Brand Waves This Week
Samsonite turns travel into a sensory experience, Sprite relaunches global street culture with "It’s That Fresh", and S.Pellegrino redefines the table as a narrative space.
Welcome to The Brand Waves, your weekly snapshot of the most innovative marketing campaigns from around the world. In this edition, discover stories, strategies, and creative ideas that are redefining how brands connect with audiences.
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Today’s newsletter includes: Samsonite presents the new Chocolate Mauve collection starring Olivia Culpo; Sprite launches the It’s That Fresh platform; Burberry and Hunza G redefine swimwear as visual storytelling; Lacoste brings tennis back to the center with Life is a Beautiful Sport; adidas unveils the Pet collection for the 2026 World Cup; S.Pellegrino presents Dinner Dialogues with Lewis Hamilton; and Romain Gavras directs a music short film for GENER8ION blending dystopia, school life, and collective choreography.
Samsonite unveils its new campaign starring Olivia Culpo
Samsonite presents the Chocolate Mauve collection with Olivia Culpo as the protagonist, continuing the development of its brand platform It’s Not Just a Bag, It’s a Samsonite.
The setting of a dreamlike, high-fashion patisserie is not merely scenography, but becomes an integral part of the brand narrative, where textures, sculptural desserts, and deep tonalities help shift the product from the realm of luggage to that of emotion.
However, the true strategic element of the campaign is the Chocolate Mauve color itself, which emerges as a distinctive asset of the entire project.
“Olivia Culpo brings an authentic point of view at the intersection of travel, food, and style,” said Nicole Adriance, Head of Brand and Marketing at Samsonite. “That’s exactly where today’s consumer is and where we see travel becoming more personal, expressive, and culturally connected. This campaign reflects that shift, showing how Samsonite fits naturally into the way people move, explore and experience the world.”
Sprite launches global platform It’s That Fresh
Sprite returns to the center of global street culture with the launch of It’s That Fresh, a new brand platform that unifies visual identity, sonic identity, and strategic collaborations across music, basketball, streetwear, and spicy food. The move reinforces a presence that extends far beyond the beverage category.
At the core of the initiative is the construction of a consistent brand expression system, which includes a new logo, a refreshed visual identity, and most importantly the Sprite Sound, a sonic signature developed with producer Mustard, designed to make the brand instantly recognizable on an audio level.
Tracking The Brand Waves - Sprite
Cultural relevance is one of the key metrics that today separates brands that are truly growing from those that remain only superficially relevant.
Tracksuit data shows that Pepsi still holds an advantage in overall Preference compared to Sprite, a sign of stronger authority among mainstream audiences. Between December 2025 and February 2026, Pepsi stands at 16% preference versus Sprite’s 9%.
However, the picture shifts significantly when looking at Gen Z. In the 18–34 age group, Sprite rises to 15% preference compared to Pepsi’s 10%. This is where the real value of the brand strategy emerges: the ability to translate cultural presence and activations into tangible relevance among the audience that is currently defining language, aesthetics, and consumption patterns.
In this context, the new It’s That Fresh platform goes beyond simply communicating freshness. It aims to build a continuous system of cultural participation, where the brand becomes an active part of the codes Gen Z creates, shares, and consumes on a daily basis.
This analysis is powered by the kind of continuous brand intelligence Tracksuit shares fortnightly in their newsletter, Shorts. If you want marketing advice, consumer insights, and case studies like this delivered to your inbox, subscribe below.
Burberry launches a new swimwear capsule in collaboration with Hunza G
The new swimwear capsule by Burberry and Hunza G is built on a precise balance between the identities of the two brands. On one side, Hunza G’s iconic silhouettes; on the other, Burberry’s distinctive codes, translated into a cohesive palette and finished with the unmistakable Burberry Check.
From a communication standpoint, the decision to entrust the campaign to Ryan McGinley helps build a clear visual narrative: spontaneous, luminous, and aspirational.
The portraits featuring Simone Ashley and Alva Claire go beyond simply showcasing the product, placing it within an emotional and narrative context that reinforces the capsule’s lifestyle positioning.
“There’s a natural connection between Burberry and Hunza G as British brands. Our approach to material and craft is shaped by a relationship to the elements – pieces you can wear in and out of the water,” said Daniel Lee, Chief Creative Officer, Burberry.
Lacoste launches the global brand campaign Life is a Beautiful Sport
With its new global campaign, Lacoste brings back its historic signature Life is a Beautiful Sport, clearly reaffirming its connection to tennis - a sport driven by a free, natural, and dynamic French elegance.
At the heart of the project is the film A Run through Paris, starring Novak Djokovic, the brand’s ambassador. Directed by Fredrik Bond, the film adopts a narrative rather than advertising-driven approach, built on rhythm, glances, and fluid sequences that turn the city into a natural extension of the sporting gesture.
Alongside the film, the print campaign shot by Angelo Pennetta reinforces the same concept. In familiar, everyday settings, the presence of a tennis ball becomes a narrative trigger: it does not provoke the gesture, but reveals it.
Adidas unveils the FIFA World Cup 2026™ Home Jerseys Pet Collection
Adidas launches the new FIFA World Cup 2026™ Home Jerseys Pet collection, introducing a product extension that goes beyond traditional merchandising, transforming fandom into a more inclusive and relational experience.
By offering fans the chance to dress their four-legged companions in federation colors, the brand expands the boundaries of the football experience, making it shareable within everyday and domestic contexts.
The jerseys, specifically designed for animals, retain the same aesthetic codes as the official kits, with heat-applied crests and logos ensuring a clean finish and a premium perceived quality.
S.Pellegrino unveils its new global brand activation, Dinner Dialogues
With its new global activation Dinner Dialogues, S.Pellegrino shifts the focus from product to relational experience, using the label as a true narrative touchpoint.
The project, starring driver Lewis Hamilton, transforms the bottle label into a series of questions designed to spark conversations, connections, and shared experiences.
The campaign film - directed by award-winning filmmaker Lana Wilson and developed by global creative agency Ogilvy - reinforces this positioning by bringing an authentic conversation to the screen.
“There is no place more genuine than the table – taking a seat alongside people you love, settling into an amazing meal, and sharing your most authentic selves. That’s S.Pellegrino’s truest brand belief, and I’m thrilled to see it come to life with Lewis Hamilton and his three lifelong friends in ‘Dinner Dialogues’,” said Elisa Gregori, Global Chief Growth Officer, Nestlé Waters and Premium Beverages.
Romain Gavras presents a new film for GENER8ION’s STORM
The new film by Romain Gavras for GENER8ION’s new EP STORM merges the tracks into a single seven-minute piece, releasing a chaotic and magnetic energy.
The protagonist, Yung Lean, moves within a boys’ school set in 2034, portraying a bully who embodies the darker sides of masculinity and violence.
The central sequence arrives in the fourth minute, with choreography by Damien Jalet translating the music’s energy into a collective gesture. The most memorable scene sees Yung Lean’s classmates perform a precise routine that channels the anarchy embedded in the music.
If you’re looking for even more inspiration, check out last week’s edition of Brand Waves This Week for more standout campaigns and unmissable creative ideas!
Brand Waves This Week
Marc Jacobs turns Pre-Fall 2026 into a scripted micro-drama starring Rachel Sennott; the Entertain or Die 3.0 report reveals the cost of boring; Miu Miu presents Miu Miu 2026 L’Eté.
The wave doesn’t stop here.
We’ll be back next week with more stories shaping the future of brands, tech and culture. Catch the next one with us.
The adidas pet collection is just too cute
The new Sprite branding (including audio) is cool and, yes, fresh: https://www.instagram.com/reels/DWGw9-diqqk/