Marketing News

Amazon is making a return engagement for its 2024 holiday campaign, "5-Star Theater." The e-commerce giant on Monday released this year's iteration, starring actor Benedict Cumberbatch reading zany yet complimentary customer reviews on various products. The marketing effort is designed to help holiday shoppers find presents for everyone on their gift list.

Marketers are starting to embrace culture as a key component of their marketing strategy, with 79 percent of survey respondents rating it "very important" or "important," according to a new study released by the ANA, "The Impact of Culture on Brand Building." But gaps persist.

Amazon on Tuesday rolled out Ad Agents, a new platform designed to simplify how advertisers plan, launch, and optimize their campaigns. Powered by artificial intelligence, Ads Agent help to automate time-consuming tasks such as identifying targeting segments and adjusting pacing across hundreds of campaigns.

Disney on Monday announced its new holiday campaign, "Make Someone's Holiday Magic," which celebrates the joy that Disney spreads to people throughout the world. The marketing effort features a short film, directed by Taika Waititi, and visits from Disney's Holiday Magic Tour across the globe.

LinkedIn last week updated its Professional Community Policies to provide clarity about the limited cases in which the B2B social network may post graphic or disturbing content due to its educational or newsworthy value.

LEGO on Tuesday announced its holiday campaign that celebrates the magic of togetherness and the joy of creative play. The campaign includes a 90-second spot featuring a rendition of Lionel Richie's classic tune, "Hello," performed by the LEGO Holiday Choir.

Marketers are getting a better handle on their programmatic ad spending. The ANA on Wednesday released its "Q3 2025 Programmatic Transparency Benchmark" study, showing that marketers have reclaimed $13.6 billion in working media value. For the first time, the Benchmark has introduced Brand Safety and Suitability metrics

The Gap is getting into the groove for the holidays. The apparel brand on Tuesday debuted its holiday marketing campaign, "Give Your Gift," which builds on the momentum from last year's holiday celebration and features an assist from singer-songwriter Sienna Spiro.

Women's athletic wear brand Athleta on Tuesday announced the kickoff of its holiday campaign, "Celebrate the Wins." Starring actress Olivia Munn, the marketing effort invites women to slow down and connect — whether solo or with others — during a chaotic time of the year.

SONIC is looking to stir consumers' creative juices with its new marketing campaign. The drive-in fast-food chain on Monday announced that it is giving away a free can of Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, or Coke Zero Sugar, once a day, for a limited time via the SONIC app so fans can concoct their own Coca-Cola flavors.

PepsiCo on Tuesday debuted a corporate rebranding, the first in nearly 25 years. The marketing effort features a new logo designed to highlight PepsiCo's portfolio of more than 500 brands, which include Gatorade, Lay's, and Tostitos. Just 21 percent of consumers can name a PepsiCo brand other than Pepsi, the company says.

Dove on Wednesday announced that it is partnering with Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp. to serve as an Official Partner of the Rockettes and of the 2025 "Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes." The beauty brand will bring its limited-edition holiday collection, events, and activations to Rockette shows beginning November 6.

Walmart is channeling Dr. Seuss for its latest message. The retailer on Monday rolled out its holiday marketing effort, including a new ad campaign, "WhoKnewVille," and three major shopping events offering thousands of deals on a wide range of consumer items.

JCPenney on Tuesday announced the launch of its upcoming holiday campaign, "It's What They Thought That Counts," emphasizing the joy of giving the perfect gift at an affordable price. The campaign borrows a page from the retailer's "Yes, JCPenney" campaign from earlier in the year, which also celebrated frugality.

e.l.f. Beauty on Tuesday released its fourth annual Impact Report along with a new global ad campaign, "Give an e.l.f," that challenges consumers to fuel their own sense of purpose. The multichannel campaign includes a direct call to action to the public: "What do you give an e.l.f. (F#@&) about?"

Ad holding company WPP on Thursday rolled out WPP Open Pro, a self-service platform enabling brands to plan, create, and publish their own campaigns with the help of artificial intelligence. The platform will be available to large enterprises, SMBs, and WPP clients.

OpenAI on Tuesday announced the launch of ChatGPT Atlas, a web browser powered by the company's artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot. The browser will carry memories from a user's ChatGPT account and enable them to compile information based on their browser history and research, automate tasks, and book appointments, among other things.

Ocean Spray on Wednesday debuted "Just Add Cran, Beware of Cranpus," featuring actor Bryan Cranston as the horn-wearing Cranpus, who will disrupt anything to hoard all the cranberries possible. The campaign comes nearly two years after Ocean Spray launched its first major rebranding effort in more than two decades.

Macy's, Marvel, and the NBA are collaborating for a special-edition Spider-Man collection that features apparel, accessories, and home décor. The launch comes as the NBA season tips off Tuesday night and ahead of Spidey's return to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade this year.

Global media inflation is set to stabilize at around 4 percent for both 2025 and 2026, according to the latest World Federation of Advertisers Outlook report. The 4 percent trendline signals that the global media economy has started to reflect the broader economy.