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- Messi is no longer just an ambassador...
Messi is no longer just an ambassador...
Plus: Coca-Cola is embracing creativity & authenticity
Nikita Verma
March 29, 2024
Welcome back to another tantalizing Friday edition of DTC Creator!
Grab your favorite fizzy companion, crack open a can of Coke, and let's dive into this week's delectable spread of DTC news.
Messi is no longer just an ambassador
Mark Anthony Brands are going to work with Messi, but not in the usual way you’d think they would.
The scoop:
Mark Anthony Brands is well-known to be the maker of White Claw Hard Seltzer and Mike’s Hard Lemonade.
Not long ago, they announced that they’ve decided to introduce a non-alcoholic drink: a new hydration beverage that will be released in summer 2024.
The brand also announced that Lionel Messi is a part-owner of the new hydration beverage and that the football player is “excited” and “invested”.
The future ahead:
Mark Anthony has recently been introducing non-alcoholic drinks (like their alcohol-free seltzer) in order to promote growth and sales in that industry. They’ve decided to keep this new hydration beverage top-secret, and have not revealed anything other than Messi’s ownership— not even its name.
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Coca-Cola is embracing creativity & authenticity
When you’re a big brand like Coca-Cola, you can’t avoid plagiarism. But, instead of challenging these unauthorized street arts, they’ve decided to celebrate it.
Every Coca-Cola’s version is welcome
Shopkeepers and street artists around the world have been painting their version of the Coca-Cola logo for decades.
The beloved soda brand decided that they would embrace these unauthorized versions to celebrate the authenticity and creativity of these unique creations. The brand feels that this shows how the brand is always present, everywhere.
The global VP of creative strategy and content at Coca-Cola, Islam ElDessouky says: “These visuals are so meaningful and impactful. Signs for local businesses capturing colors of cultures and personalities of communities. We’re proud to celebrate and embrace their work.”
Working together with WPP Open Xis, Coca-Cola introduced their latest campaign; “Every Coca-Cola is welcome” that featured photos of these street arts on billboards all over the world.
Heinz creates an ad in just five days? 🤔
Heinz is moving “at the speed of culture” to respond to the ever-changing social media trends.
Speed of culture
Inspired by a trending video on social media of a mother licking ketchup off her baby to avoid wastage, Heinz decided to quickly respond with ads of their own.
The campaign is called ‘The Last Drop’ and showcases different customers licking Heinz’ ketchup off different things and surfaces, like keyboards, steering wheels, or sleeves to get to the last drop.
In the ads, the brand has also added the line ‘It has to be Heinz’ to reinforce the message behind the campaign that was created in just five days.
A special note from our sponsor Narrative BI
Narrative BI is a generative AI analytics platform that provides insights on all your marketing and advertising data automatically. It connects all your data sources in one place, transforming your data chaos into clear narratives.
More marketing news
In their annual report, H&M disclosed their plan to close about 160 stores and open 100 new ones in 2024. So far, they’ve closed at least 31 stores and will refurbish around 250 stores this year.
Sunday’s CEO Coulter Lewis shares about the brand’s growth in the last five years, their half a million soil samples, and the brand’s future direction.
DTC telemedicine startups have quickly jumped to embrace new weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy.
The Home Depot is in talks to acquire SRS Distribution, a building materials supplier for $18.25 billion. They believe that this would help them boost their businesses with professional customers.
Amazon states, in its latest Brand Protection Report that it invested more than $1 billion to locate, seize, and purge over 7M counterfeit goods globally in 2023.
DTC brand BeautyCounter is venturing into the world of fragrances by launching their first collection, Clean Eau De Parfum. True to their transparent philosophy, the collection has all its ingredients listed.
Beyond Inc. announced that they’ve promoted Carlisha Robinson as the companies’ new chief customer officer on Monday.
Epidemic Sound claims that there is ‘A Sound for Every Feeling’ and is featuring this everywhere— from trash bags to traffic cones. These street-level ads have a QR code that leads to a playlist that matches “the feeling”.
DTC news you can use
Craig Dubitsky and Robert Downey Jr.’s new coffee brand Happy says that it can make you … happy.
Haus Labs by Lady Gaga is now available in 12 European Countries via Sephora.
Macy’s plan for closure of 150 stores may be good news.
Vince’s CEO Jack Schwefel has resigned from his position.
GamesStop is cutting costs by cutting down on jobs across its organisation.
Top 3 advertising picks of the week
Prost8 wants men to know that they’ve got the wrong idea when it comes to prostate examination by teaming up with TBWA\MCR to create ads that will make you glance twice.
Loewe teaches the public how to pronounce their brand name in their new short film starring Dan Levy and Aubrey Plaza, called ‘Decades of Confusion’.
Levi’s ‘The Floor Is Yours’ campaign that celebrates ‘Live in Levi’s’ anniversary and carries the message that the brand is the unofficial uniform of progress.
Whether it's Coca-Cola, White Claw, or a cup of Happy, the weekend is all yours. See you next week in April!
