chris Kelly • July 31, 2026 -
Opinion
IRL streamers are brands’ biggest marketing opportunity
Streamers like iShowSpeed can help brands find consumers at their most engaged, says Streamlabs’ Ashray Urs.
By Ashray Urs • July 30, 2026 -
Degree sweats it out with subway commuters for New York summer campaign
Along with refitting iconic stations with names like “Molten Core,” the Unilever brand is partnering with influencers on man-on-the-street interviews.
By Peter Adams • July 29, 2026 -
Gap Inc. opens creator program to employees
Content opportunities for corporate, distribution and store staff span newsletters, social media, branded content, product storytelling and more.
By Tatiana Walk-Morris • July 27, 2026 -
Purely Elizabeth lampoons protein-maxxing for major product launch
An effort promoting Protein Ancient Grain Granola is the brand’s first work with Wpromote x Giant Spoon since naming the shop media AOR in April.
By Peter Adams • July 20, 2026 -
Coffee Mate stirs up summer fling with social-first campaign
The effort featuring “Summer House” star Carl Radke is part of an innovation push to expand the brand’s use cases and tap into the growing coffee market.
By Sara Karlovitch • July 16, 2026 -
Retrieved from Gap on July 15, 2026
Gap sticks with ‘90s nostalgia, denim for Hailey Bieber capsule campaign
The launch builds on the retailer’s recent success with advertising that brings together fashion, music and culture.
By Chris Kelly • July 16, 2026 -
How Aéropostale entertains Gen Alpha with a creator-led mini-series
Marisa Thalberg, chief customer and marketing officer at parent Catalyst Brands, opens up about the “Intern Diaries” and a loyalty tie-up with JCPenney.
By Chris Kelly • July 9, 2026 -
State Farm enlists IShowSpeed to keep season five of gaming series fresh
Reality-competition series “Gamerhood” will integrate Flowcode technology that uses QR codes to connect the brand with consumers.
By Chris Kelly • July 7, 2026