Ram, Walmart, Mars and 12 More Brand Moves

Our Sales Leads column discusses the latest brand and media agency initiatives. View past columns in the archives here.

• Ram

Ram’s new campaign, ‘Never Stop Being an American,’ is an ode to America, its people, its culture, and time-honored traditions,” said Olivier Francois, global chief marketing officer, Stellantis. Launching it, and the new ‘Nothing Stops Ram’ tagline, sets the stage for an epic year for the brand that will be remembered for the HEMI V-8’s comeback and return to NASCAR and, for the country, leading into last weekend’s America’s 250th anniversary, in which Ram  played a leading role during the yearlong celebration as the event’s exclusive truck partner. Ram brand also launched its “Ram-Demption” campaign as part of  events at Michigan International Speedway, officially signaling the return of the HEMI V-8 and the brand’s return to NASCAR. The 68-second video features Kuniskis behind the wheel of Ram’s NASCAR concept truck at Darlington Raceway in South Carolina, with the iconic Goodyear Blimp and jets flying overhead. Different versions of the “Ram-Demption” video include 60-, 30- and 15-second spots, which are running across NASCAR media and the Ram brand’s social media channels, in addition to a long-form video running on the Ram brand’s YouTube channel. “Ram-Demption” was created in partnership with Argonaut agency. The “Never Stop Being American” marketing campaign was created in partnership with the Ram brand and Glue IQ, with Doner developing the “Nothing Stops Ram” tagline.

• Walmart

Fresh on the heels of its logo update and introduction of AI assistant Sparky, Walmart is now taking another step towards revamping its image, doing so via a new ad campaign featuring Hollywood actor Walton Goggins. Retailwire reports. Goggins, currently enjoying recent fame due to his inclusion on popular series including “White Lotus,” “Fallout,” and “The Righteous Gemstones,” is front-and-center in the midst of Walmart’s latest marketing blitz, The ad was created by Publicis Groupe’s Leo Burnett NY, Fallon, Digitas, and Contender agencies. A Spanish-language version showcasing the talents of “Brooklyn 99” actress Stephanie Beatriz is also slated for release, with campaigns spanning social media, traditional television, and Reddit forums.

•  Mars

Mars announced the outcome of its global agency review, unveiling a new industry-leading agency ecosystem powered by Publicis, along with Omnicom and IPG, designed to fuel a reimagined approach to brand building – one that puts consumers and pet owners at the center of every experience. Following a highly competitive RFP process, Mars has appointed Publicis to lead its media, production, paid social and influencer and connected commerce capabilities. Media was previously handled by WPP.  IPG’s Weber Shandwick is set to oversee a supercharged approach to brand PR, with both agencies tasked with bringing culture and conversation even closer to the portfolio of iconic brands at Mars. The outcome of the pitch process will see the new agency ecosystem implemented in full across the two largest businesses of Mars – Mars Snacking and Mars Petcare. Mars Food & Nutrition will join Snacking and Petcare, shifting its media business to Publicis. The company’s long-standing creative partners, Omnicom, will continue to lead brand creative, which was not part of the review. T&P will continue to lead brand creative for Food & Nutrition.  At an almost unparalleled scale, the new fully integrated agency model – set to be named “One Mars” – will bring together best-in-class capabilities across the industry’s most innovative and talented media, production and creative networks. The new silo-free agency setup will position Mars at the frontier of an AI-driven growth model. Which will see the company invest in its people, technology and partner with disruptors who are defining the context of the next generation.
As a $50bn+ family-owned business, Mar’s portfolio includes ROYAL CANIN®, PEDIGREE®, WHISKAS®, CESAR®, DOVE®, EXTRA®, M&M’s®, SNICKERS® and BEN’S ORIGINAL™.

• e.l.f. Cosmetics

e.l.f. Cosmetics, a brand from e.l.f. Beauty introduced “color e.l.f.nalysis”—a global, immersive digital experience for personalized beauty. With this tool, users can discover makeup shades that harmonize with their unique features and get matched with a curated Pinterest board featuring shoppable e.l.f. products tailored to their individual color story. “‘color e.l.f.nalysis’” is about breaking down beauty barriers and making personalized color analysis accessible to every eye, lip, and face—for free,” said Patrick O’Keefe, Chief Integrated Marketing Communications Officer at e.l.f. Beauty. “This tool, developed with Pinterest and in collaboration with real-life color experts, complements—not replaces—the human touch. It’s a smart, seamless, and fun way for our community to discover what works for them—and find their perfect e.l.f. product matches in just a few taps.” To bring this experience to life, e.l.f. worked with Pinterest’s insights team to map seasonal trends. By looking at user search, save, and shop behavior on Pinterest —including, a 23% increase in “true summer makeup”¹ and a 30% increase in “spring color palette analysis”² — the Pinterest team identified trending searches to fuel e.l.f.’s curated boards. The experience also features Pinterest’s newest collages format, bringing color ideas to life in a dynamic way that reaches shoppers exactly when inspiration strikes. e.l.f. partnered with Pinterest creators to develop season-specific content through the platform’s new creator partnership packages. This collaboration enables creators to produce Pinterest-first content and amplify their reach using Idea Ads with paid partnerships. To bring “color e.l.f.nalysis” to life, e.l.f. also tapped Movement Strategy — a social-powered creative agency that uses real-time insights and platform behavior to build brand strategies, breakthrough content, and influencer partnerships that move culture.

• Diageo

Tracy (Bussan) Doyle, SVP, Brands in Culture, Diageo North America, tells Portada that the brands the spirit giant will most promote in the U.S. in activations related to the 2026 FIFA Men’s Soccer World Cup will be Casamigos, Don Julio, and Buchanan’s.  According to Doyle, brand activation plans will reflect local relevance and consumer connection per market.  “We are building our marketing and brand plans now and will have more to share soon”, she adds.

• Cointreau

Cointreau, the iconic orange liqueur and the essential ingredient in The Original Margarita, is once again teaming up with the famously irreverent Aubrey Plaza for the latest evolution of the brand’s MargaRight campaign. The campaign will appear across Cointreau’s digital and social channels as well as through paid media, including Connected TV, top streaming platforms, YouTube, social media, and more. And this time, the partners are launching a new tequila brand…well, kind of. In a world where celebrity tequila brands are increasingly popular, Aubrey Plaza and Cointreau are debuting one of their own. Introducing Any Tequila—a 100% celebrity-endorsed, 0% authentic brand with one very real purpose: to remind the world that it’s Cointreau that makes a Margarita MargaRight. After all, it was the inventor of The Original Margarita, Margarita Sames, who said, “A Margarita without Cointreau is not worth its salt.” As the #1 cocktail in the U.S., the Margarita has solidified its position as a year-round favorite among consumers, with consumption peaking during the summer. Now more than ever, Margarita drinkers have so many options when it comes to the tequila they choose, with over 30% more options on the shelf now than just three years ago. So now is the time for Cointreau to make the decision easier for consumers. As the named brand in the original recipe, Cointreau is embracing its primary character energy with a clever call to action: ‘Any Tequila’ can be any tequila you like, but you need Cointreau to make your Margarita MargaRight. Launching nationally on Thursday, June 12, 2025, the latest Cointreau MargaRight campaign arrives just in time for peak Margarita season.T

Find out about Portada Live events planned for 2025. Portada Live events are highly curated events. Their agenda is designed to maximize knowledge-sharing and networking between top brand marketing, media agencies, and media executives. To learn about thought leadership and networking solutions at Portada Live and Portada digital media offerings, please contact Sales Director Irma Gutierrez at [email protected].

• PIF

PIF is joining the inaugural FIFA Club World Cup™, which kicked off last weekend in Miami and will conclude on July 13, 2025. The partnership reflects FIFA and PIF’s shared vision to enable greater participation in sports by unlocking new opportunities, fostering innovation, and engaging fans around the world. With a focus on youth, the partnership will provide opportunities for young people, supporting FIFA in its efforts to engage and inspire at a grassroots level. The new FIFA Club World Cup 2025™ marks a fresh chapter for club football on the global stage. It will feature 32 of the world’s top football clubs, bringing together champions from all six FIFA confederations for a month-long tournament in 11 cities across the U.S.

• Fico

Global analytics software leader FICO, in partnership with the Hispanic 100 Foundation and with support from Congresswoman Young Kim’s office, will host a free credit education event, Score A Better Future™, for community members, including college students and adults on Saturday, June 28, 2025, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. PT at the Yorba Linda Public Library. This event will provide attendees with tools and knowledge to better understand credit and how FICO® Scores work, and access to trusted financial resources. Attendees will receive free access to their FICO Score and have the opportunity to connect with a nonprofit credit counselor.“This community event supports a growing statewide and national movement to improve financial education at all levels. While this particular workshop is focused on empowering community members, college students, and adults, it also aligns with California’s new personal finance education requirement for high school students, beginning with the class of 2030. Representing 12 percent of all U.S. high schoolers, California’s mandate highlights the growing urgency for financial literacy as a life skill.
“Collaborating with local organizations like the Hispanic 100 Foundation allows us to bring credit education directly to the communities that benefit most,” said Jenelle Dito, vice president of Consumer Empowerment Programs and Partnerships at FICO. “Through partnerships like this one with the Hispanic 100 Foundation and the support of local leaders like Congresswoman Kim, we are proud to help Californians unlock tools and resources to achieve their financial goals.”

• Public

Public, a platform for long-term investing, announceda new brand campaign with the tagline: “Investing for those who take it seriously.” The launch of this campaign marks the evolution of Public from a social investing app to a world-class investing platform built for investors who build and manage sophisticated portfolios. Last week, Public announced that it had ended its social feed as AI features like its research assistant Alpha, and investment index builder, Generated Assets, serve customer needs in a much more efficient and intelligent way. The campaign starts with a new advertisement featuring Timothy Olyphant that pokes fun at the casual and risky investing culture that has emerged over the past years. The spot is followed by a series of three Public member testimonials telling their own stories about how they take investing seriously. The campaign began running on Tuesday, June 10, across national cable, primarily focusing on business networks like CNBC, Fox Business News, and Bloomberg, as well as streaming and digital media like Meta and YouTube. The concept and script for the 30s and :15s spots were created in-house and produced with Public’s partner, Bindery, in Los Angeles. “When we launched Public in 2019, our focus was on social investing, but over time, the product became a complete suite for investors to grow their wealth,” said Leif Abraham, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Public. “The sophisticated product attracted more sophisticated users, and this campaign is a stepping stone for the brand to move upmarket in tandem.” “Public has evolved — and this campaign is designed to reflect that,” said Zach Dioneda, VP of Brand Marketing. “We set out to create a brand moment that grabs attention with Timothy Olyphant, and pairs it with a suite of spots featuring real members who take investing seriously. Together, it signals exactly who Public is today.”

• Tubi

Tubi , Fox Corporation’s ad-supported video-on-demand service,  announced the debut of an all-new brand campaign, Just Keep Going, which includes four short commercials, out-of-home in New York City and spots geared towards die-hard football fans. The campaign, co-created by Tubi’s creative agency of record Mischief @ No Fixed Address, highlights that the things you love on Tubi…just keep going, no matter how strange or specific, from romcoms featuring heartthrob lifeguards and musicals with prolonged dance scenes, to crime dramas with conspicuous boats and sitcoms where the quirky neighbor gets the laugh.“There is no shortage of content available these days and many people are overwhelmed with choice but what’s unique about Tubi is you can continue to watch the obscure things you love without ever getting that empty feeling like you’ve reached the end of your favorite series,” said Nicole Parlapiano, Chief Marketing Officer, Tubi. “This campaign is an homage to and celebration of our passionate viewers and their tastes, and with it, we are aiming to meet them where they are in a contextually relevant way whether it be watching their favorite football team on Sunday or riding the subway in New York City.” Tubi has also created a series of over a dozen ads targeted towards football fans for the 2025 season which will run nationally and in local markets. Building off of its ‘Interface Interruption’ Super Bowl promo, these ads open on announcers discussing several teams including the “Cowboys,” “Bears,” and “Jets,” only to reveal clips of cowboys in a western film, bears in a nature documentary, fighter pilots in an action movie and more.

• Wyndham

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts is tapping into the power of simplicity and scale this summer with an all-new ad campaign, Where There’s a Wyndham, There’s a Way. Rooted in themes of accessibility, convenience, and authenticity, the campaign positions Wyndham as a trusted travel partner while uniting its 25 brands and top-rated rewards program under a single, cohesive voice and tagline—a first for the Company. Created in partnership with Havas New York and produced by Annex 88, Where There’s a Wyndham, There’s a Way is more than just a clever phrase—it’s a narrative that taps into the emotion and spontaneity of real-world travel. Whether it’s an ambitious aunt racing across three states in one weekend to make milestone family events or a beach-bound couple chasing sunsets and savings, the campaign reinforces that Wyndham has your back, wherever you may be headed this summer, with approximately 9,300 hotels across 25 brands.

• Magnum Ice Cream

Last weekend, Magnum Ice Cream (Magnum, a Unilever brand) invited Montrealers and race-week revelers to experience the ultimate bite. From June 12 to 15, visitors  stopped by the Magnum ASMR Studio at The Crescent Street Grand Prix Festival and partake in a multi-sensory activation designed to deliver a moment of indulgence. The immersive Magnum experience offers a pit stop from the action of the track with an experience that brings the signature “crack” of Magnum’s 100% Belgian chocolate-coated ice cream bars to life. Visitors can step into the Magnum ASMR Studio, get close to the mic and create their own ASMR-inspired content – from the slow unwrapping of an ice cream bar to the iconic chocolate crack from the first bite. Each guest will receive a video capturing their personalized Magnum Moment to share on social media.”In a weekend known for speed, sound and adrenaline, we’re giving people a moment to slow down, indulge, and really savour the small luxury of a Magnum,” said Benjamin Finn, Marketing Lead for Ice Cream, Unilever. “Our ASMR activation taps into a trend people can’t get enough of, offering that satisfying chocolate crack and sensory delight our fans love.” 

• Carvana

Carvana, an industry pioneer for buying and selling used cars online, announced a new national campaign in collaboration with Emmy and Golden Globe-winning actor Jon Hamm. The campaign highlights how easy it is to sell your car to Carvana, as Hamm brings his signature humor and relatability to a series of new ads launching across digital, broadcast, and streaming platforms. The campaign kicks off with a 30-second spot titled “Excuses,” in which Hamm tries to get out of an awkward social obligation by claiming he has to handle the time-consuming task of selling his car. The problem? Carvana makes the process so fast and simple that his excuse immediately unravels, especially since his car is already sold and loaded onto a Carvana hauler just a few feet away. Developed by Carvana’s in-house creative team, the campaign will roll out nationwide across digital, broadcast, and streaming platforms.. “Excuses” is the first of two commercial spots featuring Hamm that Carvana will debut throughout the year alongside additional social content. The campaign continues Carvana’s tradition of pairing engaging talent and lighthearted humor to showcase how Carvana drives its customers happy with a process that’s fun, fast, and fair.

• Starbucks

Starbucks Coffee Company is brewing up a new role aimed at coffee lovers and social media storytellers. Starbucks  acceped applications until June 13 for two full-time, year-long positions: one open to current Starbucks employees and one to external candidates. These positions, known as the Global Coffee Creator, involve traveling the world and sharing immersive stories about the people, places, and culture behind the brand, according to the company. The selected creators will visit up to 15 Starbucks locations worldwide.

• Newell Brands 

Adobe announced that Newell Brands , a leading global consumer goods company, is partnering with Adobe to activate generative AI via Adobe Firefly and Adobe Express—scaling its reach and impact with consumers around the world. Home to over 50 iconic brands including Sharpie®, Rubbermaid®, Coleman® and Yankee Candle®, Newell’s portfolio spans audiences and categories where brand and product awareness are paramount. The company is investing in an omnichannel marketing and content strategy (across social media, e-commerce and more) to deepen its engagement with consumers and retail partners, at a moment when the demand for content is skyrocketing. As part of Newell’s investment, the company is expanding its use of Adobe’s content supply chain solutions to optimize its process of delivering impactful marketing campaigns—from planning and content creation to activation and measurement. “As part of our corporate strategy to win in the marketplace, we are investing in solutions that help us deliver superior brand communications. We wanted a partner who could help us connect the Newell Brands ecosystem thereby enabling faster, higher quality content creation that can be leveraged globally with ease,” said Melanie Huet, Co-CEO, Home & Commercial Segment at Newell Brands. “We ultimately decided to expand our partnership with Adobe, a longtime trusted partner with best-in-class tools that can be used directly in our existing workflows. We leaned into Adobe to rebuild our content supply chain and integrate our marketing technology stack with a vision of delivering five times more content, unlocking significant efficiency gains and improving the effectiveness of our brand communications.”