Winner

Aviation Gin and Ryan Reynolds still got it. The brand backed by the actor, which was recently scooped up by Diageo, is out with an ad touting a new “Home School Edition” of the gin. Spoiler alert: it’s big. For more, check out Creativity’s take on the spot. But the real winners here are parents.

Loser

Sizzler, the 62-year-old budget steakhouse chain, is the latest coronavirus victim in the dining industry, having filed for bankruptcy this week. The chain, known for an all-you-can-eat salad bar and other economical meals, has 107 restaurants and says it will continue operating its 14 company-owned locales during restructuring, according to media reports. No matter what happens to the chain, we’ll always have this:

Popular

The “Fearless Girl” is back in the news, and still drawing interest from Ad Age readers, who made this post about State Street Global Advisors and McCann dressing the statue in a lace collar to pay tribute to Ruth Bader Ginsburg one of our most popular stories of the week. But, as of Friday morning, a Joe Biden campaign ad has a slight lead over the Girl—this story on the cheeky 10-second post is luring plenty of eyeballs.

Ice-cream casual

For the 25th birthday of the McFlurry—McDonald’s spin on vanilla soft-serve blended with toppings—the Golden Arches introduced a “birthday suit” which is actually fitting for 2020. The costume, with a yellow blazer on the top and shorts on the bottom, goes on sale on Friday in the chain’s online merch shop and, along with an insulated pocket, it includes a coupon for a Snack Size McFlurry.

Wear your greens

Reebok has created its first plant-based sneaker, which it is producing in partnership with Siena Farms. Consumers can buy the shoes and a half-bushel of vegetables in a CSA produce box beginning in October. Called Forever Floatride GROW, the shoes are made of castor beans, eucalyptus trees and algae, among other materials.

Tweet of the week

Quote of the week

“Wells Fargo needs to feel the effects and the consequences because we can no longer make excuses for ‘slips of the tongue’ or ‘comments taken out of context.’”—Cheryl Overton, founder and chief experience officer of Cheryl Overton Communications, on the bank’s CEO, Charles Scharf, who is drawing backlash for complaining about “a very limited pool of black talent to recruit from.”

Number of the week

39 percent: The share of 18-34 year-olds who strongly/somewhat agree that brands whose products are made in America are of a higher quality than those that aren't, according to new findings from Ad Age-The Harris Poll. The results come as Ford pushes a new campaign touting its U.S. manufacturing footprint. The automaker can take heart from the fact that 69 percent of those polled from all age groups strongly/somewhat agree that they prefer to purchase products that are made in America because it helps the U.S. economy—which seems to be at the heart of Ford’s message.

On the move

Ryan Robertson joined Popeyes in August as global head of brand marketing. Robertson, who was most recently innovation director and head of multicultural marketing at Diageo, was on Ad Age’s 40 Under 40 list in 2019. He will work on the global expansion of Popeyes with regional marketing teams, lead its sustainability agenda and “develop and bring the brand’s cultural marketing strategy to life,” the Restaurant Brands International chain announced.