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The Weekly Pitch: what's happening in marketing, right now.

What's happening in marketing, right now.

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This week by topic

GEO: generative engine optimisation · AI: artificial intelligence

Topics are tagged automatically from headline keywords, so counts are approximate.

Checked against sources

Campaign watch

Full campaign library →

We only call a campaign successful when a source publishes evidence: results, awards or sales. Attention alone doesn't count. Where no figures exist, we say so.

Image: Campaign Brief
Recently launched

Health & care

Medibank · Australia

Untangle

Agency: Colenso BBDO

Medibank launched 'Untangle', a national brand platform via Colenso BBDO that reframes mental fitness as small, everyday actions rather than a crisis response, building on the 'Family Roast' conversation card game it launched the previous year. The work runs across TV, out-of-home and social, with content partnerships alongside news.com.au and Mamamia.

No performance data published yet
  • Medibank says the platform sits inside a wider commitment to invest $100 million in mental health over the next five years (brand-reported figure: a planned spend, not a measured result) [Campaign Brief]
TVOut-of-homeSocialContent partnerships (news.com.au, Mamamia)

✦ Our analysis: what to learn

Backing a campaign idea with a five-year, nine-figure spending commitment signals this is meant to be a long-running platform rather than a one-off ad burst, which fits a slow-building category like mental health where trust takes time. There's no measure yet of whether 'Untangle' changes how people act, only how much the brand plans to spend trying.

Read the breakdown + mini task →

Sources · first reported 13 Oct 2026

Medibank helps Australians ‘Untangle’ in new mental fitness platform via Colenso BBDOCampaign Brief · 13 Oct 2026 ↗Medibank Launches Mental Fitness Platform Untangle Via Colenso BBDOB&T · 13 Oct 2026 ↗
Image: Adweek
Recently launchedCurrently running

Food & restaurants

Pringles · US

Once You Drop

Agency: BBDO New York and Weber Shandwick

For Halloween, Pringles extended its 'Once You Pop, the Pop Don't Stop' platform with 'Once You Drop': fans sign an online 'Last Will and Taste-Ament' for the chance to be buried in a branded, can-shaped Pringles urn when they die, fronted by TikTok creator Dan the Funeral Man, a real funeral director. The winner, announced around Halloween, also receives what the brand calls a lifetime supply of Pringles. Entries run via onceyoudrop.com from 13 to 22 October.

No performance data published yet

No performance figures have been published by the sources we checked.

SocialOnline videoTikTok (creator partnership)Website (onceyoudrop.com)

✦ Our analysis: what to learn

Turning a mock 'last wish' into a sign-up mechanic gives people something more specific to do than just watch an ad, and fronting it with a real funeral director lends the joke a straight-faced credibility a scripted actor couldn't. It's a limited-entry giveaway rather than mass media, so its reach depends entirely on how far the joke travels online; nothing has been reported yet.

Read the breakdown + mini task →

Sources · first reported 13 Oct 2026

Pringles Offers One Die-Hard Fan a Final Resting Place in a Branded UrnAdweek · 13 Oct 2026 ↗
Image: B&T
Recently launched

Sport & fitness

Powerade · US (New York)

Never Just Sports

Agency: Ogilvy

Powerade responded to backlash against Novig, a US sports trading platform whose early-September campaign used provocative imagery of actor Sydney Sweeney, with 'Never Just Sports' via Ogilvy: footage of real women athletes completing genuine sporting feats, screened on a Times Square billboard over a weekend.

No performance data published yet

No performance figures have been published by the sources we checked.

OOH (out-of-home advertising) (Times Square, New York)

✦ Our analysis: what to learn

Answering a rival's controversial ad with real athletes doing real sport, rather than a statement, is a cheap, fast way to claim the opposite position in the same conversation, borrowing the attention Novig's campaign had already generated. It ran for one weekend in one location, so there's nothing yet on whether it reached anyone beyond the trade press already covering the Novig backlash.

Read the breakdown + mini task →

Sources · first reported 13 Oct 2026

Powerade Hits Back At Novig’s Sydney Sweeney AdB&T · 13 Oct 2026 ↗
Image: B&T
Recently launched

Alcohol & drinks

Mountain Culture Beer Co · Australia

Cockatoo cease & desist

Blue Mountains craft brewer Mountain Culture posted a mock cease-and-desist letter to the Brisbane 2032 Olympics on Instagram, arguing the Games' new flaming emblem (five pointed, right-leaning feathers) looks 'an awful lot like' the cockatoo it has used on its cans since 2019, delivered by a toy 'carrier cockatoo'. The letter suggests Brisbane use an ibis instead and says the brand 'would also accept tickets'.

No performance data published yet

No performance figures have been published by the sources we checked.

InstagramPR (public relations)

✦ Our analysis: what to learn

Piggybacking on a story everyone in adland was already discussing (the new Games emblem) costs nothing but a good line, and 'we'd also accept tickets' is written to be quoted straight into coverage like this one. The joke only works because the cockatoo is already a recognised asset; there's no sign yet of how far it travelled past trade press.

Read the breakdown + mini task →

Sources · first reported 9 Oct 2026

Mountain Culture Slaps Brissie Olympics With Cockatoo Cease & Desist Notice (Maybe)B&T · 9 Oct 2026 ↗
Image: B&T
Recently launchedCurrently running

Food & restaurants · Charity & cause

Doritos · Australia

Fiery Purple Blaze × ReachOut

For Mental Health Month, Doritos launched 'Fiery Purple Blaze', a flavour sold exclusively in 7-Eleven stores nationwide, continuing its partnership with Australian youth mental health charity ReachOut. Every bag, and the rest of the Doritos core range, carries a QR code linking to ReachOut's online resources, with in-store activity and co-branded touchpoints running throughout October.

No performance data published yet
  • Doritos and ReachOut say their partnership, running since 2022, has reached more than 750,000 young people toward a shared goal of helping one million people take action for their mental health (brand- and charity-reported figure) [B&T]
In-store (7-Eleven)Packaging / QR codesPR (public relations)

✦ Our analysis: what to learn

Putting a working QR code on packaging, not just a charity logo, turns the product itself into a distribution channel for support resources rather than a one-off ad. The '750,000 people' figure covers the whole partnership since 2022, so it says little about whether this specific launch moves the number further.

Read the breakdown + mini task →

Sources · first reported 9 Oct 2026

Doritos Reminds Aussies ‘They Don’t Have To Go Through Tough Times Alone’ With New Purple ChipB&T · 9 Oct 2026 ↗
Image: Marketing Dive
Recently launchedCurrently running

Alcohol & drinks

Espolòn Tequila (Campari Group) · US

Espolòn Fare Share

Timed to Halloween, when ride-hailing surge pricing spikes, Espolòn's Fare Share program lets people who use a service like Uber or Lyft during qualifying hours submit their receipt for a 50% refund of the fare, up to $25, through 1 November. The brand is amplifying it through creator partnerships, bar and restaurant signage, and Halloween and Día de los Muertos activations in five US cities.

No performance data published yet
  • Espolòn cites data showing major cities' ride-sharing costs rose eight to nine times the normal fare on Halloween last year (brand-cited figure) [Marketing Dive]
Earned mediaCreator partnershipsBar and restaurant signageIn-person activations (Los Angeles, New York City, Dallas, Houston, Austin)Landing page

✦ Our analysis: what to learn

Refunding part of a real, widely felt cost (surge-priced rides) is a sharper hook than a generic 'drink responsibly' message, and backing it with signage and events at the point people decide whether to go out puts the offer where it can actually change behaviour. The program only just launched, so there's nothing yet on how many people claimed a refund.

Read the breakdown + mini task →

Sources · first reported 8 Oct 2026

Espolòn Tequila combats surge pricing with ride-hailing refund programMarketing Dive · 8 Oct 2026 ↗

On the wire this week · automatically collected, not yet reviewed

01

Brands are becoming entertainment studios

The signals (reporting)

✦ Our analysis: so what?

Attention is earned with formats people choose to watch or stream, not interruptions. Budgets are moving from spots to series.

Read the breakdown + mini task →

✦ Our suggestion: try this

Take your most-engaged social content and ask: what would the 20-minute version be? Pilot one episode before committing to a series.

Read the breakdown + mini task →

Image: Adweek

02

AI (artificial intelligence) agents move from making assets to running the plan

The signals (reporting)

✦ Our analysis: so what?

Platforms increasingly ask for a goal, a budget and creative, then decide the rest. The competitive edge moves to the inputs: strategy, creative quality and clean data.

Read the breakdown + mini task →

✦ Our suggestion: try this

Run a controlled test: one campaign on the platform's AI-automated option, one on your manual setup, same budget. Compare cost per outcome, not clicks.

Read the breakdown + mini task →

Image: Digiday

03

The entry-level talent squeeze

The signals (reporting)

✦ Our analysis: so what?

Junior tasks (resizing, first drafts, reporting) are being automated, so the pipeline that trains future leaders is at risk.

Read the breakdown + mini task →

✦ Our suggestion: try this

For students and juniors: build a portfolio that shows judgement (briefs, strategy, critique of AI outputs), not just production.

Read the breakdown + mini task →

New technology in marketing

AI radar

Open the AI radar →

AI: artificial intelligence

Amazon Ads

Ads Agent, Full-Funnel Campaigns, DVA+

Announced at unBoxed: one AI (artificial intelligence) interface for planning through measurement, and campaigns that combine sponsored, display, video and streaming TV while Amazon's AI decides execution.

✦ Why it matters

Buying silos are collapsing into goal-and-budget inputs. Planners' value shifts to strategy, creative and testing.
Digiday · 29 Sept 2026 ↗

Runway

Runway Ads

An AI (artificial intelligence) 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

Creative production and optimisation in one loop. The generative-video players are moving into performance marketing.
Adweek · 30 Sept 2026 ↗

Latest AI stories · live

All AI & tech stories →

Success with evidence

Award-winning work

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.

WorkBrandAgencyAwardSource
Your Way OutCoinbaseIsle of AnyD&AD (Design and Art Direction) Black Pencil ×2 (Visual Effects; Production Design)Creative Review · 25 Sept 2026 ↗
The Periodic FableThe OrdinaryUncommon Creative StudioD&AD Black Pencil (Art Direction)Creative Review · 25 Sept 2026 ↗
Three WordsAXAPublicis ConseilD&AD Black Pencil (Impact)Creative Review · 25 Sept 2026 ↗
UnsponsoredLevi Strauss & Co.BETC Paris, AKQAGrand LIA (London International Awards): Ambient & ActivationCampaign Brief · 29 Sept 2026 ↗
The Pub That Refused To DieHeinekenLePub MilanGrand LIA: Creative StrategyCampaign Brief · 29 Sept 2026 ↗
Heinz Ketchup billboards (“Look Familiar?”)HeinzRethink TorontoGrand LIA: BillboardCampaign Brief · 29 Sept 2026 ↗
SosegáCervezas AlhambraLLYC MadridGrand LIA: Music & SoundCampaign Brief · 29 Sept 2026 ↗
Expensive Sh*tHuggiesMcCann New ZealandLIA Gold: Ambient & ActivationCampaign Brief · 29 Sept 2026 ↗
Lump LotteryTesticular Cancer NZColenso BBDOLIA Gold + Silver: Creative StrategyCampaign Brief · 29 Sept 2026 ↗
No Place to GrowWe Are MobiliseDroga5 ANZLIA Silver: Ambient & ActivationCampaign Brief · 29 Sept 2026 ↗

Our own thinking · hypothetical

Ideas lab

Open the Ideas lab →
These are not real campaigns. They are our own ideas, showing how this week's mechanics could be used by well-known brands. The brands named have no involvement.

Idea for Spotify · hypothetical

Wrapped: The Final

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.

Inspired by: KFC's superfan game show (Adweek)

Idea for Red Bull · hypothetical

City vs City Session Board

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.

Inspired by: Hoka's Strava-to-DOOH marathon build-up (Digiday)

Idea for IKEA · hypothetical

Secondhand Rooms

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.

Inspired by: Kirkens Korshær's Secondhand Skins (Creative Review)

✦ Try it yourself

Build an idea for any brand

Open the idea builder →