Feed Me is a Substack newsletter by Emily Sundberg that covers the intersection of business, media, and culture
Assistants vs. Agents is an Instagram-based community and weekly newsletter delivering job postings, industry news, and insider interviews for anyone breaking into or building a career in entertainment.
The Town is a podcast by Puck founding partner Matthew Belloni that takes you inside the business of Hollywood
The Hollywood Reporter — The industry's go-to source for entertainment news, in-depth features, and the business behind Hollywood since 1930.
What Has Caught My Eye?
If you know me, you know I'm always on the hunt for what's next. This page is packed with the brilliant marketing campaigns, fresh industry news, and creative inspiration that caught my eye.
Before we dive in, here are a few of my favorite podcast, Instagrams, newsletters and Substacks keeping me sharp on everything media
People Brands and Things is an Instagram-based media channel delivering the hottest brand marketing, creator, and consumer news
Link in Bio is a Substack newsletter by Rachel Karten — a weekly resource all about social media strategy, with hundreds of thousands of subscribers.
The Branding Blackbook is a Substack newsletter for modern marketers exploring how culture shapes brands — and how brands shape culture.
Variety — The definitive voice in entertainment covering film, TV, music, and the deals shaping the industry.
Ad Age is a global media brand and daily must-read delivering news, analysis, and data on marketing, advertising, and media.
WHAT CAUGHT MY EYE:
BRILLIANT CREATIVE/MARKETING/ADVERTISING/PUBLICITY CAMPAIGNS
EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING CAMPAIGN: APPLE DUO (DUOLINGO)
During Apple’s iPhone Duo launch, Duolingo staged a real-world stunt outside Apple Fifth Avenue in New York. Its mascot, Duo, showed up dressed as an Apple employee and handed out free Granny Smith apples from an “Apple Duo” cart. Minimalist “This is Duo” posters nearby carried the joke further by borrowing Apple’s signature ad style.
MARKETING CAMPAIGN: Minions: The Rise of Gru (YEET x Minion)
We've all seen a million Hollywood billboards, but have you seen a massive multi-story inflatable Minion on Fairfax? Chances are you've at least heard of this viral activation. American rapper Yeat and the Minions did a collaboration to promote the new movie Minions & Monsters. I've never seen a movie activation that led to more buzz. All my friends across USC were texting me to go see the Yeat Minion!!
This New York Times article by Nicole Sperling and Brooks Barnes covers how One Battle After Another found incredible success not through social media, but through Hollywood's oldest trick in the book: screenings. These screenings got people talking, engaging, and genuinely connecting with film again. And isn't that what good publicity is all about?
MARKETING/PUBLICITY CAMPAIGN: ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER (SCREENINGS)
ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN: The Drama (Key Art)
What elegant and simple key art. This faux wedding invitation served as the key art for A24's The Drama. It almost feels like a close friends' engagement photo. You can't help but fall in love with Robert Pattinson and Zendaya... until you watch the movie.
Beyond the media industry coverage above, here's what I've personally been reading and watching lately.
What I'm Reading & Watching
BRAND PARTNERSHIP CAMPAIGN: CHEERIOS X ZIPLOC (GENERAL MILLS)
Cheerios partnered with Ziploc to bring a more practical update to grocery store shelves. The collaboration gives customers an alternative to the traditional cereal bag while still keeping the familiar packaging. It’s a simple, everyday fix that shows how two household brands can team up to solve a common problem for cereal lovers.
ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN: BOGONIA (Key Art)
Focus Features' Bugonia key art is unlike any movie poster you've ever seen. It doesn't try to invite you in, it unsettles you, and that's exactly the point. It's stark, bold, and a little odd. That's what gets you to watch.
ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN: IKEA (SIMPLE SUPER BOWL COMMENTARY)
Found IKEA Chile's ad on People Brands and Things: the Chile branch campaign where they Bad Bunny's Super Bowl set and album imagery was a brilliant zag that caught my eye. Such a clever way for a South American branch of IKEA to tap directly into a major cultural moment in the Latinx world, capitalizing on Super Bowl buzz without the million dollar ad, just a simple, reactive, and creative photoshoot. Brilliant.
MARKETING CAMPAIGN: EUPHORIA (PRE SCREENING COACHELLA)
With Euphoria Season 3 coming out, one might wonder: where's the best way to capture a young, pop-culture-savvy audience's attention? HBO answered with a brilliant idea: a screening at Coachella after the weekend's final performance. It became a social media hit and instantly boosted excitement for the show, as covered by Variety.
MARKETING/ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN: SUPER GIRL (WAYMO)
In the city of cars, advertising that moves through the whole town might be the best form of advertisement… not just any cab or Uber, but an LA Waymo. I love how, following the release of Supergirl, Warner Bros.' theatrical marketing team turned Waymos across LA, San Francisco, and Phoenix into moving billboards to promote the film.
MARKETING CAMPAIGN: MARTY SUPREME (“LEAKED” INTERNAL MEETING)
One of my favorite movie campaigns of all time was Marty Supreme. The jacket, the blimp, the cereal, and the ping pong balls, and the way it captured the complete grit, hustle, and essence of the film's world were incredible. My favorite piece, though, was the unique marketing video produced by A24. The satire felt almost real, framing the "leaked" footage as if we were actually watching the A24 team react to Timothée Chalamet's pitch. His approach to talking to them was amazing. It set the audience up perfectly for the intensity Marty brings to the screen.
ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN: CHEETOS CAN’T TOUCH THIS (SUPER BOWL)
Cheetos turned MC Hammer’s classic “U Can’t Touch This” into a 2020 Super Bowl ad, created by Goodby Silverstein & Partners. In the spot, a man uses his Cheetos-dust-covered fingers as the perfect excuse to get out of everyday tasks, like helping a friend move or doing chores, because he “can’t touch this.”