Snickers has kicked off its second consecutive year running the “Hungriest Players” campaign with the NFL, in a move to bring entertainment and connections to consumers during the most unusual season ever. For the campaign, the Mars Wrigley brand once again created a branded, blinged-out necklace that will be passed around weekly to the player that showed the most hunger for the game that week throughout the NFL season.

Gen Z is one of the most diverse and digitally connected generations ever, and they make account for 40% of global consumers today, and account for $150 billion in spending power in the US alone. At a recent Brand Innovators' livecast called “Marketing to Gen Z," marketing leaders from YouTube, TikTok, LEGO, BABE Wine, Anheuser-Busch InBev, Bulletproof, Fenty Beauty, and other leading brands, shared their experiences and perspectives on how to engage and market to this unique generation.

Video streaming demand has grown in 2020 while millions of Americans have been sheltering-in-place due to COVID-19. And they’re buying more streaming services. “I can’t dream up another scenario that would benefit streaming services more than people being in their houses without much to do other than watch TV,” says Valerie Zapata, Hulu’s director of subscriber growth and partnerships.

As the star of the “Ghostbusters” and “Honey, I Shrunk The Kids!” franchises, Rick Moranis was one of the most ubiquitous actors of the ‘80s. But after 1997’s straight-to-video threequel “Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves!”, Moranis all but vanished from public life and consciousness, reappearing here and there with the occasional voice-acting gig.

Sunglasses and apparel company Oakley is marking its second year as an official on-field partner of the NFL with new team partnerships and a new campaign that speaks to the times. The “We Shape The Future” effort stars Team Oakley’s football athletes Patrick Mahomes II and Lamar Jackson, and features JuJu Smith-Schuster, Derwin James Jr., Aaron Jones and Trevon Diggs.

Ferrero brand Butterfinger has launched a new video campaign and sweepstakes that aims to build buzz around the brand this Halloween through entertaining and engaging content. The Butterfinger Investigators aka (BFI) is a humorous new video series that mirrors the television crime detective series CSI. The series includes several five-minute webisodes which are designed to “delight and entertain people with a few different curve balls," says Mark Wakefield, SVP Marketing at Ferrero.

Browse any industry trade publication and you’ll likely see mention of the rise of the in-house agency. Brands across nearly every category have built up internal creative, strategy, production and media operations in recent years for a number of reasons: it’s easier to get work done quickly, it can help with cost savings, and it gives the brand more control over the output. 

Driven largely by the pandemic, a resurgent social justice movement, and the overall acceleration and adoption of digital commerce, consumer culture has transformed radically in 2020. Unable to rely solely on product-focused campaigns, marketers must instead look for ways to keep their brands relevant and top of mind in this new era. 

With a brand portfolio that includes numerous pantry staples (including French’s, Frank’s RedHot, Lawry’s and dozens of McCormick spices and seasonings), Jill Pratt, Chief Marketing Excellence Officer at McCormick & Company, has had no trouble meeting the demand from the cook-from-home boom that’s been necessitated since COVID-19 sheltering-in-place began in mid-March. In June, the company announced that sales of its products in the Americas increased by 36% year-over-year during the second quarter of 2020, driven by an “unprecedented surge in demand.” 

Global freelance marketplace Fiverr has been promoting remote working long before the pandemic. Their ad latest campaign push aims to expand their brand awareness to small businesses and freelancers who are looking to adapt to the new demands of a world at home. 

When Mary Alderete rejoined Gap as CMO last February, she could not have predicted what kind of a year 2020 would be. But the chief executive marketing veteran who had most recently served as CMO of Banana Republic, brought her 30 years of experience to the table in an unprecedented year. The retailer's latest campaign "Stand United" transforms the brand from a product-based marketing platform to a brand-led values marketing approach.

Shenan Reed was just several weeks into her brand new role as SVP-Head of Media at L’Oreal when she spoke at Brand Innovators’ Influencer Marketing Virtual Summit on August 28. And unlike most marketers who’ve begun new positions since the beginning of COVID-19 lockdowns this spring, she’s had the benefit of a (mostly) in-person transition thus far, working at 50% capacity out of L’Oreal offices in New York’s Hudson Yards.

Italian coffee brand Lavazza has partnered with office sharing firm WeWork as the flexible workspace provider’s premier coffee partner in the U.S. and Canada, a move aimed at helping the company better penetrate the North American market.

Anheuser Busch has launched a new marketing campaign that encourages safe and responsible drinking in a humorous digital video campaign that honors bartenders in a year of shuttered bars. 

When Deirdre Findlay joined Conde Nast as its new Global CMO in January, her initial plans involved mapping out the company’s digital future and building a long-term revenue strategy. But just weeks into her arrival, it became clear that COVID-19 was about to cause global shutdowns and sheltering in place.