This week’s marketing winners, losers and newsmakers.

Winners

Mezcal: Nothing says mainstream like a spot on the Applebee’s menu. And that is the status now reached by mezcal, whose popularity is rising so fast that it is now part of “eatin’ good in the neighborhood,” to quote the chain’s slogan. Applebee’s is partnering with a couple of celebrity brands—Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranston’s Dos Hombres Mezcal and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s Teremana Tequila—on mezcal margaritas that will be sold for $9 for a limited time. One of the drinks, made with both Dos Hombres and Teremana, is called “Breaking Rock Rita,” which is of course a simultaneous nod to “Breaking Bad” and Johnson.

Nation’s Restaurant News, which reported on the offerings, noted that mezcal “is one of the fastest growing spirits in the world, with an anticipated compound annual growth rate of over 12.3% in the next five years, according to Mordor Intelligence.”

(Meanwhile, Dry January continues. Read more about non-alcoholic marketing trends.)

CBS: The network still has nearly a month before its Super Bowl airing on Feb. 11, but CBS is already riding high this week following a successful Golden Globes performance. The awards ceremony, which took place on Sunday, attracted 9.4 million viewers, a 50% rise over last year, according to Variety citing Nielsen numbers. NBC had hosted the Golden Globes from 1996 through last year. CBS’ performance also got a boost from clever social media posts and Taylor Swift.

H-E-B: The San Antonio-based grocer snagged the top spot of an annual list of U.S. grocery retailers calibrated by customer data science company Dunnhumby. The Dunnhumby Retailer Preference Index, which is in its seventh year, combines both financial results and customer perception. H-E-B outranked Amazon and Costco which scored second and third on the list.

Losers

Calvin Klein: The clothing brand was reprimanded in a ruling from the U.K.’s Advertising Standards Authority this week about complaints from a 2023 campaign showing FKA Twigs. The regulator said Calvin Klein’s ads were “overtly sexual,” and more focused on the singer rather than the clothing being advertised, as reported by the Wall Street Journal. As part of the ruling, the ad is banned from appearing again in the U.K. and the clothier should consider such issues of objectification moving forward when it plans its marketing. Long known for provocative advertising, Calvin Klein has typically walked a fine line of controversy dating back to a Brooke Shields ad in the early ’80s. More recently, the brand was accused of queerbaiting.

But FKA Twigs criticized the ruling in an Instagram post, accusing the regulator of having a double standard.

Also: Inside Away’s quick spoof of Jeremy Allen White’s CK ads

Rent the Runway: The 14-year-old fashion rental site announced a new round of layoffs this week. Amid more restructuring, the company is cutting some 10% of corporate employees, following similar cuts in late 2022 that involved a quarter of staffers. At the same time, the company is looking to hire a new chief marketing officer as it tries to expand its reach and court new customers.

Hertz: The rental car company overestimated the appetite for electric vehicle rentals and is now selling a third of its U.S. EV fleet to reinvest in gas-powered cars, reports Automotive News, noting that EVs had made up 11% of its total fleet and Teslas account for 80% of that. It is the latest sign that the EV hype is not living up to expectations, at least in the short term.

Number of the week

$4.5 billion: Ad revenue generated by the NFL’s TV partners this season, according to Sportico, which described it as a record haul.

Social post of the week

Quote of the week

“It was a hell of a round, Tiger.” —Nike, bidding adieu to Tiger Woods, who ended his longtime endorsement deal with the sports giant.

Watch Nike’s most memorable Tiger Woods ads

On the move

CVS promoted Erin Condon to chief marketing officer of its pharmacy and consumer wellness business. The executive, who has been at CVS for eight years, had been serving in the role on an interim basis since last summer’s departure of Norm de Greve, who is now at GM. Prior to her recent role, Condon was VP of front store marketing and store experience at CVS. 

Rothy’s announced the appointment of Jenny Ming as CEO. A board member of the direct-to-consumer brand since 2022, the retail veteran also led fashion brand Charlotte Russe as CEO and president from 2010 to 2019 and co-founded Old Navy in 1993. Rothy’s also promoted Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer Dayna Quanbeck to president.

Just Women’s Sports hired Sarah Cotenoff as VP of sales. She had been sales director of podcast measurement at Spotify.

For more comings and goings, bookmark Ad Age’s Executive Moves page.