Case Studied Brief  

A $17 billion grocery bet, a Doom Cloud Latte, and $4 million Super Bowl streaming spots

This week, platforms took more control over ads and audiences: ChatGPT now rewrites ads by default, and Reddit began testing ads in search results. Meanwhile, holiday campaigns leaned on celebrity cameos, a Marvel tie-in, and handmade gifts.

In today’s edition:

• 🎁 Etsy casts its sellers as Santa’s workshop elves

• 🔗 Publicis closes its $2.2 billion LiveRamp deal

• 🔍 Reddit starts testing ads in search results

Campaigns of the week 📺

Dunkin’ brings back Gambit for its first Marvel partnership.

Ahead of the film’s Dec. 18 release, Channing Tatum returns as Gambit alongside H.E.R.B.I.E., the Fantastic Four’s robot companion, in a spot titled “Munchkin Incursion.” H.E.R.B.I.E. uses Munchkins to explain worlds colliding around them during a coffee break. The tie-in includes a limited-edition Marvel menu, featuring the Iced Captain’ccino and Doom Cloud Latte, plus collectible merchandise. Starting Nov. 17, Dunkin’ will turn four restaurants in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, and Boston into themed locations through early December.

Source: Adweek

SharkNinja hands Kevin Hart the keys to David Beckham’s house.

The brand’s first global holiday campaign, “There’s No Home Like a SharkNinja Home,” continues its 2025 “Neighbors” series. While Beckham is away, Hart invites Tom Brady and Aryna Sabalenka over to use his appliances. Hart makes snacks in the Ninja Crispi Pro, Brady tries the Shark CryoGlow skincare device, and Sabalenka pours a drink from the Ninja SLUSHi. Before the full film dropped, social videos showed each celebrity denying they had been at Beckham’s house.

Source: Adweek

Etsy pits its sellers against the assembly line.

Created with Orchard and directed by Autumn de Wilde, the hero film, “Workshops,” opens on a machine churning out identical boxes. The spot cuts between that machine and artisans crafting toys, ceramics, and dolls. It ends with a little girl receiving a doll made to look just like her, down to her glasses and matching dress. Real Etsy sellers appear on screen and supplied the gifts, the workshop decorations, and the embroidered animation.

Source: LBB

The NHL gives all 32 teams a hometown jersey.

Fanatics and the NHL introduced the Hometown Remix collection with “The Fabric of Your Town, Unlocked,” directed by Cameron Harris of Gravy Films. The film follows fans discovering doorways into their teams’ new jerseys. The designs draw on local references: Chicago flag details for the Blackhawks, Hollywood-inspired lettering for the Kings, and rodeo influences for the Predators. Streamer Fanum makes a brief cameo.

Source: NHL

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Industry news 🤝

MarTech moves 🤖

Editors Choice ✏️

🛍️ AI-referred shoppers converted 90% better than other retail traffic in September, a reversal from August 2025, when they converted 9% worse. Source: Adobe

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