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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: 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 ↗
Image: B&T
Recently launched

Health & care

Wet Ones · US (New York)

Just For Hands

Agency: BBH USA

Wet Ones used fingers, palms and knuckles arranged to look like bare bottoms across New York OOH (out-of-home advertising), after New York City transit declined to run the ads underground. Interactive 'Take a Wet Ones' walls hand out samples, and a social challenge invites people to post their own 'hand butt' photos on Instagram and TikTok.

No performance data published yet
  • A cited OnePlus study found just over half of Americans use hand wipes in an intimate area [B&T]
  • Flushed wipes are said to cost US clean water utilities an estimated $441 million a year in maintenance, equipment damage and repairs [B&T]
OOH (street screens, bus shelters, wrapped buses, Times Square)Experiential sampling wallsSocial (Instagram, TikTok)

✦ Our analysis: what to learn

Getting rejected from the subway became the story (above-ground only, after being turned down underground), which is free PR (public relations) on top of a genuinely odd visual gag. No results yet, so it's one to watch for whether the social challenge actually catches on.

Read the breakdown + mini task →

Sources · first reported 7 Oct 2026

That’s A Lot Of Bottom! Wet Ones Covers New York With Cheeky New CampaignB&T · 7 Oct 2026 ↗
Image: Mumbrella
Recently launched

Property & construction · Food & restaurants

Trade Me Property · New Zealand

The Flavour of Your Neighbourhood

Agency: Studio Prism (in-house) and Curious Nation

Trade Me Property turned its own property-search data into four food activations: a tasting trail at Cambridge Farmers' Market, a cafe takeover with branded coffee sleeves in Mt Eden, free hot chips at a Island Bay kiosk, and a bakery roadside stall in Heathcote. Each stop ties a local search or sales statistic to a food experience, with QR codes and signage pointing back to the Trade Me Property site.

No performance data published yet
  • Mt Eden is described as New Zealand's most searched suburb, with over 1.5 million searches in six months (Trade Me's own data) [Mumbrella]
  • Island Bay is described as the nation's most watch-listed suburb, and Heathcote as Canterbury's fastest-selling suburb (Trade Me's own data) [Mumbrella]
Experiential (markets, cafes, kiosks, bakery stall)Custom packaging and signagePR (public relations)Social

✦ Our analysis: what to learn

Turning your own first-party data into a reason for a local, in-person activation is a neat trick: the 'proof' (search and sales numbers) comes free from the platform itself, so the only job left is making it feel local and shareable.

Read the breakdown + mini task →

Sources · first reported 6 Oct 2026

Trade Me Property launches experiential campaign highlighting local flavoursMumbrella · 6 Oct 2026 ↗Trade Me Property Makes NZ Property Data More Human Via Curious NationB&T · 7 Oct 2026 ↗
Image: B&T
Currently running

Food & restaurants · Sport & fitness

Australian Bananas (Hort Innovation) · Australia

Banana Gym Pass: Bring a banana, bring a mate

Agency: Thinkerbell

In its third year, Banana Gym Pass let anyone who turns up with a banana on National Banana Day (7 October) bring a friend into one of more than 900 participating gyms for free. Nova FM breakfast hosts Ricki-Lee Coulter and Tim Blackwell fronted the launch, with a squad of influencers posting their own gym visits.

No performance data published yet
  • More than 900 gyms took part nationally for the one-day pass (brand/agency-reported), after the platform reportedly reached 'a thousand gyms' in its second year [B&T]
OOH (out-of-home advertising)Online videoRadio (Nova FM)Paid and owned socialInfluencers

✦ Our analysis: what to learn

A single prop (one banana) buys two people a free gym visit, which is simple enough to explain in one sentence and easy for media and influencers to repeat. The 'bring a mate' twist this year is a bet that shared habits stick better than solo ones, but there are no attendance numbers yet to say whether it worked.

Read the breakdown + mini task →

Sources · first reported 7 Oct 2026

Australian Bananas Call On Aussies To ‘Bring A Banana, Bring A Mate’ To Gyms Via ThinkerbellB&T · 7 Oct 2026 ↗

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

Image: Marketing Week

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

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