Case Studied •

The marketing news worth your attention

Campaigns of the week 📺PETAGird your loins and ditch the leather p span[style*="font-size"] { line-height: 1.6; } PETA debuted a new theater spot running before screenings of The Devil Wears Prada 2 across 100 U.S. cinemas for two weeks. Created with creative director Chris Carl, the ad spoofs the original film's iconic "gird your loins" scene. It shows employees frantically hiding leather accessories and wool sweaters as a Miranda Priestly-esque editor issues a memo banning all animal skins...
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A big week for bold moves

Campaigns of the week 📺Devil Wears Prada 2Two icons, one film p span[style*="font-size"] { line-height: 1.6; } Lady Gaga and Doechii released the official music video for "Runway", the lead single from The Devil Wears Prada 2 soundtrack. Directed by Parris Goebel and co-produced by Bruno Mars, the video features an explosion of custom couture and precise choreography. The track blends house, hip-hop, and ballroom influences. Commercially, it hit No. 1 on Billboard's Dance Digital Song Sales c...
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Vol. 116 Canva: The SEO machine 🎨

Case StudiedOwning the long tail p span[style*="font-size"] { line-height: 1.6; } In the SaaS world, growth often comes down to one question: how do you show up exactly when someone needs you?  p span[style*="font-size"] { line-height: 1.6; } We’ve seen brands like Zapier and monday.com build massive traffic engines using a strategic SEO strategy. And Canva is squarely seated among these massive SEO success stories.  p span[style*="font-size"] { line-height: 1.6; } This week, Case Stu...
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What’s shaping marketing this week

Case Studied BriefFan love, boardroom tea, and tech turbulence   p span[style*="font-size"] { line-height: 1.6; } This week's Brief takes a closer look at fandom in many forms and the ways brands are playing into it. Alongside that, we examine how creator relationships are becoming more dynamic as companies experiment with new tactics.  p span[style*="font-size"] { line-height: 1.6; } Meanwhile, industry news is buzzing with a Hollywood bidding war, a struggling agency empire, an AI-induc...
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Vol. 117 J.Crew: Rollneck returns 🧶

Case StudiedModernizing a classic p span[style*="font-size"] { line-height: 1.6; } Legacy brands often face pressure to evolve or risk irrelevance. p span[style*="font-size"] { line-height: 1.6; } In fashion, longstanding brands have the benefit of recognizable products and loyal customers but they’re also competing with digitally native labels and fast-moving trends. Evolving without abandoning the brand or alienating its core audience is a delicate balancing act.  p span[style*="font...
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What’s shaping marketing right now

Campaigns of the week 📺Folgers The jingle lives on p span[style*="font-size"] { line-height: 1.6; } In a new 60-second spot, Folgers remixed its famed jingle, “The best part of wakin’ up is Folgers in your cup.” The music-forward film follows everyday people through their morning routines, with each scene soundtracked by a different “wake up” song before ending with the classic Folgers jingle. The selected tracks span across decades, from Aretha Franklin and The Everly Brothers to Evanescence...
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Vol. 118 SharkNinja x Reddit: Calling on community 🍦

Today’s Case Studied is sponsored by Reddit for BusinessWith over half a billion monthly active users, you'll find your audience on Reddit.Case StudiedSweet engagement  p span[style*="font-size"] { line-height: 1.6; } When brands open the doors for community input, it’s often a singular experience. The community makes their voices heard and the brand acts on specific aspects of the feedback, plain and simple.  p span[style*="font-size"] { line-height: 1.6; } Frito-Lays did this with its a...
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What’s shaping marketing right now

Campaigns of the week 📺Adidas Originals Checking into the Hotel Superstar p span[style*="font-size"] { line-height: 1.6; } Adidas tapped director Thibaut Grevet to create "Hotel Superstar," a surrealist short film starring a barefoot Samuel L. Jackson. In the spot, Jackson wanders a hotel in search of his missing shoes, a pair of Adidas Originals Superstars. Along the way, he crosses paths with pop star Jennie, supermodel Kendall Jenner, football star Lamine Yamal, rapper Baby Keem, and other...
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Vol. 119 Nutter Butter: Intentionally unhinged 🥜

Today’s Case Studied is sponsored by pb+j. We work with CMOs at $20M+ multi-channel brands to finally figure out what’s holding their DTC  growth back… before someone suggests (yet another) status meeting.Case StudiedWeird works p span[style*="font-size"] { line-height: 1.6; } Shock value in marketing is nothing new. But there's a difference between a brand doing something provocative to get attention and a brand making bizarre shenanigans part of their ethos. p span[style*="font-size"] {...
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The marketing moves that defined the week

Campaigns of the week 📺Gap WASSUP, Gap? p span[style*="font-size"] { line-height: 1.6; } For its Spring 2026 campaign, Gap partnered with Grammy-nominated Puerto Rican artist Young Miko on a three-minute music video around her track "WASSUP." The spot was conducted entirely in Spanish—a first in Gap's 56-year history—and featured 26 predominantly Latin dancers wearing GapSweats. The timing was opportune, as Young Miko just came off a Super Bowl halftime appearance with Bad Bunny weeks earlier...
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Big swings, bold moves, and the AI shift

Today’s Case Studied is sponsored by pb+jWe work with CMOs at $20M+ multi-channel brands to finally unlock what’s holding their DTC growth back… before someone suggests (yet another) status meeting.Case Studied BriefNPCs, homecomings, and the AI reckoning p span[style*="font-size"] { line-height: 1.6; } This week's Brief is about brands that swung big, institutions that reasserted themselves, and an industry quietly reshaping itself around AI. p span[style*="font-size"] { line-height: 1.6;...
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Vol. 120 McDonald's: The viral bite 🍔

Today’s Case Studied is sponsored by Adelaide Metrics. Helping marketers measure true media quality and drive better results with AU, the omnichannel attention metric available in every major DSP and SSP.Case StudiedVictory, flop, or both?  p span[style*="font-size"] { line-height: 1.6; } In the modern attention economy, the line between a PR fumble and a valuable marketing moment can be surprisingly thin. Recently, we saw McDonald’s toe that line with a viral video of their CEO taste testing...
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The marketing moves that defined the week

Campaigns of the week 📺Sprite New packaging, new sound, new partnerships p span[style*="font-size"] { line-height: 1.6; } Sprite launched its new global platform, "It's That Fresh," rolling out across 180 markets. The rebrand includes the return of Sprite's iconic Lymon symbol, plus new brand audio that was co-created with GRAMMY-winning producer Mustard. The brand is rolling out its new identity with a wide range of partnerships including Crenshaw Skate Club, Takis, Tabasco, and McDonald's....
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Vol. 121 IKEA: Punch and the plushie 🐒

Today’s Case Studied is sponsored by Galactic FedThe marketing agency for fast-scaling companies and early startups.Case StudiedThe best marketing money can't buy p span[style*="font-size"] { line-height: 1.6; } We’ve seen many powerful, impromptu brand moments.  p span[style*="font-size"] { line-height: 1.6; } In 2020, a TikTok user filmed himself skateboarding to work sipping Ocean Spray cranberry juice to Fleetwood Mac and the viral clip sent sales soaring. In 2024, a TikTok of a toddl...
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The marketing moves that defined the week

Campaigns of the week 📺Verizon The best butt p span[style*="font-size"] { line-height: 1.6; } Verizon tapped Heated Rivalry star Connor Storrie and director Nia DaCosta for a short film called "Look Behind You." In this slow-burn horror-style spot, Storrie arrives at a remote cabin, hears mysterious noises, grabs a knife, and investigates. Then, he discovers the culprit is his own phone that’s been butt dialing his smart home devices. The film ends with text overlay that reads "The best butt”...
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Vol. 122 Chewy: The portrait of loyalty 🐾

Case StudiedRewarding loyalty p span[style*="font-size"] { line-height: 1.6; } Retention is an increasingly formidable challenge for brands across industries. Because of that, we’ve seen brands get pretty creative in their approaches to building it.  p span[style*="font-size"] { line-height: 1.6; } Starbucks and Sephora are known for their highly successful loyalty programs. Spotify Wrapped became a major brand loyalty play for the streaming service. And for years now, Chewy’s surprised c...
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The marketing moves that defined the week

Campaigns of the week 📺Nutella Houston, we have a marketing moment p span[style*="font-size"] { line-height: 1.6; } Just moments before NASA's Artemis II crew broke the Apollo 13 distance record at 252,752 miles from Earth, a jar of Nutella drifted loose inside the Orion spacecraft's cabin. It tumbled label-forward, perfectly framed, directly into a live NASA broadcast. NASA confirmed it was not product placement, stating the agency does not select crew meals in association with brand partner...
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Vol. 123 Fruit Love Island: A lesson in content 🍉

Case StudiedViral anthropomorphic fruits p span[style*="font-size"] { line-height: 1.6; } The attention economy is new, unfamiliar territory. Content doesn’t have to be high quality with top tier production value to catch eyes. It can be made with basic AI tools, catch on, and even surge into the spotlight.  p span[style*="font-size"] { line-height: 1.6; } This is how viral content like Italian Brain Rot's AI creatures and cat soap operas take over feeds. And that means the brands playing it...
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The marketing moves that defined the week

Campaigns of the week 📺Peloton Peloton gives permission to let go with Hudson Williams p span[style*="font-size"] { line-height: 1.6; } Peloton tapped Heated Rivalry star Hudson Williams as the new face of its latest campaign.  Titled "Let Yourself Go," the campaign was developed entirely in-house under CMO Megan Imbres. It moves the brand away from its intense, performance-driven identity toward something more relaxed and lifestyle-oriented. Directed by Bethany Vargas and choreographed by Ty...
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Vol. 124 KitKat: Heist intrigue 🍫

Case StudiedStolen sweets in the spotlight p span[style*="font-size"] { line-height: 1.6; } Supply chain disruptions are generally not a positive for the companies involved. But certain brands manage to cleverly lean into it.  p span[style*="font-size"] { line-height: 1.6; } We saw KFC do this in 2018 when it had to temporarily shut down restaurants in the UK because they ran out of chicken. With their agency Mother, KFC ran two ads in UK newspapers that rearranged the letters in the chai...
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