Thursday, 22 October 2026Made in Tāmaki Makaurau · 238 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
Marketing Week · Latest
Publisher's summary: AI can help you close the gap to competitors and produce remarkable content, but only if you have the taste and sound judgement to make it a possibility. Source
B&T·
Marketing Week·
B&T·
People & agencies
Mumbrella·
Activations
B&T·
B&T·
Media & ad tech
AdExchanger·
AI & tech · Media & ad tech · Search & GEO
Campaign Brief·
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.
Tech & telco
Uber · Australia
Agency: History Will Be Kind (concept and PR), with Curious Nation (event production)
Uber Australia ran 'Uber Clubhouse for Seniors', a free two-night pop-up at one of Melbourne's oldest lawn bowls clubs on 8 and 9 October as part of the Victorian Seniors Festival. Guests were invited to bring a 'Bowls Buddy' for a friendly lawn bowls competition with a live DJ, drinks, snacks and prizes including Uber discount codes, alongside hands-on help with app features such as Simple Mode, Family Profiles, Call to Ride and the Multi Purpose Taxi Program. A dedicated pick-up and drop-off zone let staff help guests book rides on the spot. Uber also ran a support hub at the Victorian Seniors Festival Celebration Day at Federation Square on 3 October.
No performance data published yet.
Our take
Read the breakdown →
Also new this week · straight from the trade press, not yet checked by us
Mumbrella·
Activations
Creative Review·
Campaigns · Social & creators
Campaign Brief·
Campaigns · Brand & design
Campaign Brief·
Campaigns
Campaign Brief·
Campaigns · Brand & design
Mumbrella·
Activations
B&T·
Campaigns · Brand & design
B&T·
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
Marketing Week·
AI & tech
AdExchanger·
AI & tech · Media & ad tech · Search & GEO
AdExchanger·
DSP: demand-side platform
AI & tech · Media & ad tech · Search & GEO
Digiday·
AI & 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 ↗ |
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 →
