Shortly before he died earlier today (July 24) at the age of 71, Hulk Hogan was doing what so many out-to-pasture celebrities from the 1980s and 1990s do: He was a pitchman.

In April, Walmart began stocking Real American Beer, a brand Hogan started in 2024. “Americans deserve a real American beer, and now they can grab Real American Beer at Walmart—America’s store,” Hogan announced in a prepared statement. “Real American Beer is made for summer. And now, it’s easier than ever to get some, brother.”

Odds are that a PR person wrote that line for him, but only Hogan himself could have supplied the beer can’s branding element—a stylized rendering of the professional wrestler with his signature bandana and handlebar mustache, gritting his teeth while waving an American flag.

That’s how Hogan loyalists will doubtless remember the man, whose decades of fame inside and outside the ring didn’t just make him a national figure, but one alluring enough to prompt brands to come running with endorsement contracts.

As is the case with many a celebrity, however, Hogan’s legacy is mixed, and paradoxical too: Hogan ultimately became more famous after he retired from wrestling in 2012—and it was his mouth, not his muscles, that got all the attention.

Born Terry Gene Bollea in 1953, Hogan grew up in a rough-and-tumble neighborhood in South Tampa. After dropping out of college, a 300-pound Hogan dropped into the wrestling circuit. The World Wrestling Federation (today World Wrestling Entertainment) added him to its lineup in 1977, giving him a moniker inspired by The Incredible Hulk. (A displeased Marvel Comics sued, settled, and eventually let Hogan have his name for $750,000.)

A winner of six championships, Hogan became a brand within a brand for WWE, enjoying fame that transcended his trade and turning thousands of Americans into “Hulkamaniacs.” A natural ham for the camera, Hogan stepped effortlessly into advertising, appearing in spots for brands big (Arby’s, Cheerios), small (Pumax cleaning wipes) and occasionally questionable (Rent-A-Center, 10-10-220.)

It  all came to a screeching halt in 2012, when the gossip site Gawker posted a sex tape of Hogan in flagrante with Heather Clem, wife of on-air personality Todd Alan Clem, better known as Bubba the Love Sponge. Americans can forgive a sex tape, but it was Hogan’s language that wound up being the curb stomp. In the video, Hogan goes on an expletive-fueled rant about people of color and the LGBTQ+ community.

Hogan apologized, but not before the WWE kicked him out of its Hall of Fame and many fans walked away.

The next move would prove weirder than most pro wrestling costumes. Clandestinely bankrolled by gay tech billionaire Peter Thiel, Hogan sued Gawker and walked away with $140 million. It was a fatal wound for the media company, which shut down in 2016. Critics charged that Hogan and Thiel’s suit was precedent for how money could dispense with the freedom of the press.

Despite his fiscal winnings, Hogan would find it harder to fully recover his good reputation. The WWE reinstated him to its hall of fame in 2018, but earlier this year, when Hogan appeared in LA’s Intuitive Dome to promote Netflix’s Monday Night Raw, an arena’s worth of people booed him.

Performance apparel brand Rhone has named Kepler its first-ever media agency of record, it shared with ADWEEK.

The win follows a three-month competitive review involving eight agencies. It marks Rhone’s first dedicated media agency partnership (the brand worked with IMA-Home on the creative side) as it looks to expand its women’s collection, deepen its mental fitness focus, and scale across digital and retail.

Rhone’s 2024 media spend is estimated at $27 million, nearly all digital, per COMvergence.

“We’ve reached an inflection point,” Bethany Evans, Rhone’s chief marketing officer, told ADWEEK. “We needed a media partner that could help us scale intentionally without losing the soul of the brand.” Rhone, a privately owned company, declined to disclose growth figures.

Kepler will lead strategy, media buying, and measurement across Rhone’s ecommerce business, Amazon presence, in-store retail, and wholesale partners.

“We’re currently focused on deepening brand relevance while expanding our reach across new and existing audiences,” Evans said. “That means continuing to grow our direct-to-consumer business, driving awareness and engagement for our women’s line, and cementing our position as a leader in the mental fitness space.”

Kepler will use its proprietary AI tool, Kip AIR, to optimize Rhone’s positioning in a new world of AI search engines, with the goal of helping it “understand how emerging AI platforms perceive and recommend their brand,” said Remy Stiles, North America CEO at Kepler.

Evans said Kepler stood out in the review because in addition for having a reputation for being innovative, “they also understood how important brand marketing is to us.”

Stiles added that most of the team that pitched the account will also service it. “We build our pitch teams with the future in mind, ensuring consistency from day one,” she said.

Rhone was founded in 2014 as a premium men’s activewear brand. In 2025, it is amping up its marketing investment to support an expanded women’s product line, launching campaigns with NBA veteran Kevin Love and LPGA stars Lilia Vu and Lauren Hartlage. It’s also doubling down on its Mind & Muscle wellness events series.

At Kepler, Rhone joins a client roster that includes what Stiles described as “DTC and modern retail brands” like Champion, FILA, and Hasbro.

“[These brands] prioritize loyalty, agility, and bold thinking,” she added.

R/GA has made its first acquisition in its nearly 50 year history: AI system design studio Addition.

The deal comes less than a year after R/GA was sold by IPG and to a group of its leaders, with majority backing from private equity firm Truelink Capital. Terms were not disclosed.

It was funded by R/GA’s Innovation Fund, launched in March 2025 with $50 million to support talent investments, product development, partnerships, and acquisitions.

Global CEO Robin Forbes described the acquisition as “a long-term strategic investment,” which the agency is now able to make as “a distinct advantage of our independence” after being sold from IPG.

“As R/GA continues to embrace new technology in service of creativity, we believe AI presents perhaps the most potent opportunity yet,” Forbes told ADWEEK. “Addition, built from the ground up as an AI system design and development studio, slots perfectly into this vision.”

Founded in 2021 by Paul Aaron and Rick Barber, Addition has worked with clients including Google, Amazon, NBCU, Unilever, Prudential, and The New York Times.

Addition’s 12-person team, as well as its network of AI experts, will join R/GA, but the company will retain its brand. Forbes said Addition will continue to go to market with its independent offering while also lending its capabilities to R/GA more broadly.

“This allows Addition to retain a level of independence, enables them to continue to service their core clients as normal, and allows them to collaborate on R/GA client work,” he explained.

Aaron and Barber will join R/GA’s global executive management team, reporting to Forbes and working alongside chair and global chief creative officer Tiffany Rolfe, chief technology officer Nick Coronges, and chief strategy officer Melissa Jackson Parsey.

“Joining R/GA represents an opportunity for us to embed our approach to AI within a truly global and innovative company,” Aaron said in a statement shared with ADWEEK. “R/GA’s creative culture, history of innovation, and ambition to lead the intelligence age makes this the perfect partnership. We’ve always wanted to shape the future of brands and this acquisition will enable us to do so on a much larger scale.”

Forbes said the deal is part of a larger strategy to deepen R/GA’s AI capabilities, positioning the agency to design custom systems and tools for clients.

“While R/GA has strong AI strategy and product capabilities, Addition brings a very specialized, deep expertise in AI system design and development,” he said. “They give clients access to new, brilliant minds who are at the forefront of AI innovation, which is a rare talent pool.”

R/GA and Addition already share clients, including Google, and have worked together on previous projects and pitches. The two companies have already began integrating their operations.

Looking ahead, Forbes said more acquisitions may follow.

“Our Innovation Fund is specifically designed for ongoing investments,” he said. “It’s integral to our long-term strategy, allowing us to pursue further strategic partnerships and acquisitions, and to continuously evolve our capabilities in the rapidly advancing AI landscape.”

Fox has reached the finish line of the 2025-26 upfront cycle.

Today, ADWEEK learned that Fox has officially closed its upfront discussions, achieving double-digit volume growth across its portfolio.

“The Fox portfolio of industry-leading sports, news, and entertainment content delivered double-digit revenue growth in the upfront for the second year in a row,” Jeff Collins, president of advertising sales, marketing, and brand partnerships, Fox, said in a statement. “Unprecedented audience growth across the Fox portfolio has driven better outcomes for our trusted client partners. We thank them for their continued commitment and remain dedicated to making every second of their investment with us count.”

According to a source familiar with the matter, Fox achieved double-digit volume growth across all sports properties compared with the previous year. Meanwhile, core sports properties (excluding the World Cup) exceeded $2 billion for the first time.

The source noted that Fox saw strong pricing growth across its portfolio, with standout categories including CPG, pharma, and financial.

Ad-supported platform Tubi had year-over-year volume growth of over 35%, driven by total viewing time and monthly active users. At the end of June, Tubi announced that it had exceeded 100 million monthly active users for the first time.

News had double-digit growth and what the source said was “category-leading pricing,” driven by record audience growth. News also had double-digit growth in new blue-chip advertiser and existing blue-chip advertiser commitments.

Meanwhile, on the entertainment side, Fox achieved increased sell-outs and also saw strong pricing growth.

With the topic of late-night being thrust into the spotlight following the news of CBS canceling The Late Show With Stephen Colbert last week, the source said Fox continues to see very strong audience revenue and new advertiser growth for its late-night comedy talk show, Gutfeld!, which continues to post strong ratings, regularly bringing in more than 3 million total viewers.

Like NBCUniversal, which was the first major publisher to close its upfront talks last week, Fox did not disclose its total dollar volume or specific changes in CPMs (cost per thousand viewers reached). The 2022-23 upfront season was the last year that sources revealed CPMs for Fox’s advertising deals, which showed increases of around 9% to 12%.

At its upfront event this year, Fox dedicated a lot of time to talk about its multi-pronged approach across its portfolio. The presentation included former baseball star Derek Jeter, Beat Shazam host and actor Jamie Foxx, Fox News Outnumbered host Harris Faulkner, Celebrity Weakest Link host Jane Lynch, and NFL on Fox reporter Rob Gronkowski.

During his portion of the event, Collins emphasized the 26% growth in viewing time across all Fox properties over the past year, despite industry declines. He pointed to EDO data that reveals advertisers would need 75 seconds of ad time elsewhere to achieve the same impact as 30 seconds of advertising on Fox.

ADWEEK’s inaugural Disruptor Awards are now open for entry.

ADWEEK’s Disruptor Awards will honor marketing and tech executives breaking loose from conventional industry norms and pioneering new ways of working to adapt to a rapidly changing marketplace.

From pushing the boundaries on new technologies like AI to developing bold work that changes conventions and moves the needle for their companies, ADWEEK’s Disruptor Awards will highlight 50 leaders shaking up the status quo and moving the industry into the future.

Awardees will have demonstrated an unwavering commitment to innovation by pioneering bold campaigns, technology deployments, and business strategies that push their brands and businesses into the next era. ADWEEK Disruptors will have paved the way in 2025 for the future of advertising.

This award honors those who prove that disruption means growth, progress, and a relentless drive to create a better, more inclusive advertising ecosystem.

Entries are free and winners will be featured in the November issue of ADWEEK. 

Use the nomination form below to enter. Final deadline: August 22. 

Move over, Wicked and Hamilton. There’s a new, unexpected, musical in town: “Too Easy,” from Jordan Brand.

The Nike brand’s two-and-a-half-minute Broadway-worthy ensemble, developed by Wieden+Kennedy, debuts one week after the launch of its hotly anticipated Air Jordan 40 in ‘The Classic’ colorway.

The ad transforms the basketball court into a musical set, featuring a reimagined version of “It’s the Hard-Knock Life” from the classic musical Annie (“Instead of shootin’. We got benched. Empty stats we won’t—Play again! It’s the hard-knock life!”).

The spot stars NBA and WNBA stars including Bam Adebayo, Trae Young, Chris Paul, Paolo Banchero, Jayson Tatum, Luka Doncic, Napheesa Collier, Dominique Malonga, Gabby Williams, Jared McCain, and Kiki Rice.

Set to the rhythmic beat of dribbles, squeaking soles, and bouncing balls, the film explores how Jordan athletes make the extraordinary look effortless. Or “Too Easy.”

Each player lends their own flair with their movements flowing in perfect sync, as if they’re part of a choreographed routine. WNBA stars, including Collier, command their own solos, underscoring the sneaker giant’s commitment to celebrating the full spectrum of the game.

Naturally, the sleek ad shows Jordan Brand’s Air Jordan 40 as “a barrier-breaking silhouette created for the next generation of greats” in action on the court.

2025 marks 40 years since Michael Jordan donned his signature Air Jordan sneakers. Throughout the year, the brand has marked the 1985 anniversary through its “40 Years of Greatness” campaign.

The push kicked off ahead of the Grammys with “You Can’t Ban Greatness,” a cinematic nod to when Jordan was fined by the NBA for wearing his namesake shoes during play.

A late-night TV institution is coming to an end.

Today, CBS announced The Late Show with Stephen Colbert will end its run after the 2025-2026 broadcast season.

George Cheeks, co-CEO Paramount Global, president and CEO at CBS; Amy Reisenbach, president, CBS Entertainment; and David Stapf, president, CBS Studios, announced the news in a joint statement, saying it was “purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night” and had nothing to do with the show’s performance.

“The Late Show with Stephen Colbert will end its historic run in May 2026 at the end of the broadcast season,” the statement said. “We consider Stephen Colbert irreplaceable and will retire The Late Show franchise at that time. We are proud that Stephen called CBS home. He and the broadcast will be remembered in the pantheon of greats that graced late-night television.”

Colbert also announced the program’s end in a taped segment for Thursday’s Late Show, saying he had first heard the news on Wednesday.

“It’s not just the end of our show, but it’s the end of The Late Show on CBS. I’m not being replaced. This is all just going away,” Colbert said.

The Late Show host went on to thank CBS for being great partners and note that the show would continue for another 10 months.

“I’ve had the pleasure and the responsibility of sharing what we do every day with you in front of this camera for the last 10 years. And let me tell you, it is a fantastic job. I wish somebody else was getting it,” Colbert said.

David Letterman first debuted on The Late Show in 1993, with Colbert taking over in 2015. With 10 years of Colbert behind the desk, the show regularly won the Nielsen ratings for late-night broadcast shows and has racked up 33 Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Directing for a Variety Series and Outstanding Talk Series nominations for 2025.

However, Colbert’s exit is just the latest blow for late-night.

Despite the positives, the decline of late-night TV amid rising budgets and dwindling ad dollars has been a constant story in the headlines, with NBCUniversal cutting The Tonight Show down to four days a week in 2024 and CBS opting to end The Late Late Show following James Corden’s exit in 2023.

The Late Show comes to an end as Paramount awaits FCC approval for its multi-billion-dollar merger with Skydance Media. In cost-cutting measures, Paramount also laid off several hundred employees in June.

See the full statement from CBS leadership below:

“‘THE LATE SHOW with STEPHEN COLBERT’ will end its historic run in May 2026 at the end of the broadcast season. We consider Stephen Colbert irreplaceable and will retire ‘THE LATE SHOW’ franchise at that time. We are proud that Stephen called CBS home. He and the broadcast will be remembered in the pantheon of greats that graced late night television.

This is purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night. It is not related in any way to the show’s performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount.

Our admiration, affection, and respect for the talents of Stephen Colbert and his incredible team made this agonizing decision even more difficult. Stephen has taken CBS late night by storm with cutting-edge comedy, a must-watch monologue and interviews with leaders in entertainment, politics, news and newsmakers across all areas. The show has been #1 in late night for nine straight seasons; Stephen’s comedy resonates daily across digital and social media; and the broadcast is a staple of the nation’s zeitgeist.

The accomplishments of ‘THE LATE SHOW with STEPHEN COLBERT’ are memorable and significant in performance, quality and stature. With much gratitude, we look forward to honoring Stephen and celebrating the show over the next 10 months alongside its millions of fans and viewers.”

The numbers

94 million — Netflix’s previously announced monthly active users for the ad tier.

16% — The streamer’s revenue growth in Q2.

$44.8-$45.2 billion — Netflix’s new 2025 revenue forecast, up from $43.5-$44.5 billion.

2X — Netflix expects to double ad revenue in 2025.

The watercooler talk

In its 2025 second-quarter earnings letter on Thursday, Netflix revealed that its upfront talks are “nearly complete,” with the “vast majority” of deals with major agencies now closed. According to the company, it’s “pleased with the results,” which are consistent with its goal to “roughly double ads revenue” from last year.

Though Netflix didn’t share its total dollar volume for commitments in 2024, the company stated it had a “150%-plus increase in upfront ad sales” at the time.

In addition, the streamer said it had completed the rollout of its Netflix Ads Suite, its in-house first-party adtech platform, to all of its ads markets, and early results are “in line” with expectations. The company noted that the in-house ad suite is “foundational” to its long-term ad goals, giving the streamer the opportunity to offer better measurement, enhanced targeting, innovative ad formats, and expanded programmatic capabilities over time. The company also reiterated that it will integrate Yahoo DSP into its programmatic offerings.

The key quote

“Our U.S. upfront is nearly complete as we have closed the vast majority of our deals with the major agencies. We’re pleased with the results, which are consistent with our goal to roughly double ads revenue this year. Clients are excited about our growing scale, the successful rollout of our tech stack, as well as our upcoming programming slate,” Netflix said in its second quarter earnings letter to shareholders.

Art Holliday is leaving St. Louis NBC affiliate KSDK after 46 years.

Holliday started there in 1979 and, in that time, has worked as a sportscaster, general assignment reporter, anchor, and news director.

He was named named interim news director in 2020 and one year later, became the permanent news director. Before joining the station, Holliday worked in the sports department of KOCO in Oklahoma City for a little over two years.

“It’s not what I expected when I started here in ’79—that’s for sure,” Holliday told St. Louis Magazine.

In his interview with St. Louis Magazine, Holliday outlined the changes that shaped his career:

I’m sure you’ve been getting this question a lot, but what is a story or two you would point to from the past 46 years that is really emblematic of your career? That’s a complicated question, because I’ve had five different careers during that 46 years at KSDK. The first 10 years, I was doing sports. I thought that was going to be my entire career. Then, in ’89, I got called to the general manager’s office, and he said, “We’re going to make some changes on our morning show. I think you’d be a good co-anchor for Jennifer Blome.” I was completely blindsided, but he turned out to be right. He created a 22-year anchor team. After that ran its course, I became a general assignment reporter for the first time. And then I joined our brand new storytelling unit, which meant that I usually told two stories a week, mostly stories that interested me, and I had more time to report the stories and more time to tell them. The biggest surprise of all was five years ago, when our director of content, Carol Fowler, asked me if I would consider being news director, because she thought I would have credibility in our newsroom as we try to improve the culture of our newsroom. I tell young people all the time, “It’s OK to have plans, but you should probably write them in pencil and not pen.”

Disney’s ad sales president is stepping up her role on the Ad Council.

Today, Rita Ferro, president of global advertising, Disney, has been named chair of the Ad Council’s Board of Directors, succeeding Tara Walpert Levy, vp, Americas, YouTube. 

The Ad Council has been around for more than 80 years with its board members comprising professionals from marketing, media, technology, and business industries. According to the organization, the Board of Directors collaborates regularly with the organization’s leadership to build on national initiatives addressing gun violence prevention, mental health, the overdose crisis, anti-hate, and more. 

As chair, Ferro will partner with Ad Council leadership, its executive committee—which is the governing body of the Ad Council’s Board—and the full Board of Directors to progress the group’s mission of bringing the power of communications to address the country’s most pressing social issues.

Currently, Kirk McDonald, CEO, Sundial Media Group, and Carla Hassan, CMO, JPMorgan Chase, serve as vice chairs of the Ad Council’s Board of Directors. As part of her duties, Ferro will co-chair the Ad Council’s 2025 Annual Public Service Award Dinner, the council’s largest annual fundraising event, which will be held on Dec. 4, 2025, and honor NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. 

“Rita has been a dedicated member of the Ad Council Board of Directors since 2019, and the Executive Committee since 2020,” Lisa Sherman, president and CEO of the Ad Council, said in a statement. “I am honored to partner with her as she steps into this new role. I deeply admire her passion, and know our organization will benefit from her focus toward driving significant impact on the nation’s most pressing issues.” 

Ferro has been with Disney for 26 years, and as the president of global advertising sales, she has led global ad sales for Disney’s portfolio of entertainment, news, and sports properties as well as Disney’s linear, digital, and ad-supported streaming businesses like ABC, the Disney Channel, Disney+, ESPN, and Hulu.

The news of Ferro’s appointment as the Ad Council’s new chair comes months after Disney held its annual upfront presentation, where Disney championed its sports, adtech, and streaming offerings.