The top 5 food and beverage marketing ideas to know about right now

In this edition, Emily Zugay returns and Carter Vail sings for Silk. Other standout campaigns include best-in-show from a root beer brand and the resurrection of Strawberry Pop-Tart. 5. Silk’s singing spokesman TikTok musician Carter Vail, famous for turning almost any phrase into a lyric—and any lyric into an earworm—forms a duo with actor Max Baumgarten to serenade people in their homes about the benefits of switching to Silk. “Feelin’ Planty Good” is the next iteration of a campaign for the Danone-owned soy and almond milk brand that launched with actor Jeremy Renner last year. The new ads from Havas NY feature music written for Vail by the agency’s Creative Directors Sarah Spicher and Duda Castro. Super Bowl commercials Tracking the latest brand and agency plans Click here 4. Emily Zugay helps First Watch launch new menu items Breakfast chain First Watch likes to give customers a sneak peak at new menu items on social media by drawing them … poorly. That is, until their graphic designer developed carpal tunnel, according to the brand's tongue-in-cheek Instagram post below. His solution: hire Emily Zugay, known for her viral redesigns of famous logos, to make the preview photos for First Watch’s new year’s “Jumpstart Menu.” Zugay did not disappoint, creating designs for the chain’s parmesan prosciutto toast, carne asada hash, raspberry ricotta french toast and new blue booster drink (made with blueberry, Fuji apple, lemon and basil juice.) View this post on Instagram A post shared by E m i l y🌻 (@emilyzugay) “Please find a way to send this to my house,” Zugay said of the blue booster. First Watch found a way to send her a version of the drink, along with some other snacks and a family photo for Zugay. View this post on Instagram A post shared by First Watch (@firstwatch) “Moar of this,” wrote one commenter. “This is truly unhinged and I’ve never loved First Watch more than I do right now,” wrote another. 3. Got that Dawg A bulldog hasn’t won Best In Show at the Westminster Kennel Club show in 70 years—but Mug Root Beer is root-root-rooting. The first-ever soft-drink sponsor of the prestigious dog show is holding a “Bestest Bulldog” competition and is encouraging fans to vote online for their favorite from the bulldog field at the show, which begins Feb. 8. Participants voting online can win a free root beer with an Uber Eats order. Mug is leaning hard into its mascot. In January a promotion demonstrated how the popular expression “Got that dawg in you” could be measured scientifically. The PepsiCo-owned brand made DNA test kits available for fans to see how their DNA measures up with their favorite pooch. As part of the launch, the brand and VaynerMedia created a mock genealogy show, “Genes with Gene,” in which one fan discovers his dog pack, or others who share his enthusiasm for Mug. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Dog (@mugrootbeer) 2. Let's get it on Non-alcoholic beer brand Best Day Brewing is asking consenting adults to consider the benefits of “sober sex” this Valentine’s Day. A social campaign that launched this week shows an animated physical courtship of two Best Day cans, showing how sober sex can be romantic, intimate and “explosive.” A kolsh and hazy IPA getting busy playfully taps into the growing sober movement, challenging the idea that alcohol is a prerequisite for a good time—in or out of the bedroom. Ad Age Creativity Bookmark our section covering the best in brand creativity every day Read more here 1. Strawberry Pop-Tart revived for latest Pop-Tarts Bowl Following up on the viral success of the first Pop-Tarts Bowl, the toaster pastry brand doubled—or rather tripled down—for the December 2024 game with three Pop-Tarts mascots—Wild Berry, Hot Fudge Sundae and Frosted Cinnamon Roll, the last of which was voted in by fans who wanted to see the flavor return to shelves. All three were hoping to be chosen to follow in the footsteps of 2023’s mascot and be toasted and eaten by the winning team (the Iowa State Cyclones). The honor went to Frosted Cinnamon Roll, who was lowered into a giant toaster holding a sign that read, “Follow your dreams.” The cinnamon roll Pop-Tart had a good run 😂 pic.twitter.com/Kpl1ddOWLG— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 29, 2024 Perhaps even more surprising to fans was Strawberry Pop-Tart “returning from the dead.” Pop-Tarts had built a memorial statue of the toaster pastry outside of Orlando’s Camping World Stadium and had started playing a tribute video to the viral sensation on the stadium’s big board, only to switch over to a live feed showing the eaten Pop-Tart standing on top of the stadium. He is risen! #PopTartsBowl pic.twitter.com/kT0ZHyNH6U— Pop-Tarts Bowl (@PopTartsBowl) December 28, 2024

The top 5 food and beverage marketing ideas to know about right now

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