Winner

Meditation brand Calm has been a master in speaking out at critical culturally relevant moments to propel its brand. (Remember its CNN sponsorship on Election Night?) Now, as a number of brands such as Nike and Sweetgreen speak up in support of Naomi Osaka, Calm is taking things a step further by offering to pay all fines for players who are punished for opting out of Grand Slam tennis tourneys for mental health reasons. Calm is also donating $15,000 in honor of Osaka to Laureus, a French organization that supports mental health of young people through sport, and says it will match any fines with an additional $15,000 donation to the organization.

All the brand love comes after Osaka, the world’s highest-paid athlete, decided to withdraw from this year’s French Open after being fined $15,000 for refusing to partake in press conferences. The tennis champ has stated that she is not a “natural public speaker” and press conferences give her “huge waves of anxiety.” Her authenticity has moved her fans and brands that have worked with the star. Salad chain Sweetgreen, which just tapped Osaka as its first athletic ambassador, shared its support on Twitter.

Loser

Small brands are having a tougher time on Amazon. As Ad Age reported this week, they are increasingly losing share and getting outspent by bigger players on the e-commerce giant's platform. The pandemic is to blame, as large marketers chase the uptick in online buying.

ICYMI

Like so many other brands, Kate Spade is taking up TikTok. The designer brand plugged its 2021 summer collection on the platform this week using a joyful dance-filled video. Our coverage of the campaign proved to be our most popular post of the week based on reader engagement. 

Number of the week

70%: The percentage of U.S. adults who need to get at least one vaccination shot by July 4 to reach the Biden administration’s goal, up from about 63% now. The president this week touted a new pledge by Anheuser-Busch InBev to buy a beer, seltzer, or non-alcoholic beverage for Americans if the nation reaches his milestone. The catch: people must upload a picture of themselves to a website run by the brewer that shows them “in their favorite place to grab a beer, whether with friends at their favorite local bar and restaurant or with family in their very own backyard.” The site doubles as Anheuser-Busch’s loyalty program that allows it to collect personal data that it uses for marketing (with user consent).

Out of this world marketing

New information came out today about a forthcoming report to Congress that will address the possibility that UFOs exist. As CNN reported, “US intelligence officials have found no evidence confirming that unidentified flying objects encountered by US Navy pilots in recent years were alien spacecraft but also have not reached a definitive assessment as to what these mysterious objects might be.” For UFO enthusiasts and conspiracy theorists, the report will provide just enough uncertainty to keep the debate going. For bands, it is a marketing opportunity—of course!

Bud Light was early out of the gate today with a tweet promising to declassify the flavors of its “latest secret Space Case” of seltzer in exchange for alien intel.

Oreo got a head start on the hype leading up to the release of the congressional report later this month. It sent a tweet on Thursday that stages a peace offering for aliens in the form of Double Stuf Oreos. The agency behind the video is The Community.

SodaStream animates Laverne Cox

This week saw the debut of many brands’ rainbow-filled Pride campaigns, many of which have a COVID-relief and racial equality element to them. As more and more brands seek to center themselves on inclusivity, the month-long celebration is now a necessary addition to marketing efforts.

PepsiCo’s SodaStream joined in, teaming up with trans actress and advocate Laverne Cox for a new film titled “Rainbow Story.” In the digital spot, Cox, pictured as an animated superhero, takes viewers through the challenges in her life from the time she was a child. The spot, created with production company Jiminy Creative, promotes the brand’s limited-edition $99.99 “Rainbow Story” sparkling water maker kits which allow consumers to personalize their machines with rainbow markers. SodaStream is giving 10% of the profits to LGBTQ+ nonprofit ILGA World.

Meanwhile, The Trevor Project worked with sponsor Macy’s on a PSA timed to Pride featuring actor Ben Platt.

Quote of the week

“We started to think about their audience—not just as economy lodgers but as economy movers—people who move the economy when we all shut down.”—Chris Cardetti, chief strategy officer at Barkley, on the insights behind the agency’s debut campaign for Motel 6.

Tweet of the week

On the move

Bloomin’ Brands promoted Danielle Vona to senior VP and chief marketing officer. Vona, who also joins the executive leadership team, was most recently CMO of the company’s casual dining restaurant portfolio, including Outback Steakhouse, Bonefish Grill and Carrabba’s Italian Grill.

Contributing: Jessica Wohl