Feb. 14 - How brands are engaging with pop culture in 2025 so far

Dunkin’ gets racy with Sabrina Carpenter in ‘Shake That Ess’ campaign; Heinz teams with hip-hop hitmaker Mustard for new product, campaign; Mastercard helps Lady Gaga fans sow ‘Mayhem’ in music culture play; Oreo hypes Post Malone cookie drop with new Snapchat ad format View online | Signup

Daily Dive Feb.​ 14,​ 2025 | Today’s news and insights for marketing leaders   BROUGHT TO YOU BY — Unbounce Turn landing pages into leads—fast Launch high-converting landing pages—faster and with fewer steps. Get started with Unbounce’s new conversion-optimized templates. Start building for free.   NOTE FROM THE EDITOR Tying marketing campaigns to cultural figures and moments remains a crucial tactic in 2025. So far this year, several big brands have rolled out campaigns built around ambassadors, whether to promote value messages, launch new products or appear during widely viewed events like the Grammy Awards and the Super Bowl. In recent years, marketers’ need to “move at the speed of culture” has perhaps become a cliché, but the tactic is still imperative to reach younger consumers — especially in Gen Z. Today, we’ve assembled a handful of stories that demonstrate how brands are engaging with pop culture so far in 2025. Marketing Dive will not publish a newsletter on Monday, Feb. 17, in recognition of Presidents Day. We'll be back in your inbox on Tuesday, Feb. 18. As always, thanks for reading. Chris Kelly Senior Reporter, Marketing Dive Email McDonald’s value menu launch gets inspirational boost from John Cena The actor-wrestler appears in new ads that turn into a oddball spiel about the transformational power of the McValue platform.  Dunkin’ gets racy with Sabrina Carpenter in ‘Shake That Ess’ campaign The celebrity-led effort promoting a new limited-time iced espresso beverage is part of the chain’s strategy of building a “cinematic universe” with Artists Equity. Heinz teams with hip-hop hitmaker Mustard for new product, campaign The marketer launched the culturally minded — and perhaps overdue — campaign with a spot that aired during the Grammy Awards. Sponsored Content by Industry Dive 2025 holiday + events calendar for marketers Covering all major holidays, pop-culture moments, and niche celebrations — this is the only marketing calendar you’ll need for 2025. View list. Mastercard helps Lady Gaga fans sow ‘Mayhem’ in music culture play A tie-up with Gaga around her eighth studio album saw the payments marketer unveil the singer’s latest single around the Grammy Awards. Oreo hypes Post Malone cookie drop with new Snapchat ad format The Mondelez marketer is the first in the snack category to take advantage of Sponsored Snaps, which include a link to make a purchase. Häagen-Dazs’ ‘Fast & Furious’ Super Bowl debut scores with star wattage Winning Super Bowl campaigns usually revolve around strong storytelling, distinctive brand assets, a sense of humor and pop culture references. Read more news Win Over Consumers with Data-Driven Campaigns In this playbook, we’ll explore how collecting and understanding data can help you create hyper-personalized campaigns that resonate with consumers. Download Now From Our Library Webinar - on demand Winning in the Attention Economy: Strategies to Break Through the Noise Custom content for Canva View all resources Upcoming Events 26 FEB Virtual Event | 2 p.m. ET Assessing AI’s Role in Marketing for 2025 Presented by Marketing Dive 23 APR Virtual Event | 2 p.m. ET Sharpening the picture on connected TV marketing Presented by Marketing Dive Company Announcements Press releases from companies in your industry. NET CONVERSION EXPANDS LEADERSHIP TEAM WITH THREE KEY APPOINTMENTS Press release from Net Conversion Post a press release Dive Into a Topic Brand Strategy Mobile Creative Social Media Video Agencies Data/Analytics Influencer Marketing Ad Tech CMO Corner Share Marketing Dive: Daily Dive and get rewarded. You’ve referred 0/10 readers. Share your link: https://www.marketingdive.com/signup/insiders/?signup_referred_by=5b0544e291d15c374412ca76

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