Wednesday, 28 October 2026Made in Tāmaki Makaurau · 204 stories this week
What's happening in marketing, right now.
Marketing news from the trade press, campaigns checked against their sources, and short lessons. For marketing students and anyone who wants to stay in the loop.
Read the newsLive from the trade press
Mumbrella · Latest
Publisher's summary: The Pure Profile rally extended into the third day, with the data and insights firm rising 9.09% to end the day with a market cap just under $44m. When the market opened on Monday, it was valued at $31.5m. Another strong mover was Nine, up 2.29%. The stock…
Campaign Brief·
AI & tech
Mumbrella·
AdExchanger·
Social & creators · AI & tech · Search & GEO
Digiday·
Media & ad tech
Digiday·
Digiday·
CTV: connected TV
Media & ad tech
Digiday·
Social & creators
Digiday·
Social & creators · People & agencies
This week by topic
GEO: generative engine optimisation
Tagged automatically from headlines, so counts are a guide.
Checked against sources
We only call a campaign a success when a source publishes results, awards or sales. Most new work hasn't got there yet, and we say so.
Charity & cause
Mater Lotteries · Australia
Agency: Ripe Solutions, with GumGum (ad tech / targeting)
According to B&T, Mater Lotteries (the lottery arm of the Mater hospital charity, which funds medical research and patient care) worked with ad-tech platform GumGum and media partner Ripe Solutions on its Prize Home Lottery No. 325. Rather than targeting lottery buyers by demographics, GumGum used its 'Mindset Graph' tool to find online content environments, including travel content, where readers already showed aspiration, inspiration and future-focused thinking, and served mobile ad formats there, including a 'Velocity' format showcasing the prize home's interiors rather than its location. GumGum's 'Mindset Portal' also supported real-time optimisation and, the company says, can book placements agentically.
Our take
Read the breakdown →
Sephora · Australia and New Zealand
Only at Sephora: 'The Search Is Over'
Beauty & personal care
Warner Bros. Pictures Animation · Global
The Cat in the Hat Roblox activation
Media & entertainment
Domino's · Global (19 markets, led by the US)
Minecraft Dungeons II collaboration (the Domino)
Food & restaurants
Wellington City Mission · New Zealand
Move On To Where?
Charity & cause
Also new this week · straight from the trade press, not yet checked by us
Mumbrella·
Campaigns
Mumbrella·
AI & tech · Activations
B&T·
Activations
Campaign Brief·
Campaigns
Mumbrella·
Activations
Mumbrella·
Campaigns
B&T·
Campaigns · Social & creators
Campaign Brief·
Campaigns
Patterns across the week's reporting
New technology in marketing
Amazon Ads
Announced at unBoxed: one AI interface for planning through measurement, and campaigns that combine sponsored, display, video and streaming TV while Amazon's AI decides execution.
Why it matters
Runway
An AI agent that makes ad variations, localises them, publishes human-approved versions to Meta, Google and TikTok, and feeds performance back into the next round.
Why it matters
Latest AI stories
Campaign Brief·
AI & tech
AdExchanger·
Social & creators · AI & tech · Search & GEO
Mumbrella·
AI & tech · Activations
Mumbrella·
AI & tech · Media & ad tech
Success with evidence
Recently announced winners from D&AD and the London International Awards (LIA). An award is public recognition by an industry jury. It isn't the same as commercial results.
| Work | Brand | Agency | Award | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your Way Out | Coinbase | Isle of Any | D&AD (Design and Art Direction) Black Pencil ×2 (Visual Effects; Production Design) | Creative Review · 25 Sept 2026 ↗ |
| The Periodic Fable | The Ordinary | Uncommon Creative Studio | D&AD Black Pencil (Art Direction) | Creative Review · 25 Sept 2026 ↗ |
| Three Words | AXA | Publicis Conseil | D&AD Black Pencil (Impact) | Creative Review · 25 Sept 2026 ↗ |
| Unsponsored | Levi Strauss & Co. | BETC Paris, AKQA | Grand LIA (London International Awards): Ambient & Activation | Campaign Brief · 29 Sept 2026 ↗ |
| The Pub That Refused To Die | Heineken | LePub Milan | Grand LIA: Creative Strategy | Campaign Brief · 29 Sept 2026 ↗ |
| Heinz Ketchup billboards (“Look Familiar?”) | Heinz | Rethink Toronto | Grand LIA: Billboard | Campaign Brief · 29 Sept 2026 ↗ |
| Sosegá | Cervezas Alhambra | LLYC Madrid | Grand LIA: Music & Sound | Campaign Brief · 29 Sept 2026 ↗ |
| Expensive Sh*t | Huggies | McCann New Zealand | LIA Gold: Ambient & Activation | Campaign Brief · 29 Sept 2026 ↗ |
| Lump Lottery | Testicular Cancer NZ | Colenso BBDO | LIA Gold + Silver: Creative Strategy | Campaign Brief · 29 Sept 2026 ↗ |
| No Place to Grow | We Are Mobilise | Droga5 ANZ | LIA Silver: Ambient & Activation | Campaign Brief · 29 Sept 2026 ↗ |
| Find Your Wonderful | New World | McCann New Zealand | Effie Gold: Retail/Etail | Campaign Brief · 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Fantasy Herd (with Together) | Goodman Fielder | McCann New Zealand | Effie Gold: Most Original Thinking; Effie Gold: Clever Use of Research/Data | Campaign Brief · 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Making the world fall in love with 100% Pure New Zealand again | Tourism New Zealand | TBWA New Zealand | Effie Gold: International Marketing | Campaign Brief · 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Booze Maths | NZTA Waka Kotahi | McCann New Zealand | Effie Gold: Insights & Strategic Thinking | Campaign Brief · 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
Our own thinking · hypothetical
These are not real campaigns. They're our own ideas for how this week's mechanics could work for well-known brands, and the brands named aren't involved.
Idea for Spotify
A live-streamed, long-form game show where the most obsessive fans of one artist compete using their listening data.
Mechanic: Fans opt in with their stats; top listeners qualify; the artist hosts the final.
See the full plan →
Inspired by: KFC's superfan game show (Adweek)
Idea for Red Bull
A month-long skate/run/ride challenge where each suburb's tracked activity lights up live DOOH (digital out-of-home) boards, ending in a street event in the winning suburb.
Mechanic: App or Strava tracking → live DOOH leaderboard → finale event.
See the full plan →
Inspired by: Hoka's Strava-to-DOOH marathon build-up (Digiday)
Idea for IKEA
Players donate unused in-game furniture from home-building games; each donation unlocks a real-world contribution to a housing charity.
Mechanic: In-game donation → public tally → matched real donation.
See the full plan →
Inspired by: Kirkens Korshær's Secondhand Skins (Creative Review)
Got a brand in mind? Build an idea for it →