This week's marketing winners, losers and newsmakers.
Winners
Monopoly thimble: The retired token will return to the Hasbro-owned game this fall, after winning a vote last month. Hasbro asked customers to decide which of its six retired Monopoly tokens would replace the T-Rex token, which was voted out. The thimble was last in circulation five years ago. The other choices for return included the wheelbarrow, iron, boot, horse and rider and money bag.
Merrell: The brand deployed a fresh angle on encouraging people to get outside by debuting a “Walk and Talk” hotline for customers to use while taking a walk outdoors. Those who call in will speak to an outdoors representative who will keep them company on their stroll. In addition, Merrell is offering a 15% discount to those who use the service. Other brands using a hotline as a consumer touchpoint include Zappos, which offered a COVID hotline to customers seeking someone to talk to during the early days of the pandemic.
Netflix: The streaming service got a much-needed boost following the May 27 debut of the first seven-episode installment of the fourth season of '80s-era hit “Stranger Things.” The series was viewed for 287 million hours during the week of May 23 to 30, breaking a record for the No. 1 ranking position that had formerly been held by Season 2 of “Bridgerton.” The second half of the penultimate season of “Stranger Things” will be released on July 1.
Read more: Netflix's 'Stranger Things' marketing offers clues to its streaming wars plan
Plus, see how Netflix took Milan back to the '80s to promote 'Stranger Things'