Brand Strategy

  • A person in a blue and white striped outfit stands next to a dog.
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    Courtesy of Anthropologie
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    Anthropologie upgrades Maeve private label to stand-alone brand

    A robust marketing strategy includes an ad campaign across digital and physical channels, a Substack newsletter, an in-person event and more.

    By Tatiana Walk-Morris • Aug. 5, 2025
  • McDonald's McDonaldland
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    Courtesy of McDonald’s
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    McDonald’s brings back McDonaldland to unlock consumers’ ‘core memories’

    The fast-food chain’s latest nostalgic campaign features Ronald McDonald and friends for the first time in more than 20 years.

    By • Aug. 5, 2025
  • Artificial intelligence helping businessman make strategy and forecast. Explore the Trendline➔
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    zhuweiyi49 via Getty Images
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    Trendline

    Top 5 stories from Marketing Dive

    From the evolution of influencer marketing and paid media to the ongoing importance of data and culture, here’s a look at key trends driving marketing in 2025.

    By Marketing Dive staff
  • Exterior of a grocery store at night.
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    Jenn Goodman/Marketing Dive
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    How Kroger built a sonic ecosystem into its multichannel brand platform

    The grocery giant teamed with Made Music Studio to expand on existing brand elements and engage with evolving consumers.

    By • Aug. 5, 2025
  • Liquid Death guillotine league
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    Courtesy of Liquid Death
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    Liquid Death brings guillotines to fantasy football with Yahoo Sports

    The edgy canned water brand digitally beheads fantasy football players in a collaboration with a leading platform for the popular game.

    By • Aug. 4, 2025
  • Mountaineer Aron Ralston recreates his harrowing real-life experience trapped between a boulder in an ad for Columbia Sportswear.
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    Permission granted by Columbia Sportswear
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    Columbia slams ‘pristine’ outdoors marketing with new brand platform

    Looking to cut through category sameness, “Engineered for Whatever” leverages dark humor and grit to show how Columbia’s gear is tested.

    By • Aug. 4, 2025
  • Domino's pizza and a fast food burger
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    Courtesy of Domino’s Pizza
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    How Domino’s new ads hit at fast food burger chains in fight over value

    New spots visualize how a slice of pizza stacks up to a similarly priced slice of a burger to boost a long-standing deal and reach value-focused consumers.

    By • Aug. 4, 2025
  • Miracle-Gro's Full Bush Summer campaign
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    Courtesy of Miracle-Gro
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    Column

    Campaign Trail: Miracle-Gro invites gardeners to have a ‘Full Bush Summer’

    Inspired by a cultural trend that spans social and traditional media, the edgy campaign began as an idea from The Martin Agency.

    By • Aug. 1, 2025
  • Chipotle Snapchat
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    Courtesy of Chipotle
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    Chipotle turns up the heat on summer marketing with Snapchat

    As part of its marketing activations around National Avocado Day, the chain also continues to push its first seasonal rewards promotion. 

    By Aaron Baar • July 31, 2025
  • A chocolate pistachio milkshake.
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    Courtesy of Shake Shack
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    Shake Shack to spend more on ads to sustain sales growth

    CEO Rob Lynch said the brand should embrace a more aggressive marketing strategy to set it apart from fast food burger chains.

    By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • July 31, 2025
  • Disney's "Project Runway" brand integration with Calia by Dick's Sporting Goods
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    Courtesy of The Walt Disney Company
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    Disney touts brand tie-ups, multi-platform reach for ‘Project Runway’

    Brands including Calia by Dick’s Sporting Goods, Ulta Beauty and PNC Bank will have appearances on the show on Freeform, Disney+ and Hulu.

    By • July 31, 2025
  • A kid is hoisted on the shoulders of his classmates.
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    Courtesy of Kraft Heinz
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    Lunchables boasts its cool factor for back-to-school campaign

    “The Lunchables Effect” is the brand’s first big marketing push in several years as Kraft Heinz plans to ramp up marketing spend in the second half. 

    By • July 31, 2025
  • Patrons at a Chicago Starbucks after the coffee chain on Feb. 25, 2025.
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    Scott Olson via Getty Images
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    Starbucks CEO cites marketing as a bright spot of turnaround efforts

    The chain is planning “significant” improvements to its rewards program for early 2026 to help grow loyalty, brand love and engagement.

    By • July 30, 2025
  • Actor Walton Goggins plays a plumber working on a broken sink pipe while his client sits on a kitchen counter above
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    Permission granted by Doritos
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    Doritos parodies retro adult films to promote new spicy chip flavor

    Walton Goggins stars as a clueless plumber in innuendo-laced content that supports Doritos Golden Sriracha, the brand’s potential next “mega-flavor.”

    By • July 30, 2025
  • McDonald's Snack Wraps
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    Retrieved from McDonald’s on July 24, 2025
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    How McDonald’s dug into nostalgia and reignited the chicken wars

    The return of the chain’s Snack Wrap has spurred competitors including Popeyes and Taco Bell to launch and advertise around similar offerings.

    By • July 28, 2025
  • Jalen Hurts in a Sprite ad
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    Courtesy of Sprite
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    Why Sprite extended ‘Obey Your Thirst’ with Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts

    In its latest play at the intersection of sports and culture, the Coca-Cola brand gets ready for football season with its first NFL athlete partner.

    By • July 28, 2025
  • PepsiCo's Starry
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    Courtesy of PepsiCo
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    Starry ties free soda to hot temps as extreme weather sways marketing

    The PepsiCo brand is offering 100% cash back on a purchase once temperatures top 100 degrees as it ramps up competition with Sprite.

    By • July 25, 2025
  • Velveeta's "Respect the Drip" campaign imagery
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    Courtesy of Kraft Heinz
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    Velveeta says ‘Respect the Drip’ for first major campaign in 2 years

    The Kraft Heinz brand is shifting away from its long-running “La Dolce Velveeta” platform in favor of bolder creative and a culture-first mindset.

    By • July 24, 2025
  • Wendy's Meal of Misfortune collaboration with "Wednesday" is displayed against a purple backdrop
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    Permission granted by Wendy’s
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    Wendy’s marketing embraces the macabre with ‘Wednesday’ collaboration

    The chain’s pigtail-sporting mascot is swapped for scowling Wednesday Addams for a limited-time meal collaboration and in-app mobile game.

    By • July 23, 2025
  • Sydney Sweeney for American Eagle's fall 2025 campaign, "Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans."
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    Courtesy of American Eagle
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    Why American Eagle tapped Sydney Sweeney for its priciest campaign yet

    The effort spotlights the retailer’s jeans through activations spanning social media, including an artificial intelligence-powered Snapchat try-on experience.

    By • July 23, 2025
  • A row of Coca-Coca soda bottles
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    Scott Olson via Getty Images
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    Coca-Cola leaned on marketing to navigate choppy economic waters in Q2

    Campaigns like the relaunch of “Share a Coke” spurred growth around the globe, executives from the CPG giant said during an earnings call.

    By • July 22, 2025
  • Cheetos' Wednesday campaign
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    Courtesy of Cheetos
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    Cheetos receives a hand from Netflix’s ‘Wednesday’ in mischievous new ads

    Thing, a skittering appendage known for causing chaos, is taking on the mascot role usually held by Chester Cheetah for a limited time. 

    By • July 22, 2025
  • A woman and two girls walk back to school in a JCPenney ad
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    Courtesy of JCPenney
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    JCPenney builds on promising brand push with ‘Back-to-It’ campaign

    The campaign, with creative by Mischief and paid media by DentsuX, includes buys on podcasts like “Good Hang” and a TikTok Branded Mission.

    By • July 21, 2025
  • Chips Ahoy limited-edition "Stranger Things" packaging
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    Courtesy of Mondelēz International
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    Chips Ahoy links with ‘Stranger Things’ for AR game, themed cookie

    The brand is inviting fans of the Netflix series to enter the Upside Down via on-pack QR codes to find cookies that translate into real-life prizes.

    By • July 21, 2025
  • Man holds Dude Wipes in a space-themed museum exhibit
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    Courtesy of Dude Wipes
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    Column

    Campaign Trail: Dude Wipes clears up the evolution of wiping

    CMO Ryan Meegan explains how the flushable wipe brand’s latest effort represents a course correction from its previous ads. 

    By • July 18, 2025
  • Sun Bum Club
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    Retrieved from Sun Bum on July 15, 2025
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    How Sun Bum’s loyalty program leaves ‘punch card land’ and builds community

    The marketer of sun care products built a platform that turns consumer actions and user-generated content into opportunities for brand engagement.

    By • July 17, 2025