Kristen Wiig dons a lot of disguises in a bid to become the spokesperson for Dunkin’s new drink, but she faces some serious competition.

The comedian stars in the latest Dunkin’ spot from Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s production company, Artists Equity, which promotes the chain’s new fall beverage, the Dunkalatte.

The film shows the Dunkin’ development lab perfecting the Dunkalatte recipe, which blends espresso, whole milk, and coffee extract. Posing as an employee to the consternation of the researchers, Wiig insists Dunkin’ needs a famous person to explain the drink to customers. 

Wiig also appears as a janitor, arguing the skeptical Dunkin’ workers should hear her out. She then bursts in wearing a suit, insisting that she is Dunkin’s chief beverage officer and that Wiig will both serve as spokesperson and get free Dunkalattes for life.

Her plan is ultimately foiled by the fact that Dunkin’ already has a spokesperson for the drink: a talking coffee milk cow.

“When we first created the Dunkalatte, we knew we had something special on our hands, but introducing coffee milk—an unfamiliar concept to most—was a challenge,” Dunkin’ chief marketing officer Jill McVicar Nelson said in a statement. “With Kristen Wiig’s humor and playful energy, she was the perfect partner to help bring that vision to life and keep our guests laughing and sipping.”

The ad is the latest in the “Dunkin’ Cinematic Universe,” which has featured several collaborators including actor-comedian Will Arnett since Affleck stepped back as spokesperson following his highly successful 2024 Super Bowl spot. 

As part of the drink’s launch, Dunkin’ is releasing a limited-edition apparel collection and a coffee milk cow plush toy through ShopDunkin.com. Merchandise has become a key part of Dunkin’s campaigns, with the chain selling the tracksuits and bucket hats worn by the DunKings boy band in its Super Bowl ad and shirts based on its collaboration with reality show Love Island USA.

One of Wiig’s first acting roles was a Dunkin’ commercial in the early 2000s. She also recently revived her Target Lady character from Saturday Night Live and The Groundlings for a national ad campaign showcasing the retailer’s membership program.

Who’s ready to test their detective skills?

The fourth season of Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building premiered last month, and to promote the series, the streamer debuted new escape room experiences in New York City and Los Angeles that will be open for the next year.

This isn’t the first time Hulu launched an immersive experience to promote the Emmy Award-winning comedy series starring Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez. Last year, the streaming service opened a similar escape game experience with a different setup in honor of the third season, and before that, it rolled out a Third Arm Gallery pop-up activation ahead of the finale of the second season.

Now, after two activations, we finally tested the experience ourselves to see if it was worth it. I went to the location in New York City on 295 Madison Ave. with my colleague Colin Daniels (who provided commentary for the experience). Tickets cost around $50 per person.

Only escapes in the building

Once you arrive, the Escape Game team leads your group of about eight people to one of the spaces downstairs. To set up the scene, there were three rooms total that we had to go through, and you have a full hour to get through the entire game. The objective of this game was to help the trio of Charles (Martin), Oliver (Short), and Mabel (Gomez) find a missing film reel before time ran out.

@colmeetsworld This was so fun! I need to catch up on @Only Murders In the Building asap too! @hulu #onlymurdersninthebuilding #hulutvshow #hulutvseries #hulu #disneyplus ♬ original sound – Colin Daniels

Throughout the experience, there are Easter eggs and puzzles that call back to the series. For instance, the books on the shelves are the titles of episodes from the series, while an actual script from the show is also featured.

In a second room, which was modeled after Charles’ apartment, we saw the Brazzos poster for the fictional show that character used to star in. Additionally, don’t be surprised to see other familiar props from the show, including Malbec wine and, of course, Gut Milk.

Those Easter eggs and Only Murders puzzles are all brought to life through the work of Ben Enos, senior director of production design, The Escape Game, and his team.

Enos, who has worked with Disney before on experiences for shows like The Mysterious Benedict Society and teamed up with other companies such as Amazon and Paramount, said the creative first came from a discovery process with Hulu.

In these meetings, the teams figured out what they wanted to update to coincide with the new season, whether that is the addition of new characters, Easter eggs, or even storylines. Once the discovery process concluded, the game design portion began, which took several months and included sending designs on a weekly basis while working closely with Hulu.

Once those designs are given the green light, the Escape Game team goes into production mode and builds everything in a warehouse in Nashville, Tenn., before shipping it to New York. That process can take about 12 weeks.

“This is the same process as the rest of our experiences so that we keep it the same quality as our other experiences,” Enos said. “We want to make sure we maintain the highest quality games out there. So, it goes through production, and we ship it to the site. It was a very fast installation. It took us about two and a half days to do the installation, and then we went through a calibration process where we’ll test the game.”

To test the game, Enos said the team brings in friends, family, and various demo groups to experience the game and fine-tune the puzzles to ensure they’re perfect for paying guests.

“It’s the perfect world to play in for an escape room,” Enos said. “You’re essentially doing what they’re doing in the show. You’re in the shoes of Charles, Oliver, and Mabel, so you’re solving crimes to get to the end of the solution of the game.”

The great escape

In the end, our team escaped with just under five minutes to spare. We imagined Martin, Short, and Gomez would be proud.

Our collective knowledge of Only Murders in the Building made the experience all the more enjoyable as we completed themed puzzles and spotted Easter eggs, some of which only hardcore fans may catch.

However, when it comes to the Only Murders Escape Game, Enos noted it’s not only for fans.

“The game is designed for everyone,” Enos said. “Fans will love it because of the Easter eggs. Non-fans might be encouraged to watch the show after.” 

Lego opened an immersive art gallery for children in the heart of Paris, following new research that shows many families lack access to adequate or safe spaces for play. 

The toy brand’s Superpower Studios reimagines norms of traditional art museums, which are often “beautiful buildings with exclusive art that you can look at but not touch,” Alero Akuya, vp of global brand development at the Lego Group, told ADWEEK.

“What would an art museum look like through the eyes of a child?” she said.

The answer is an immersive installation at cultural venue La Gaîté Lyrique in Paris, where kids can encounter a fantastical forest, remix artwork, and build their own magical creatures and worlds out of bricks. The Lego Agency and Exposure are behind the project.

Lego partnered with Sarah Andelman, founder of pioneering Parisian concept store Colette, as creative advisor on the project. It also enlisted three Play Ambassadors to create the elements of Superpower Studios.

French illustrator Aurélia Durand is behind the Remix Room, a digital experience where children can blend, paint, and interact with her art to make their own creations. 

Ekow Nimako, a Ghanaian-Canadian artist who uses black Lego bricks to build sculptures, came up with The Mythical Maze, a themed room based on a mythological world of a Ghanaian goddess where kids can craft a guardian creature.

And Chinese paper cutting artist Chen Fenwan developed the Forest of Wishes, an ethereal forest where visitors can build and add to the space with Lego bricks.

Superpower Studios will be open with free admission Sept. 11 to 16. Beyond the activation, Lego has partnered with local organization La Villette to support free workshops and play sessions for 87,000 underprivileged children through 2026. 

After Paris, Lego will host other playable, immersive experiences around the world. There will be a playable library in China, a restaurant-themed popup in Japan, a dance studio in Australia, and a creative camp during the Berlin Festival of Lights in October. 

“We wanted to take spaces that are typically seen as adult and subvert them with play,” Akuya said. 

Building a playful world

These experiences are tangible extensions of Lego’s “Play is Your Superpower” campaign, whose previous iterations have included a playable superhero ad.

“Play is Your Superpower” has the goal of fostering play, which according to Lego’s research can improve learning, development, and connection among children and families. 

Its latest global study found that 90% of children agree that play is the best way for them to learn, develop, and express themselves, while 83% of parents see play as a platform for celebrating differences. 

However, 76% of parents say that today’s children have fewer opportunities to play than previous generations, due to factors such as the pervasive impact of digital devices, parental workload, and restricted access to play spaces. 1 in 5 parents say they never engage in playtime with their children. 

“Play is more than just fun; it’s the key to unlocking essential creative life skills and fostering a more inclusive, joyful world,” Akuya said in a statement. “Superpower Studios is our way of inviting families to make play a priority.”

Dust off those bucket hats, matching tracksuits, and Hanson CDs: the 90s are back. Old Navy is the latest brand to lean into this era as it celebrates its 30^th anniversary and attempts to win over new and old fans. 

The retailer, part of Gap Inc., is throwing back to its founding year of 1994 with a limited-edition product drop, campaign, and 90s-themed party at New York Fashion Week (NYFW). 

The initiative is part of Old Navy’s efforts to reinvigorate the brand and “reassert ourselves into culture,” chief marketing officer Behnaz Ghahramani told ADWEEK.

The ’94 Reissue collection, launching on Sept. 13, revives some of Old Navy’s notable designs from its golden era, including baggy jeans and cargos, matching tracksuits, baby tees, bucket hats, and its Performance Fleece. 

The brand’s “Once More ’94” campaign will run across stores, out-of-home sites in New York City, and digital and social media. 

It has also produced a zine, which will be available in print and online. The zine’s art direction, photography, and color palette are inspired by 90s design, with content including quizzes, styling tips, and horoscopes.

On Monday during NYFW, Old Navy threw a 90s party at New York’s Webster Hall that showcased the special collection and featured performances by Ja Rule, En Vogue, and Hanson. The retailer co-hosted the event with Vox Media publication The Cut, which in its own throwback activation, recently issued its first print edition. 

The Fashion Week party was about “bringing the fun and the joy, and also joining the conversation” in an industry that can be “quite serious,” said Ghahraman. 

That fun spirit is partly how Old Navy describes its brand, which Ghahraman and her team have spent the past year defining as part of a marketing refresh. 

“We’re a brand that invites everyone to come play with style. We’re about the democratization of style and fashion accessible for all,” she said. “We don’t take ourselves too seriously.” 

Following a recent denim ad and a summer campaign starring actors Tracee Ellis Ross and Yara Shahidi, Old Navy’s 90s celebration is “an important step of bringing our brand purpose to life,” Ghahraman added.

A turnaround story

Over the past 18 months, Gap Inc. has been focused on turning around its business and reviving its stable of brands–including Gap, Old Navy, and Banana Republic–under group CEO Richard Dickson, who joined the company in late 2023 from Mattel.

As part of that turnaround, earlier this year Gap Inc. appointed Zac Posen–a designer who has dressed the likes of Michelle Obama, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Rihanna–as evp and creative director of the brand portfolio and chief creative officer of Old Navy. 

Ghahraman joined Old Navy as CMO in September 2023. She previously worked at fashion brands including Gucci and Ralph Lauren. 

So far, the turnaround seems to be working. Across the business, Gap Inc.’s Q2 2024 net sales rose 5% year on year to $3.7 billion. Old Navy’s net sales during the quarter rose 8% to $2.1 billion, representing the fourth consecutive quarter of positive comparable sales at the brand. 

Peak 90s nostalgia

Like at the Gap, nostalgia has been a key part of Old Navy’s marketing strategy. While each brand has separate identities, Old Navy’s lean into 90s nostalgia is about “gaining more style credibility and bringing new audiences into [our] world,” Ghahraman explained. 

Gen Z, a demographic that has discovered and embraced 90s culture through social platforms like TikTok, is one of Old Navy’s target audiences. 

The 90s revival trend has inspired other brands, from Lipton Ice Tea to Planters, to take cues from the culture in their marketing campaigns and appeal to Gen Z.

While its throwback campaign marks the decade when it was born, Old Navy has also taken a modern approach, which it calls “nowstalgia.” This entails activating on digital channels and finding new partners like The Cut, Ghahraman said. 

The brand also aims to have multigenerational appeal and reconnect with people who grew up shopping with the retailer, she added. 

The 90s continues to inspire brands because it “represents an era that was one of both simplicity and optimism compared to where we are today,” Ghahraman said. “That’s something people are craving. It also had great fashion moments.”

Most people have to face the question of what to wear every morning. In a busy fashion season, European e-commerce company Zalando positions itself as a way to make the answer easier in a campaign starring Willem Dafoe as a style icon.

A 30-second ad, created by agency Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam and directed by Aube Perrie, is set on a crowded metro train, where the passengers are all browsing Zalando on their phones.

Each faces their own style dilemma. Model and actor Luka Sabbat wonders what to wear on a first date, while actor and model Brigitte Nielsen spots a couple making out and wonders what she can wear “to get some of that.”

Sabrina Bahsoon, known as Tube Girl in her viral TikTok videos dancing in the London Underground, wonders what she needs to wear to get a seat while showing off her pregnant belly.

Meanwhile, a woman wonders what she should wear to look iconic, when Dafoe confidently struts onto the train in cowboy gear, peeking over Sabbat’s shoulder to find a picture of himself.

The hero spot is accompanied by five 15-second films each focusing on a different character.

A woman wondering what to wear to hide pimples applies stars to her face to the sound of the Super Mario Bros. power up music. A guy sports a vest with plenty of pockets to tuck away gifts as he prepares to visit his grandmother.

The campaign introduces a new brand positioning and identity for Zalando. It incorporates social, digital out-of-home, and posters from photographer Sophie Jones, which show characters asking what to wear for scenarios including a 60th birthday or an ex-boyfriend’s wedding.

“We are evolving our brand to play a greater role in our customers’ lives,“ Anne Pascual, senior vice president design, marketing and content at Zalando, said in a statement. “This evolution is all about style confidence and redefining how our customers connect with fashion and lifestyle.”

Wieden+Kennedy also recently worked with Dafoe to provide voiceover for Nike’s “Winning Isn’t for Everyone” ad running during the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris.

CREDITS

Zalando
Vice president, creative direction: Morten Grubak
Global marketing director: Eloisa Siclari
Head of global creative direction: Lena Scheifers
Senior art director: Julie Maillard
Global styling & visual merchandising lead: Thomas Wakeford
Global styling & VM manager: Matteo Volpini
Global head of casting & talent: Andreas Menelaou
Brand comms & global marketing lead: Katharina Oberfeld
Global brand communication manager: Maike De Buhr
Senior global marketing production manager: Karla Stratmann
Global social media lead: Kimberley Franquinet
Team lead, global design: Ginger Balanga
Team lead/head of design: Michelle Sweeney

Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam
President: Eleanor Thodey
Chief creative officer: Susan Hoffman
Chief strategy officer: Nick Docherty
Creative director: Susan Hoffman
Creative leads: Anyaa Dev, Ane Santiago Quintas
Art director: Morgane Lambert
Copywriter Ana Clé
Head of production: Jaime Tan, Richard Adkins

TV producer: Tom Dean
Associate producer: Salma Daoud
Art buyer: Mimi Gray
Print producer: Fiona Lamont
Planning director: Donna Yan
Head of comms planning: Elsa Stahura
Group account director: Agathe Derrstroff
Account director: Indira Morton, Angelina Joy
Account manager: Stephanie Loucas
Senior design manager: Joe Favre
Head of business affairs: Michael Graves
Business affairs manager: Fiona Fan

Film Production
Production company: Pulse Films
Director: Aube Perrie
Director of photography: Christopher Ripley
Producer: Joseph Goldman @ TwoHappy
Executive producer: Laura Clayton
Service production: co Solent
Service producer: Tihomira Temelkova
Stylist: Elena Mottola

Editorial
Editor: Gwen Ghelid

Audio Post
Audio post company: 750mph
Sound designer: Mark Hellaby
Sound producer: Aishah Amodu

Music
Music company: Tracks and Fields
Artist/title: Bomfunk MCs/Freestyler

Post Production
Post house: Selected Works
Creative director: Francois Roisin
VFX supervisor: Dave Hempstead
2D artists: Dan Adams, Gary Driver
Matte painting: Amber Frisenda
Online artists: Emma King, Toby Aldridge
Colorist: Sam Gilling, Hannibal Lang
Post producer: Kate Ryan

Print Production
Print production Company Kintzing
Photographer Sophie Jones
Stills production: Kintzing
Producer: Charlotte Beardow
Retouch: Purple Martin
Stylist: Elena Mottola

A crew working for San Francisco ABC owned station KGO and their security guard were robbed at gunpoint while reporting a story in Oakland.

According to the Oakland Police Officers Association, a KGO reporter, crew member and their security guard were “rushed” by suspects who brandished firearms before stealing their camera equipment.

Spokespersons for the union said one of the suspects took the security guard’s handgun “by force” before taking off in an older model gold Toyota Camry.

Cyera Williams has left Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Fox affiliate WPMT.

“This will be my last week at Fox43 News,” she wrote on social media last week. “I’m going to miss everyone so much, from mornings, to dayside, to the weekend team. Their support, camaraderie, and unwavering commitment have made my time here truly special.”

Williams joined the station in 2022. She worked in Utica, New York before that.

She also hinted that her “next stop isn’t too far– Stay Tuned!!”

The E.W. Scripps Company has crossed the TV upfront finish line, and women’s sports scored big.

Brian Norris, the company’s chief revenue officer, told ADWEEK that Scripps saw low single-digit growth in volume, which was largely “due in part to our commitment to women’s sports.”

Norris said it was “no secret” that Scripps was all in on women’s sports, offering Friday night WNBA games, Saturday night NWSL doubleheaders, and even showcasing its Caitlin Clark-led Indiana Fever games in its upfront pitch deck. And though this year’s marketplace was expected to be down for publishers of Scripps’ size, sports helped differentiate the brand and buoy its upfront sales.

“We got to the point where there was almost more demand than we had supply,” Norris said. “I think we did a really good job of accommodating every advertiser that wanted to be part of it. However, the demand was a bit overwhelming, which was a good thing.”

Like other publishers this upfront season, Scripps didn’t share specific numbers around total volume or overall CPMs (cost per thousand viewers reached); however, Norris said the company’s CPMs for sports were up in the low-to-mid single digits.

In addition to the company’s women’s sports portfolio, Norris added that Scripps’ ability to put advertisers within the programming itself strengthened its upfront.

“Whether that is including in-game features within both WNBA and the National Women’s Soccer League, but also the ability to sponsor the clock in soccer, giving them the ability to sponsor virtual signage within soccer, all of those things,” Norris said. “It served as a differentiating point between us and many others.”

Norris added that the company brought more than two dozen new advertisers to the Scripps platform, with 25% representing direct-to-consumer brands.

Categories included automotive, alcohol, insurance, travel, and telco. The company also started to build its small and medium-sized business team.

Overall, CTV revenue grew by more than 70% in the upfront year over year.

The demand for women’s sports is showing up in the ratings, with viewership growing faster than Caitlin Clark’s WNBA Rookie of the Year odds.

For instance, Scripps recently announced its broadcast of the Indiana Fever’s 100-81 victory over the Chicago Sky reaching an average of 1.6 million viewers, the fifth time in 2024 that ION eclipsed more than a million average viewers. It was also the network’s most-watched WNBA telecast in the two years since acquiring rights.

Speaking with ADWEEK about this year’s upfront talks, several buyers noted that women’s sports saw an increase in demand, with Scripps notably standing out as a publisher that saw benefits outside the top conglomerates.

And according to Norris, that increased demand helped boost the network’s other offerings.

In addition to women’s sports, Scripps’ upfront pitch touted an ION rebrand, as the company made the network more focused on sports, general entertainment, and live events. The rebrand included a new on-air look, with the branding reflected on ION Mystery, the company’s home for thrillers and docuseries, and its ION Plus FAST channel.

The company also showcased its multicultural reach, including its 46% multicultural audience, and new offerings across its networks, such as Bounce.

“All of these outcomes are a direct result of the commitment that we’ve made to women’s sports because we’re now giving advertisers the ability to discover everything else within the portfolio,” Norris said. “Whether it’s the general entertainment programming on ION, whether it’s our multicultural programming on Bounce, these advertisers are coming to us.”

The Kansas City Chiefs may have won the kickoff game against the Baltimore Ravens on NBC and Peacock, but the NFL also came out on top as a winner with ratings.

Viewership for the NFL kickoff game on Thursday averaged 48.9 million, according to AdImpact.

The data found that the game reached a peak audience of 55.6 million viewers at 10:09 p.m. ET near the end of the first half, while YouTube and YouTube TV captured 16% of the audience. Other streaming platforms collectively held 34% of the viewership.

AdImpact found that last year’s NFL kickoff game between the Chiefs and Detroit Lions averaged 40.1 million viewers, so this year saw an 18% increase in average viewership. The research data showed that the peak estimated viewership for last year’s game was 45.3 million at 9:27 p.m. ET. With this year’s peak at 55.6 million, there was a 22.7% difference between this year’s and last year’s game.

The info comes from AdImpact’s dataset, which is collected through AdImpact’s Advanced TV panel of monitored smart TVs, totaling 23 million. This data includes viewing patterns and devices tracked using automated content recognition technology.

“These viewership numbers demonstrate the clear value of the NFL as a media property, especially for linear television,” Don Norton, general manager of data solutions at AdImpact, said. “With such strong numbers kicking off the season, it seems that NFL programming will once again reign supreme over consumer’s viewing habits this year.”

In addition to AdImpact’s numbers, Samba TV reports that 17.3 million U.S. households watched the Thursday Night Football matchup between the Chiefs and the Ravens (NBC) during the L+0D window.

The ratings, which happened despite a rain delay, are a great sign for the NFL, which is looking to build off of many record ratings in its 2023-2024 season.

For instance, Nielsen’s final Super Bowl 58 numbers showed Paramount’s broadcast reaching 123.7 million average viewers, making it the most-watched telecast ever. The game was up 7.4% over Fox’s Super Bowl 57 matchup between the Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles, which came in at 115.1 million average viewers.

Buyers recently told ADWEEK that sports, specifically the NFL and college football, would be the most coveted inventory this upfront season, with the NFL regularly seeing around 90% sellout from the upfront.

Though not the sole cause, experts have attributed some of the recent interest surge in the sport to the “Swift Effect,” thanks to Taylor Swift’s whirlwind romance with Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, which began in 2023. Swift was present again at Thursday night’s game, and of course, Swifties took note of her attendance.

Kelce himself has also become a powerhouse in the advertising world.

Call it the “Travis Kelce effect,” but according to television data and analytics firm EDO, Kelce’s ads for brands like Campbell’s, DirecTV, and Pfizer last year were 15%, 24%, and 27% more effective, respectively, than the ads without him. After his relationship with Swift went public, Kelce’s ads with Pfizer and Experian were 9% and 13% more effective when they were featured during a game in which Swift made an appearance.

“[Swift] is a phenomenon that transcends everything, but Kelce has done an amazing job of turning that into standalone stardom,” Kevin Krim, CEO of EDO, told ADWEEK earlier this month.

Whatever the case for the NFL, the sport’s Swift ratings climb continues.

In the spirit of Friday and with no roundup, we give you a weekend send off with a very smart squirrel.

This squirrel story is actully an old one, but TVSpy saw it last night and had to share it because, well what else does one do?

So enjoy the weekend if you celebrate. If not, maybe this clip will make your work weekend a little more enjoyable.

Watch it on TikTok.

Click here for a version on Facebook if you don’t have the TikToks.