Tag: food & beverage
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Coca-Cola Uses Optical Illusion in OOH Campaign
Coca-Cola’s “You Must Love Coke” OOH push found a way to show up in football stadium ecosystems where wearing (or displaying) red can range from “not advised” to “choose-your-own-adventure.” The trick: billboards and placements that contain *zero* actual red, yet still prompt viewers to “see” Coke’s signature color anyway—because their brains do the work. It’s…
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Hendrick’s Unveils a New Gin With Immersive Theater Experience
Hendrick’s is rolling out its first new gin in nearly a decade, “Another Hendrick’s,” and it’s keeping the launch firmly in the real world—with a theatrical twist. The bottle blends the brand’s usual rose-and-cucumber base with orange blossoms and cacao beans. Instead of leaning on a standard media blitz, the brand built a global campaign…
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Butler/Till’s agentic media-buying tests cut costs and time
Butler/Till just wrapped its first real-world test of an “agentic” programmatic buy for Geloso Beverage Group, working with PubMatic—and the numbers are hard to ignore. Across two flights (Dec. 2025–Jan.) running on CTV, online, and mobile app inventory from names like Samsung, Paramount, Vizio, and Tubi, the setup cut supply chain costs by 82% (with…
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The AI Olympics Ad You Couldn’t Find (And That Was the Point)
Liquid Death ran a real, AI-generated Winter Olympics spot that looked so “is this even a real ad from the brand?” that viewers spiraled into Reddit and shaky TikTok replays trying to prove it existed. The ad features an AI figure skater pitching Liquid Death sparkling water as the less “artificial” choice—then promptly goes off…
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Fembots, Football & Funny: What Viewers Want From Super Bowl Ads
Turns out Super Bowl viewers mostly want to laugh—with or without the help of an algorithm. A recent Harris Poll for Ad Age found that 71% of consumers are craving funny ads during this year’s Big Game, and humor is also what sticks, with 46% saying they’re most likely to remember a funny spot. Agencies…
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Almond Breeze Roasts AI Hype with Help from the Jonas Brothers
Almond Breeze is tired of AI marketing nonsense—and they’re not alone. Teaming up with the Jonas Brothers, the brand kicked off 2026 with a three-minute comic mini-movie that turns the mirror back on runaway generative AI gimmicks. The film, created with agency McKinney and production partner Cylndr Studios, runs through a series of hilariously overproduced,…
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Oreo’s AI Power Move: Meet AIDA, the $40M Content Machine
Mondelēz International – the company behind Oreo, Chips Ahoy!, Ritz, and more – is leaning hard into generative AI with a tool it’s calling AIDA (short for AI + Data). With an investment already topping $40 million, AIDA is designed to crank out marketing content faster and cheaper, while also tailoring ads to individual consumer…
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Kind Is Letting AI Taste-Test Its Message Before You Do
Kind snack bars is going all-in on generative AI to cut costs and move faster—because apparently, granola bars aren’t the only thing they want to streamline. Facing pressure to break through with Gen Z and outmaneuver private label competitors, Kind’s marketing team has shortened its creative testing window from months to mere days, using tools…
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Chips Ahoy Enters the Upside Down with ‘Stranger Things’ AR Game
Chips Ahoy is diving into the “Stranger Things” multiverse just in time for the show’s final season by launching an augmented reality (AR) game hidden within its cookie packaging. Starting August 11, fans who scan on-pack QR codes or visit a dedicated microsite can unlock a digital Upside Down, where they search for virtual cookies…
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🔥 When the Heat Is On, Sprite Hits the Street
Sprite is using rising temperatures as a marketing trigger—literally. Weather-based targeting is not a new concept, but interesting to see the growth in adoption here. The Coca-Cola-owned brand launched a digital out-of-home (DOOH) campaign that activates when the mercury rises, serving chill reminders to consumers in places like Rome, London, Seoul, and beyond to grab…
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Delish Adds AI Cooking Coach to Website
What started as a batter-smeared idea is now Delish’s latest entrée into AI: a voice-activated recipe assistant called Cooking Coach. Built in a few months and trained exclusively on Delish’s 30,000-strong recipe archive, the tool lets users cook hands-free, juggling tasks like ingredient swaps, timers, and portion adjustments without touching a screen. The project, born…
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Heineken Taps AI to Keep It Local, Even at Global Scale
Heineken may be one of the world’s oldest beer brands, but it’s not letting legacy slow it down. With hundreds of local markets to manage, the challenge isn’t just modernization—it’s doing it without flattening local flavor. That’s where connected intelligence, enterprise architecture modularity, and IBM muscle come in. Heineken’s digital and tech chief, Ronald den…
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Welch’s Uses AI to Freshen Up Lunchbox Notes
Welch’s Fruit Snacks is giving parents a digital upgrade for one of the oldest lunchbox traditions—the handwritten note. With help from AI, the brand’s new “Lunchbox Notes Translator” turns simple parent messages into witty, warm, or playfully rephrased sentiments. Available for a limited time, writable Welch’s pouches now include QR codes that link to this…
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Bad View? Have a Brew: Coors Light Turns AI into a Beer Delivery System
Coors Light is stepping up for baseball fans—literally the ones stuck behind poles or nosebleed seats—with a new campaign that uses AI to offer compensation in the form of cold beer. The brand launched “The Coors Light AI Beer Refund,” a program that uses computer vision to detect obstructed-view seats in user-submitted photos. Fans can…
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vitaminwater’s “Paint Your Rent” sweeps leverages genAI
Vitaminwater’s “Paint Your Rent” campaign gives consumers the chance to win free rent for a year and custom interior design services. Participants can submit photos of a Vitaminwater flavor in a room they want to redecorate. Five winners will receive the rent prize and work with Havenly designers to create vibrant, flavor-inspired spaces. AI-generated mood…
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SOUR PATCH KIDS x Roblox
The SOUR PATCH KIDS brand is bringing its signature sour-then-sweet mischief to Roblox with the new “SOUR PATCH KIDS Mischief Tycoon Experience.” Key highlights: Designed for users 13+ Players engage in mischief to rebuild fruit-themed versions of Mischief Mountain Features mini-games based on SOUR PATCH KIDS flavors: Watermelon Blast, Grape Gallery, and Peach Falls Rewards…
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A framework for using AI in marketing
In this Think with Google post, Marie Gulin-Merle (global VP of Ads marketing at Google) and Alison Wagonfeld (VP of marketing at Google Cloud) outline a framework for integrating AI into marketing. The framework focuses on using AI for measurement and insights, media and personalization, and creative and content. Key steps include leveraging first-party data…
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Snickers deploys digital clone of soccer legend
Snickers has launched a new U.K. marketing campaign featuring an AI clone of legendary soccer coach José Mourinho to provide personalized advice to soccer fans. The campaign uses AI technology to create unique videos responding to fans’ submitted “own goal” stories, with Mourinho’s digital twin offering customized advice. Developed in collaboration with Helo and WPP’s…
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PepsiCo experiments with Smart Cans and AI hydration coaching
At Cannes Lions, PepsiCo showcased its latest AI-driven innovations for Gatorade and Pepsi. Gatorade introduced an AI Hydration Coach, “Anna,” designed to provide personalized hydration advice using data from the Gatorade Sports Science Institute. Meanwhile, Pepsi debuted the Smart Can, a connected device featuring digital screens and sensors to enhance consumer engagement through personalized experiences.…
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Hostess launches drone delivery stunt
Hostess has launched a drone delivery sweepstakes campaign offering sweet package delivery to winning customers with “Joy” in their name. This promotion, running until July 2, offers winners snack-filled packages delivered by Drone Up in selected U.S. states, with others receiving packages by mail. The campaign aims to enhance summer enjoyment by distributing Hostess snacks…
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Slam Dunk Strategy: How Reese’s Nailed Its NCAA Omnichannel Campaign
The CPG brand used Augmented Reality to help sales reps show retail partners what in-store activations could look like… Reese’s brought its physical marketing precision to new heights for its Reese’s Carmel Big Cup activation. The company developed advanced technology in-house that visually places digital mock-ups of displays in stores. Powered by augmented reality and…
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BODYARMOR is launching a series of AR-enhanced collector bottles
BODYARMOR has introduced a series of limited edition collector bottles that feature augmented reality (AR) enhancements. This new lineup includes bottles for various athletes across the NFL, MLB, and other sports, enabling interactive experiences like virtual games and simulations linked to the athletes. For instance, Ryan Blaney’s bottle offers a virtual pit stop experience, and…
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How Major Brands Are Capitalizing on TikTok Shop
Despite the potential U.S. ban on TikTok, brands like Coca-Cola, Benefit Cosmetics, and e.l.f. Beauty continue to use TikTok Shop effectively. They employ the platform for product launches and influencer collaborations to drive sales and enhance brand visibility. Social commerce is still in relatively early days but growth and best practices are emerging. Even as…
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Bud Light on the Sphere
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Pepsi Sphere takeover
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Super Bowl advertisers lean into AR extensions
Several of this year’s big game advertisers partnered with Snapchat to deliver second-screen experiences based on the platform’s iconic AR lenses. When consumers see multiple Snapchat ad products as part of a Super Bowl campaign, awareness increases 2.2 times (compared to a single ad type) and intent increases 2.9 times, according to Kantar data. Brands…
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NotCo Uses AR to Highlight the Reality Behind ‘Happy’ Animal Food Logos
From AdWeek… Plant-based food-tech company NotCo wants to change the way consumers think about meat with its newest campaign, “Not So Happy Animals,” which uses AR technology to bring animal food logos to life. Starting today, people in the U.S. can visit the Not Happy websiteon their mobile devices and scan animal logos in the…
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Grand Marnier uses AR to spice up real world events
From AdWeek… To support its “Grand Encounter” campaign that began in early 2023, alcohol brand Grand Marnier kicked off a series of real-world experiential events featuring music, tastings and an AR activation. After debuting in New York Nov. 15-17, the “Grand Encounter by Grand Marnier” experience will travel to Houston for events from Nov. 29-Dec.…
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Coca-Cola launches GenAI-powered holiday campaign
Coca-Cola again embraces the power of generative AI (for the third time this year) in its new holiday campaign, allowing users to create digital greeting cards using iconic brand assets. Coca-Cola has rolled out its third generative AI initiative of the year, this time as part of a global holiday campaign. The 130-year-old brand is…
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Three ways PepsiCo is getting DOOH right
DOOH is having a moment (again) as it continues to emerge from the pandemic slump that hit the broader OOH market hard. This story covers off on some of the key benefits and highlights how PepsiCo is using the channel to strike a balance of smart targeting and scale. PepsiCo’s approach to digital out-of-home advertising…
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Metaverse roundup, September 2023
AdAge is out with their latest roundup, featuring news and examples from … Meta layoffs, reportedly focused on custom chip development team Jack Daniels Vitamin Water (which we covered here) Roblox platform news Walmart Check out the full roundup here.
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Lunchables becomes the first brand to use Niantic’s rewarded AR format
Niantic, the mobile developer behind games like Pokemon Go, announced its rewarded AR ad format at Cannes earlier this year. Now, Kraft Heinz’s Lunchables has become the first brand (beyond the Circle K pilot done for the initial announcement) to leverage the format, which is powered by Niantic’s 8th Wall AR development platform. Rewarded AR…
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Coca-Cola introduces new limited edition flavor powered by AI
Coca-Cola’s latest “creations” limited edition flavor is meant to taste like “what the future could look like.” The brand, which has been leaning heavily into AI for marketing purposes (see here, here and here), is now using the technology to influence product and packaging decisions. We’d love to see more detail on exactly what process…
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Frozen delight Bomb Pops are a hit in Roblox
Remember the old days when the ice cream truck would come through the neighborhood and all the kids would swarm to get their favorite treats? Frozen chocolate eclairs, ice cream sandwiches and more. Nom nom nom. Transcending the real world fun, this summer, Bomb Pops have entered the metaverse via a clever Roblox activation featuring…
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MilkPEP Uses AR Snapchat Lens to Promote Fortnite Gaming Experience
Milk processor education program MilkPEP is leaning into multiple emerging technologies in an effort to connect with video game fans. It started with a Fortnite mini-game, which was then promoted via a SnapChat lens created by Gale. As part of its push to reach video game fans, milk processor education program MilkPEP created Zany Ziplines,…
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Walmart boosts shoppable videos with Tastemade cooking shows
Walmart and media company Tastemade last week rolled out shoppable streaming content to give viewers more ideas on what to cook at home during the holidays. Special episodes of Tastemade’s “Struggle Meals” let audiences text an on-screen number to add suggested ingredients to a virtual Walmart shopping cart, and place an order for pickup or…