Krispy Kreme partners with 🤝 McDonald’s …

Welcome back and Happy April! Or perhaps we should say, Happy April Fool’s Day? 😜

• Krispy Kreme extends its partnership with McDonald’s which will have its doughnuts sold at all McDonald’s outlets across the United States by 2026. Krispy Kreme’s shares saw a rise of 39% since the announcement. (Link)

• Trends are not to be taken lightly, and brands know that. After Beyoncé’s release of her latest album, ‘Cowboy Carter’, brands like Levi’s, Oreo’s, Starbucks, Chili’s, and many more are taking the opportunity to ride on the hype, especially by using the cowboy emoji 🤠 (Link)

• Everyone’s favorite $1.50 hotdog combo and access to Costco’s foodcourt will soon only be available to those who are members only— which is already a prerequisite for those who wish to shop at Costco. (Link)

• Fisher Price has issued a recall for their Little People Mickey and Friends Figures, especially Donald and Daisy. This is because the heads of Donald and Daisy can be detached, which presents itself as a choking hazard. (Link)

  

  Miniso pops up in Times Square

• Miniso opened a pop-up shop in New York City’s Times Square next to the Disney store on Saturday. Features plushies from collaborations like Sanrio, Snoopy, Winnie the Pooh, and Minions. The pop-up has already reached record sales figures in the three weeks since its initial soft opening. (Link)

• Actor Gabrielle Union has been named global brand ambassador for period care brand Knix, kicking off the partnership with the "Knix For Life" 30-second ad campaign featuring Union discussing the products being for every stage of a woman's life. (Link)

• Cadbury teamed up with model maker Paul Baker to put up mini ads across the UK to celebrate Easter and its well-loved Mini Eggs. This fun campaign is brilliantly named too— “Easter’s Biggest Eggs.” (Link)

• Haymaker’s mascot, a bear wearing a domino mask, is defying odds to deliver as many underwear as possible to their customers in their new “Escape Basic” campaign for Pair of Thieves. (Link)

• While some brands are focused on riding Queen B’s cowboy hype, other brands are leveraging their marketing on the upcoming Solar Eclipse, like Frito-Lay’s Sunchips and Chattanooga Bakery’s MoonPie. (Link)

Extra Shots: more news from the DTC world

• Absolut Vodka will be returning to Coachella with both online (metaverse) and offline activation. 

• Brands are starting to use different ways to activate gaming platforms like Fortnite, Minecraft, and Roblox. 

• True Value has just launched its first campaign in decades; “Jukebox Hero”, which sends a message that anyone can be a “Hardware Hero”. 

• Pure Leaf Iced Tea is myth-busting with the Ghostbusters in their newest “Unbelievably Sweet Files” campaign. 

And that's a wrap! Don't forget to snag a glazed doughnut and stay tuned for more DTC Creator this Friday! 🍩