This week’s marketing winners, losers and newsmakers.

Winners

Nike: Plenty of brands seized on the solar eclipse as a marketing opportunity. But none did it better than Nike, which used Monday to tease an otherwordly design that appears to be a new logo for its partnership with NBA phenom Victor Wembanyama. “The total eclipse has just begun,” Nike said in a social post that featured a video of an alien-like design carved in a field. The  7-foot, 3-inch Wembanyama has been compared to an alien for his extraordinary skills. Nike’s post, which came from Wieden+Kennedy, drew more than 13 million views, as well as widespread praise, including from Fast Company, which called it Nike’s “coolest, weirdest logo yet.”

Read more on Wembanyama’s marketing prospects

Later in the week, Nike unveiled a concept shoe for Wembanyama.

Sephora: The cosmetics retailer landed the top spot in the consumer packaged goods category of Brand Keys’ list of most innovative brands. The list, which is in its 21st year, surveyed 7,806 consumers about brands in eight sectors and asked them to rank brands by their ability to meet innovation expectations in each category. After Sephora, Dove and e.l.f. came in second and third. Mattel topped the entertainment category, Ozempic was first in health care, McDonald’s led restaurant brands, Amazon was first in retail and WeChat scored the best in social networking.

Hasbro: Mattel may have scored high for Brand Keys, but the toy giant could soon face some entertainment competition. After its “Barbie” movie starring and produced by Margot Robbie became a blockbuster sensation last year, rival Hasbro is hoping to secure the same success by deploying a similar strategy. Hasbro said this week that it is producing, alongside Robbie’s production company LuckyChap, a live-action film based on its ever-popular Monopoly board game. 

Losers

Scrabble: Monopoly and its Uncle Pennybags might be getting the star treatment, but another board game instigated backlash this week. Scrabble, which is owned by Mattel, is introducing a new version, dubbed Scrabble Together, that is more collaborative and inclusive, the company said. Players work together instead of compete and have assistance cards if they are stuck. The new game will be available in Europe but not in the U.S., because Mattel does not hold the license here. Consumers were unimpressed with the updates.

Lunchables: It was a terrible week for the Kraft Heinz kids food brand, which dealt with numerous negative headlines over a Consumer Reports finding that the meals contain high levels of lead and sodium. The watchdog group called for Lunchables to be removed from the National School Lunch Program.

Spirit Airlines: As it seeks to improve its finances, the carrier said it will be furloughing 260 pilots. In addition, the low-cost brand pushed back deliveries of new Airbus airplanes. The changes are expected to help Spirit improve liquidity by roughly $340 million in the next two years.

Quote of the week

“I knew right away how important the impact of this would be, not just for my daughters … but for women all over the world who did not see themselves as beautiful. Most women’s self-esteem had been challenged by the images the beauty industry had promoted for their entire lives.” —Lisa Sepulveda, current global chief content officer at Edelman who worked on Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty when it began 20 years ago, on the long-lasting impact of the work.

Read more: Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty changed marketing

Social post of the week

Number of the week

9 years: The length of ESPN’s new deal with Peyton Manning’s Omaha Productions, meaning the popular “Manningcast” alternative “Monday Night Football” broadcast will continue.

On the move

Citi hired Alex Craddock as chief marketing and content officer, a newly created position. He had been global chief marketing officer at BlackRock.

The Recording Academy promoted Adam Roth to executive VP of global partnerships and business development from senior VP of partnerships and business development.

Athletes Unlimited announced Allie Kleva as chief growth officer. She had been a VP of strategic partnerships and marketing at CNN.

The Honest Company founder Jessica Alba said she is stepping down from her position as chief creative officer to pursue other endeavors.