🎯 Omaha Steaks Ditches Vague Quality
Hi, Marketers!
Turns out the best way to sell a great steak is to let the steak do the talking. Sometimes the smartest marketing move is simply telling the truth.
Omaha Steaks Ditches Vague Quality
TL;DR: Omaha Steaks is replacing vague quality claims with specifics about American sourcing, aging and hand-cutting in its No Bull campaign. Growth marketing leader Angie Kubicek says clear information helps younger shoppers understand the brand. The company reported a 46% conversion-rate increase and 130% rise in social mentions roughly two weeks after launch, alongside television, social and influencer activity. Read more →
Revlon Makes TV Ads Shoppable
TL;DR: Revlon used Amazon's interactive video ads and personalized TV creative to connect streaming audiences with shopping actions. In an Advertising Week recap, chief digital marketing officer Kelly Solomon described the campaign's approach. Amazon reported a 9.8-times higher click-through rate than non-interactive ads and 2.6-times higher return on ad spend than category benchmarks, with different comparisons behind each figure. Read more →
NIQ Separates AI Influence From Use
TL;DR: Consumer research firm NIQ finds AI recommendations are influencing shopping more widely than shoppers are actively using AI themselves. Its global survey of over 21,000 consumers across 31 countries found 55% reported some influence on household and grocery purchases. Separately, 27% had used AI tools to research or decide purchases in the previous three months, a narrower measure. Read more →
Freeman Measures The Belief Gap
TL;DR: Events group The Freeman Company commissioned The Harris Poll, which found that 67% of US consumers surveyed said AI-generated content makes brand claims harder to trust. Among recent brand-event attendees, 56% trusted the brand, compared with 11% of non-attendees. The research included 2,004 consumers, alongside separate surveys of marketers and business buyers, examining belief beyond brand awareness. Read more →
BelliWelli Moves Fun Into Retail
TL;DR: BelliWelli CEO Katie Wilson describes how the brand moved from online probiotic snack bars to fiber supplements sold mainly through large retailers, which now account for 80% of sales. Its latest promotion uses endcaps in 3,120 Walmart stores and a jewelry partnership with 8 Other Reasons. Cheeky charms and cash prizes carry the brand's playful identity into the aisle. Read more →
Free People Shares Creative Control
TL;DR: Free People and musician Willow built their fall partnership without a rigid traditional brief, co-creating a live performance video and record release party alongside campaign imagery. CMO Jack Reynolds says the brand made room for her creative vision rather than prescribing it. The relationship continued with an October 8 performance at its Philadelphia headquarters, extending beyond a seasonal endorsement. Read more →
Subway Turns Orders Into Outdoor
TL;DR: Subway's Get Your Own Way campaign turns unusually specific customer orders found on Reddit into outdoor advertisements, celebrating customization rather than fixed combinations and algorithmic suggestions. In a new interview, EMEA CMO Louise Wardle describes how Saatchi & Saatchi used real requests to develop the idea. Shapes from its food-counter containers now connect restaurant design with the broader brand identity. Read more →
Espolon Refunds Halloween Ride Fares
TL;DR: Espolon Tequila is helping qualifying riders offset Halloween surge pricing through Fare Share, reimbursing half their ride-hailing fare up to $25 after receipt submission. Running through November 1, the program connects the brand with nights out rather than only advertising around them. Creator partnerships, bar signage and Halloween and Day of the Dead activations carry the offer into US cities. Read more →
Volkswagen Builds On Shared Fandom
TL;DR: Volkswagen of America CMO Rachael Zaluzec is deepening partnerships that connect the brand with relevant fan communities, from US Soccer to NBCUniversal comedy. Its soccer agreement now runs through 2032, covering all 27 national teams and more youth programming. Individual ambassadors and genuine owner stories add personal connections, while television remains part of the automaker's broader mix for building awareness. Read more →
Even Realities Dramatizes Camera Anxiety
TL;DR: Camera-free smart-glasses brand Even Realities has premiered Exposed, a ten-episode vertical horror drama directed by Ishana Night Shyamalan. A family's private vacation becomes entertainment for strangers through ubiquitous camera glasses. Rather than demonstrating the product, the series dramatizes bystander privacy concerns, extending a campaign that also reached New York and San Francisco through outdoor placements and a Times Square takeover. Read more →
Polymarket Builds A Recurring Ad World
TL;DR: Polymarket is expanding its fictional headquarters into a recurring advertising setting, where sports stars and entertainers explain platform features through comic office encounters. Created with agency Today on the Moon, shorter spots follow September's introductory film and focus on smaller character groups. The shared world supports television, digital, outdoor and social campaigns while leaving room for additional stories and moments. Read more →
Rivian Lets Owners Join Ghostbusters
TL;DR: Rivian's Halloween partnership with Sony Pictures connects a Bill Murray advertisement with a real custom Ecto-R1 vehicle and Ghostbusters-themed experiences for owners. Halloween Mode adds coordinated sounds, lighting and displays, with the full interactive experience available while parked. Running through November 2, the collaboration brings the film franchise into both the brand's advertising and the vehicles its customers already own. Read more →
Pret Turns Membership Into A Nightclub
TL;DR: Pret A Manger will turn its New York Union Square shop into a nightclub on October 23 to celebrate the relaunch of Club Pret. A DJ, espresso and matcha martinis, and a Frank Ape mural make the subscription tangible. Members can receive signed totes, with five containing a free membership year, connecting the party with benefits that continue afterward. Read more →
Kwik Fit Turns Waiting Into Connection
TL;DR: UK car-maintenance brand Kwik Fit is turning service waiting time into an invitation to call someone customers care about. Created with VCCP, Kwik Chat uses a deadpan garage film, waiting-room posters and audio, staff communications and nearby billboards to encourage conversation. ITV airtime extends the message nationally, linking mental wellbeing with the brand's existing promise to keep drivers happy. Read more →
Shutterfly Trades Perfection For Keepsakes
TL;DR: Shutterfly's Joy to the Moment campaign puts imperfect family gatherings ahead of picture-perfect holidays, using creators to reach younger families who see greeting cards as keepsakes. Brand and creative lead Callie Worthington says the company is increasing television and other awareness-building investment, including YouTube Shorts and paid social, while reusing last year's connected-TV spots because they performed well. Read more →
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