Will Ferrell, Fainting Girls, and Hot Dogs…Summer Ads are Finally Here!
Written By: Lexi Rapnikas
Campaign of the Week: E.l.f Goes Survivor Mode…Literally
Game on! E.L.F. BEAUTY is partnering with the 50th season finale of CBS' "Survivor" through a campaign called "E.l.f.ie Advantage," airing three vignettes during Wednesday's three-hour broadcast starring media personality and actress Delaney Rowe and contestant Tiffany Ervin. The spots weave E.l.f. products into "Survivor"-style challenges, while Rowe also hosts live red carpet coverage celebrating past female winners. To complement the push, E.l.f. is dropping a limited-edition co-branded Buff Bundle featuring the three products highlighted in the ads. The finale is notable as the show's first live reunion in seven years, and the season has already broken social engagement records, averaging nearly 10 million viewers per episode. That’s E.l.f.ing impressive!
Oscar Mayer's Wienie 500 Goes Even Bigger
Hot dogs and horsepower are back, and OSCAR MAYER FOODS is taking its viral Wienermobile race to the next level, expanding the Wienie 500 from a streaming-only event to a national Fox Corporation broadcast this Friday, just two days before the Indianapolis 500. Building on last year's success (85,000 attendees, 8 million streams, and its best Memorial Day sales in four years), the brand has upgraded nearly everything: redesigned Wienermobiles, pro IndyCar driver coaching for its "Hotdogger" racers, a Borg-Wiener Trophy, and a full social media blitz across Instagram, TikTok, and X. Fans can also vote on a race winner via Instacart for a chance to win free hot dogs. Hot dog, what a way to kick off summer!
Dr Pepper’s New Ad Promotes Limited-Time Creamy Coconut Flavor
Warning: Keurig Dr Pepper Inc.’s newest ad can cause heartbreak, fainting, and even the uncontrollable urge to go buy their notable Creamy Coconut flavor before it’s gone! The brand is leaning into the microdrama trend with "It's a Pepper Fling," a four-episode social series promoting the limited-time return of its Creamy Coconut flavor. The series is a play on the brand's "It's a Pepper Thing" tagline, following a woman's whirlwind romance with the soda, complete with cliff-hangers and romance-fueled fantasy sequences. The campaign was inspired by social listening data showing over 6.3 million impressions and nearly 5,000 mentions urging the flavor's return since January. The timing is strategic: microdramas are booming (consumers logged 5.78 billion more hours watching them in 2025 than the year prior), and parent company Keurig Dr Pepper is ramping up marketing spend with a focus on digital and personalized content. Catch it while you can!
Lay’s Bandwagon Campaign – Just Enjoy the World Cup!
Lay's is welcoming casual soccer fans with open arms, and a bag of chips, through its new "Bandwagon" campaign ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026. The centerpiece is a comedic spot featuring Will Ferrell driving a branded Bandwagon across the country, joined by David Beckham and Marshawn Lynch, encouraging Americans to ditch the gatekeeping and just enjoy the tournament. As the Official Sponsor of FIFA World Cup 2026, Lay's is also taking the tour to Los Angeles, Dallas, and New York City for sampling events and fan experiences, launching globally inspired limited-edition flavors, and offering giveaways for tournament tickets and jerseys. The strategy is deliberate: with 75% of Americans planning to follow the tournament, Lay's is positioning itself as the snack of choice for a new wave of fans by framing the World Cup as a social occasion rather than a sport you need to understand. A.K.A you don’t need to know what offsides means, you just need to show up with the chips.
Microsoft Presents “Dopplemode” Relating to College Students
Microsoft is done pretending college students use their laptops just for school and began targeting college students with a new Windows campaign called "Doppelmode.” The campaign was created by Droga5 and built around the idea that students seamlessly toggle between productivity and entertainment on the same device. The hero spot, directed by Mackenzie Sheppard, takes place in a college library and features 25 sets of real twins mirroring each other as students swap controllers, dodge authority figures, and bounce between assignments and gaming, all without ever leaving their laptops. The campaign, which promotes the Microsoft College Offer across digital, social, and retail channels, leans into the "Two Worlds. One Machine" positioning for Windows 11 and avoids the trap of idealized productivity messaging in favor of something students will actually recognize in themselves.
