Campaign Trail: LVMH label Loewe defies Christmas cliches in quirky holiday spot

The luxury line​ merged stop-motion animation and live action shots for a fantastical campaign that evokes an "Alice in Wonderland" charm.

By Natalie Black (Koltun) • Dec. 20, 2019

Campaign Trail: Lagunitas keeps it weird with TV shopping network parody

The beer brand's CMO explains how it tapped into the branded merchandise trend while highlighting employees in a cheeky video series that promotes its IPAs moving to cans.

By Natalie Black (Koltun) • Dec. 6, 2019

Campaign Trail: Philadelphia mockumentary reveals Thanksgiving cheesecake cover-up

A 90-second spot stars a fictional conspiracy theorist group as they hunt down clues in old documents and real historical paintings to prove that pilgrims ate cheesecake at the first Thanksgiving.

By Natalie Black (Koltun) • Nov. 22, 2019

Campaign Trail: Is clear a color? Why Xerox is igniting the debate

Playing off the "color of the year" trend, the printing company aims to reenergize its legacy of innovation with a video series centered on color.

By Natalie Black (Koltun) • Nov. 8, 2019

Campaign Trail: Samsung's space selfie contest launches UGC to new heights

Weather conditions cut short the influencer-led effort after the device landed on a Michigan property last weekend.

By Natalie Black (Koltun) • Updated Oct. 29, 2019

Campaign Trail: Nectar cuts through snoozy mattress marketing with 'motivational sleeper'

Yawn Yawnson, a new fictional spokesperson and sleep-obsessed evangelist, energizes crowds in 26 parody ads by the DTC mattress brand.

By Natalie Black (Koltun) • Oct. 11, 2019

Campaign Trail: Bombay Sapphire brings new meaning to UGC with crowdsourced creative

Nearly 7,000 people contributed to a tech-powered installation the Bacardi gin brand hosted to awaken the artistic capacity within everyone.

By Natalie Black (Koltun) • Sept. 13, 2019

Campaign Trail: Why Dum Dums dropped the hard sell in favor of smile-inducing memories

A new campaign from the iconic candy brand — its first in 30 years — aims to replicate positive feelings from childhood with simple, relatable storytelling.

By Natalie Black (Koltun) • Aug. 30, 2019

Campaign Trail: Why Brita used Photoshop to trash idyllic locations

Part of what powered the #NoFilterNoFuture campaign on Instagram were compelling influencer narratives and a dash of deception.

By Natalie Black (Koltun) • Aug. 16, 2019

Campaign Trail: Bumble illustrates how digital brands are powering an OOH renaissance

While many marketers work to reach on-the-go consumers via mobile, digital disruptors are leading renewed interest in a traditionally static medium.

By Natalie Black (Koltun) • Aug. 2, 2019

Campaign Trail: How Gatorade elevates UGC with an app for teen athletes

"Knowing that our heartbeat — our core audience — is a teen athlete, we need to be more engaged in the places and spaces they're in," Gatorade's head of consumer and athlete engagement told Marketing Dive.

By Natalie Black (Koltun) • July 19, 2019

Campaign Trail: Why Uber built a virtual city to promote a product that doesn't exist yet

Set in a computer-generated San Francisco, an integrated campaign aims to seed viewers' minds for Uber Elevate's transit vision four years before launch.

By Natalie Black (Koltun) • June 21, 2019

Campaign Trail: How Bloomingdale's spun an Instagram-minded pop-up into a Pride tribute

The legacy retailer aims to encapsulate the meaning behind the monthlong celebration of the LGBTQ+ community — while spurring UGC.

By Natalie Black (Koltun) • June 7, 2019

Campaign Trail: Vita Coco dares the internet's harshest critics to hate its new drink

By featuring several haters in its latest ads, the coconut water brand drove major social chatter in the "Impossible to Hate" campaign's first week.

By Natalie Black (Koltun) • May 24, 2019

Campaign Trail: Coca-Cola brings new meaning to audio marketing with refreshing print ads

A series of static photos captures uniquely audio moments — the crack of a soda can or the fizzing of bubbles — by leveraging the brand's 126-year legacy.

By Natalie Black (Koltun) • May 10, 2019

Campaign Trail: Adobe's influencer parody raises the bar for nonbranded creative work

How can a brand effectively make a marketing video without branding? For the tech company, that meant letting its creative partners loose.

By Natalie Black (Koltun) • April 26, 2019

Campaign Trail: How Mike's Hard Lemonade squeezes out 'brighter times' for millennial men

The creative challenge behind the brand's latest campaign centers on acknowledging a negative message — our polarizing society — while combating it through smile-inducing content and tech.

By Natalie Black (Koltun) • April 12, 2019

Campaign Trail: How Reebok's artsy 'Storm the Court' may have missed its shot

The campaign's compelling first installment pivots from the athletic giant's past messaging, but did the creative risk to capture millennials sacrifice effective branding?

By Natalie Black (Koltun) • April 3, 2019

Campaign Trail: NFL celebrates 100 years; Del Taco's fry soap; Dua Lipa does 'shoppertainment'

The football league attempts to attract generations of fans, while a taco chain taps the quirky product trend and an Asian e-commerce platform melds online shopping and livestreamed concerts.

By Peter Adams , Natalie Black (Koltun) , Chris Kelly • March 15, 2019

Campaign Trail: Farmers' Dr. Seuss tie-in; Natural Light preps for summer; 'Sesame Street' gets designer digs

The AB InBev brand gets animated for a product launch, while an insurance company aims for whimsy and iconic stars of a children's show get fresh looks.

By Peter Adams , Natalie Black (Koltun) , Chris Kelly • March 1, 2019

What a truly integrated multichannel campaign can deliver

Specialty grocery chain finds higher sales and customer loyalty with a hyper-local integrated campaign.

By John Puterbaugh, Ph. D., Executive Director, Digital Business Development, Quad • Feb. 14, 2019

Campaign Trail: Burger King's royal gift; Krispy Kreme takes a stand; nutty holiday sweaters

Ahead of the holidays, marketers fight for gingerbread peoples' rights and offer goofy novelty gifts, including a $99 fire screen and snack-laden knitwear.

By Peter Adams , Natalie Black (Koltun) , Chris Kelly • Dec. 21, 2018

Campaign Trail: Budweiser rallies competitors; Chipotle cooks up holiday displays; Maker's Mark toasts tradition

The AB InBev brand celebrated Repeal Day with a DOOH campaign, burrito ingredients were transformed into window displays and Scarlett Johansson​ hawks whiskey.

By Peter Adams , Natalie Black (Koltun) , Chris Kelly • Dec. 7, 2018

Campaign Trail: Spotify shoots for holiday 3-peat; Stonyfield nods to 'Parks & Rec'; 'Viva La Vulva'

The streaming platform unwraps more data-driven billboards, while a yogurt maker fights against soccer fields sprayed with pesticides and a feminine-care brand gets provocative. 

By Peter Adams , Natalie Black (Koltun) , Chris Kelly • Nov. 30, 2018

Campaign Trail: Michelob's turkey trot; PETA grills Butterball; Yellow Tail hops on UGC trend

A very special Thanksgiving edition has our editors examining a health-focused holiday push, a scathing critique of a poultry maker and one brand getting started early on the Super Bowl. 

By Peter Adams , Natalie Black (Koltun) , Chris Kelly • Nov. 21, 2018