🎯 Fanta Turns Snap Map Into Storefronts
Hi, Marketers!
The ad break is disappearing. Unfortunately, that just means the rest of reality is slowly becoming the ad.
Fanta Turns Snap Map Into Storefronts
TL;DR: Fanta and Snapchat have turned Australia's Snap Map into a store-finding contest for the new Fanta Fantasies range. A floating branded bottle appears as a Promoted Place and directs users to nearby 7-Eleven stores, where squads can scan packaging and enter for a travel prize. Ogilvy Australia helped build the campaign, which runs through October 4. Read more →
Hoka Scores Marathon Training
TL;DR: Hoka is using a sponsored Strava challenge and digital billboards to track New York runners' progress before the city marathon. Created with Jellyfish, the campaign also spans TikTok, Meta, and six creator partnerships, then leads into an October 3 block party. Rather than focusing only on race day, Hoka is making weeks of training visible across the city. Read more →
Kantar Tracks AI Discovery Spending
TL;DR: Kantar's Media Reactions 2026 study finds marketers preparing to spend more on visibility inside AI assistants, even as consumer trust trails their ambitions. A net 75% plan to increase investment in 2027, but only 23% of consumers trust AI recommendations. The research draws on interviews with more than 800 senior marketers and 23,000 consumers worldwide. Read more →
ISBA Structures Creator Marketing
TL;DR: UK advertiser group ISBA and Responsible Marketing Advisory have published a framework for deciding who owns creator marketing and how brands should measure it. Their member research found 48% still manage creator activity ad hoc, while only 9% treat it as core strategy. The guide offers three operating models rather than assuming every brand needs an in-house team. Read more →
Insurers Enter AI Ad Governance
TL;DR: At AdExchanger's Programmatic IO, speakers described insurance underwriters emerging as another force shaping how advertisers use AI responsibly. Alongside legal scrutiny, brands and agencies are building internal rules to contain errors and liability. Yum! Brands said its dedicated AI team oversees security, contracts, and disclosure, while BBDO tracks the performance of agentic workflows over time. Read more →
Washington Post Makes Reporting Visible
TL;DR: The Washington Post and Uncommon Creative Studio have launched Relentless, a campaign built from the paper's investigation into misuse of Flock surveillance cameras. Instead of a conventional ad, they made a newspaper edition showing the interviews, documents, and verification behind the reporting. Subscribers received the edition, alongside a film, website takeover, and physical press-pass tribute. Read more →
Mercury Materializes Money Pressure
TL;DR: Business banking company Mercury has launched a film that turns the invisible pressure of managing money into a physical, flowing force. Created by MATTE Projects and directed by Rune Milton, the campaign shows how payments, approvals, and decisions can bottleneck around a founder before a more connected banking system gives the business room to move. Read more →
Lunchables Heats The Pizza Debate
TL;DR: Lunchables has made a limited-edition Pizza Grill for fans who prefer heating the brand's famously cold snack pizzas. Developed with The Kitchen for National Pizza Month, the device fits all three pizzas in a pack and turns a long-running hot-versus-cold fan debate into a product. It will be sold through Walmart.com in October while supplies last. Read more →
Truly Dresses The Casual Fan
TL;DR: Truly Hard Seltzer and agency Party Land have released Truly Lost, a sportswear line for people who enjoy game-day company more than the game itself. Vintage-inspired shirts, hats, and bags carry self-deprecating messages about not knowing when to cheer. The collection turns casual spectators into a recognizable fan group without tying the campaign to one sport. Read more →
DoorDash Serves Hockey Night
TL;DR: DoorDash has launched What's For Hockey, a Canadian campaign built around its NHL delivery partnership and the family ritual of watching a game together. A film places living rooms on an ice rink as Dashers deliver food before puck drop. Created by Broken Heart Love Affair, the campaign debuted September 29 across TV, streaming, audio, outdoor, and social. Read more →
Canada Goose Sails With McGregor
TL;DR: Canada Goose is supplying protective gear for TRUE WIND, a documentary following Ewan McGregor and childhood friend Eric Strickland on an unsupported Atlantic crossing. The brand's Sea Mantra outerwear is being tested on the voyage from Scotland to Brazil. Produced with Elixir Films and Lief Entertainment, the series makes the expedition part of Canada Goose's exploration story. Read more →
Twisted Tea Wears Realtree Camo
TL;DR: Twisted Tea has teamed with outdoor brand Realtree to put camouflage patterns on cans, cases, and a fall merchandise collection. The Boston Beer brand is extending its Tea Drop campaign across TV, streaming, retail, and social, with creator content and activations to follow. The collaboration launched September 28, with retail displays designed to resemble outdoor lodges. Read more →
Toyota Drops A Caravan On Hilux
TL;DR: Toyota asked UK Reddit communities how to test the toughness of its new electric Hilux, then recreated a Top Gear stunt chosen by voters. At a Suffolk airfield, a 760-kilogram caravan fell onto the pickup from 30 feet; the vehicle started and drove away. The spectacle links the electric model to Hilux's decades-old reputation for durability. Read more →
Frasers Combines PR And GEO
TL;DR: Frasers Group has appointed M+C Saatchi Talk as lead UK agency for consumer PR, SEO, and GEO across Sports Direct, FRASERS, and FLANNELS. The brief combines earned media with visibility in Google, TikTok, and AI-driven discovery rather than handling each channel separately. It gives the agency one remit spanning brand storytelling, search authority, and consumer attention. Read more →
UNDERSTAND WHAT CHANGES AND WHY IT MATTERS
From breakthrough models to billion-dollar bets—we follow the technology, business, and people shaping AI. Get the free daily briefing in your inbox.
- AI Secret uncovers your daily edge in AI
- Bay Area Letters decodes AI, tech, and business from Silicon Valley
- Robotics Herald tracks how robots move from labs into daily life
- Marketing Secret breaks down real growth and go-to-market playbooks
- The Hardwire explores hardware, consumer tech, and what’s coming next
TOGETHER WITH US
AI Secret Media Group is the world’s #1 AI & Tech Newsletter Group, reaching over 2 million leaders across the global innovation ecosystem, from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and Microsoft to top AI labs, VCs, and fast-growing startups.
We've helped promote over 500 Tech Brands. Will yours be the next?
Email our co-founder Mark directly at mark@aisecret.us if the button fails.