How Range Rover became the First vehicle to Conquer Heaven's Gate 🥶 The Range Rover Dragon Challenge, a Land Rover campaign in China, celebrated the Year of the Dragon by transforming the Range Rover Sport into a mythical beast conquering extreme terrains. Planned meticulously by JLR's marketing team, it drew on cultural symbolism, dragons for power and prosperity, integrating CGI, pyrotechnics, and AR filters for buzz. Execution involved staging epic off-road stunts in Shanghai's urban jungle, live-streamed with influencer partnerships and Weibo teasers, blending tradition with tech. Results were stellar, 500M+ impressions, 20% sales uplift in Q1 2020, and viral shares spiking brand affinity. Marketing drew from experiential advertising and cultural co-creation, using FOMO-driven UGC to embed luxury off-roading in aspirational narratives, proving localized storytelling's ROI.

Pierce and Activision Blizzard Launch Strategic Partnership in Germany Berlin-based culture marketing agency PIERCE has entered into a strategic partnership with Activision Blizzard for the German market. Pierce is also responsible for the creative implementation of the localised "The Replacer" campaign for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7. "The most relevant brand experiences arise where culture, communities and creativity converge. That's exactly where we come in," says Verena Sudarić-Hefner, co-founder of Pierce. "By working with Activision Blizzard, we can open up opportunities for different brands and give them direct access to one of the most dynamic ecosystems in the entertainment world," adds Philipp Zwez, who is also a co-founder of Pierce. "Our collaboration with Pierce enables us to connect gaming with today's culture, creating brand experiences and fostering strong relationships with local partners in Germany," comments Ghassan Burhan, Senior Director of Brand Partnerships EMEA at Activision Blizzard. https://lnkd.in/eqX_VWKb 

Everyone thinks brand partnerships are just logo swaps and shared budgets. CNN and Hyundai just proved that wrong. Their new campaign isn't about selling cars or boosting viewership. It's about celebrating changemakers worldwide through Hyundai's "Progress for Humanity" vision and CNN's storytelling power. What makes this brilliant: → They're spotlighting diverse leaders, not products → Combining advertising, content, and sponsorship seamlessly → Creating stories bigger than either brand alone Most partnerships ask "What's in it for us?" The best ones ask "What can we create together?" When brands stop competing for attention and start collaborating for impact, that's when marketing becomes meaningful. Real partnership isn't about what you get. It's about what you give together. What's the most powerful brand collaboration you've seen that made you forget it was even marketing?

If your brand doesn’t have IRL experiences, are you even relevant? IRL events help cure the endless hours of doomscrolling AI slop we commit to everyday. That’s why physical experiences are having a comeback. They remind people what real connection feels like. Netflix just took this to the extreme. This week, the company opens Netflix House, its first-ever permanent theme park, at King of Prussia mall in Pennsylvania. Other ones are coming to Dallas and Las Vegas. Netflix isn’t just a streaming platform anymore. It’s becoming a house of multi-channel entertainment IP, like Disney. Think about how they're measuring ROI. They’ll make money on tickets, merch, and snacks, but they'll also build new emotional connections to their audience that drives brand equity. Theme parks, pop-ups, and live experiences aren’t just marketing stunts. They build emotional connections that make people feel closer to your brand. That's one of the reasons why Disney is so beloved. Even Hershey's chocolate built theme parks to get closer to their customers. Now Netflix is doing it for their IP like Bridgerton, Squid Game, and Stranger Things, turning these franchises into worlds. Every brand that wants to matter in the next decade needs to think this way. Because online is not enough. Whether it’s a pop-up, a run club, or a live show, you need to make physical culture part of your brand ecosystem. The best marketing strategies today connect everything into one omnichannel story.

In a world of alliances and co-brands, how do you keep your masterbrand meaningful?   Most media portfolios have grown organically over time - brands and sub-brands layered on as new audiences and opportunities emerged. The discipline of reviewing a brand portfolio and being really clear about the relationship between brands and the masterbrand is often overlooked in favour of more immediate wins. A couple of months ago, Aileen Madden and Jane Fielder shared some thinking on masterbrands, drawing on examples from global players and UK and European media groups. You can still catch that talk from The Global Entertainment Marketing Academy of Arts & Sciences on YouTube – linked in the comments. ⬇️ Since then, the conversation has only become more relevant. Global streamers and European media groups are striking strategic partnership deals (Netflix x TF1 in France, Disney+ x ITV in the UK, Amazon's Prime Video and France Télévisions, and more). These moves blur the lines between brands and raise big considerations as partnerships reshape brand architecture and audiences experience content through multiple brand lenses.   When alliances blur the lines, the masterbrand question becomes impossible to ignore. Is yours ready for what’s next?

These days, no one should be thinking execution first. As a senior member in a creative team, especially when it comes to big campaigns your job is to think strategy and concept first. How do you serve the business and the client’s objectives? How do you deliver the message in a simple, human way that anyone can get? How do you build an idea that sticks, stays true to the brand, and lives longer than the campaign itself? Creativity today isn’t just about making a nice-looking ad. It’s about thinking deeper, understanding why you’re doing it before how you’ll do it. That’s what separates someone who just executes… from someone who truly shapes the idea.

A new study by BrandTrack.Pro reveals how deeply brands are now embedded in film and television. The top five product categories investing the most in on-screen visibility this year are Alcoholic Drinks, Food, Shoes, Cars, and Tech / Online Services — while leading brands like Apple, Meta, Tesla, Microsoft, and Starbucks continue to dominate placements across movies and TV. These companies are spending millions to align their products with storytelling — not just through logos on screen, but through visual placements (props, settings, design) and verbal integrations (dialogue mentions that feel authentic). When pitching your next film or series, think beyond sponsorships. The key is understanding how your scene or character can enhance a brand’s world 👉 If you need help mapping brand-integration opportunities, DM me — I help match projects to placement strategy and brand alignment.

“Your brand isn’t your own—it’s what your audiences perceive it to be,” EA SPORTS VP of Marketing, Partnerships & Communications John Reseburg told us for our Talking Points newsletter. For Reseburg, brand-building today is less about control and more about collaboration—how fans, athletes, and creators shape the meaning of “It’s In The Game” in real time. In our full interview, John breaks down how EA SPORTS is evolving its storytelling across sport, culture, gaming, and technology—along with how his team is rethinking earned media measurement and integrating comms, marketing, and partnerships into one connected strategy. Story link in comments ⤵️

Marketing and brand strategy are evolving faster than ever. Are you keeping up? In today's digital world, the latest advances are not just about flashy tech—they're about strategic foresight paired with creative disruption. From AI-driven consumer insights to immersive media experiences, brands that take risks gain a clear advantage. This means that success no longer comes from guessing but from precision—understanding your audience at a detailed level and delivering media that changes perceptions. The question is: Is your brand ready to lead, or will it be left behind?