Marketing winners and losers of the week

This week’s marketing winners, losers and newsmakers. Ad Age Small Agency Awards Showcase your agency’s creativity, business success and commitment to a thriving workplace. Enter today Winners 5-hour Energy Daylight saving time means more evening sunshine—but also less sleep on Sunday when clocks spring ahead one hour. It has, like most things, become a marketing opportunity; last year, for instance, Titan Casket ran a campaign related to evidence that the time change causes a spike in heart attacks and traffic accidents. 5-hour Energy is out this year with a less morbid effort. The maker of caffeinated shot-sized drinks is promoting tinier versions called 1-hour Energy in 0.5-ounce bottles that offer “that extra boost when you’re down an hour, giving you back all the feelings of energy those damn clocks stole from you,” according to a press release. Flavor Flav, known for wearing clock necklaces, will hand out samples in New York, and the brand is also giving away 1-hour Energy bottles online with the purchase of any product at its website. Crayola Crediting “fan requests,” the crayon purveyor resurrected eight shades out of retirement. The lineup includes Dandelion, the yellow hue last seen in 2017, and Raw Umber, a shade unknown to Gen Z since it hasn’t been seen since 1990. Those colors, along with Blizzard Blue, Magic Mint, Mulberry, Orange Red, Violet Blue and Lemon Yellow will sell in a new nostalgic 8-pack. Many color loyalists voiced their enthusiasm on social media earlier this week. dandelion is back! 💛🌼 #Dandelion #crayon @Crayola pic.twitter.com/31ydiLWsQn— elyse major (@elysepressmajor) March 5, 2025 Dairy Queen By March, most everyone is sick of snow—but DQ in Canada found a useful way to turn lingering white stuff into a marketing opportunity. Publicis Toronto teamed with the brand to make snowbanks look like giant Blizzard ice cream treats, complete with 7-foot-tall DQ red spoons and giant Smarties mix-ins. Ad Age’s Creativity has more on the effort. Dairy Queen Canada turns snowbanks into giant Blizzards in fun OOH campaign: https://t.co/kqzJ6x5I49 pic.twitter.com/VEM6kX6DmT— Ad Age Creativity (@creativitymag) March 5, 2025 Losers Target Some customers began a 40-day boycott of the Minneapolis-based retailer this week in protest of its pullback on diversity, equity and inclusion policies. In January, Target said it would end its three-year DEI goals; it is one of several brands backtracking on such initiatives. The boycott comes after Target reported fourth-quarter net sales this week of $30.9 billion, 3.1% lower than the year-earlier period. The retailer also warned of product price increases as a result of tariffs. Subway The sandwich chain is facing a franchisee rebellion over its latest $6.99 footlong offer. As documented by Restaurant Business, the North American Association of Subway Franchisees argues that such discounting is devaluing the brand. “Subway has been running the same playbook,” NAASF stated in a scathing critique. “We are in worse position today than we possibly ever have been, and it stems from this very subject we are talking about today, menu-wide discounts.” Subway responded that the program is optional, comes with a subsidy and that such deals are necessary in today’s economic environment. The conflict comes as the chain is conducting a media and agency review. Skims The popular clothing brand founded by Kim Kardashian attracted some blowback from a blowup doll this week. The 60-foot-long balloon of Kardashian installed in Times Square was meant to promote Skims’ upcoming swimwear collection, but consumers were weirded out. “This is so beyond weird,” wrote one in a comment on the brand’s Instagram post. “I love Skims and this is so awful,” wrote another. Not everyone was against the installation, though. Omg the skims marketing in Times Square is perfection— ease into flo (@essentialyevan) March 5, 2025 Quote of the week “Community building is so much more than wanting people to wear your sweatshirt,” Katie Welch, chief marketing officer at Rare Beauty, said at Ad Age’s NextGen Summit earlier this week, speaking about how DTC brands can connect with their customers. Also read: How DTC has shifted and what’s ahead Social post of the week David Kelly of @JPMorganAM: "The trouble with tariffs, to be succinct, is that they raise prices, slow economic growth, cut profits, increase unemployment, worsen inequality, diminish productivity and increase global tensions. Other than that, they’re fine." pic.twitter.com/l7UKTLzNRg— Avik Roy (@Avik) March 4, 2025 Number of the week 53% The share of marketers who say that the quality of creative work is not progressing, according to a new survey from advisory group BetterBriefs and research agency Flood + Partners in partnership with the World Federation of Advertisers and The Institute of Practitioners in Advertising. Only 24% of agency representatives surveyed agreed with the statement. Also read: Inside the creativity debate On the move Not Your Mother’s Haircare hired Charlene Zappa as chief marketing officer. She had been an executive VP at Fiskars Group. More CMO news: CMO job moves and hiring trends to watch Become an All Access subscriber Get access to exclusive resources including Leading National Advertisers, World’s Largest Advertisers, Agency Report, Agency Review Tracker and TV Pricing Report. Click here

Marketing winners and losers of the week

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