Brand Waves This Week
Pantone unveils the Color of the Year 2026, McDonald’s flips the classic holiday narrative, and Save the Children turns Christmas deliveries into acts of solidarity.
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.
This edition is in partnership with Tracksuit, the affordable, always-on brand tracking dashboard that helps marketers and agencies make insights-backed decisions and prove the impact of their boldest brand work.
Today’s newsletter includes: Pantone unveils the Color of the Year 2026; Mike’s Hot Honey strengthens its brand momentum with the Drizzle the Mike’s campaign; Spotify launches Wrapped 2025; McDonald’s Netherlands overturns the holiday narrative; Zalando presents What Do I Wear?; Save the Children launches The One Delivery That Matters; Ralph Lauren reveals Team USA’s uniforms for the Milano Cortina 2026 Games; Toyota showcases the joy of helping others during the holidays; BÉIS x Chipotle launch The To Go Collection; and Wendy’s becomes Tendy’s for the launch of its new chicken tenders.
Pantone unveils the Color of the Year 2026: PANTONE 11-4201 Cloud Dancer
Pantone has announced PANTONE 11-4201 Cloud Dancer as the Color of the Year 2026, a light and airy white that conveys serenity in an increasingly hectic world.
The choice of such an ethereal color responds to a growing need for calm, reflection, and authenticity, turning a neutral tone into a powerful tool for emotional storytelling.
Like a blank canvas, Cloud Dancer becomes a symbol of new beginnings, inviting us to break free from old patterns and explore creative approaches.
“At this time of transformation, when we are reimagining our future and our place in the world, PANTONE 11-4201 Cloud Dancer is a discrete white hue offering a promise of clarity,” says Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute.
Mike’s Hot Honey keeps making headlines
In a previous edition of Brand Waves This Week, we shared the story of Mike’s Hot Honey’s first advertising campaign, and today we’re revisiting it. In case you missed it: after fifteen years of organic growth and word-of-mouth buzz, Mike’s officially launched its first campaign in July, Drizzle the Mike’s.
A bold and playful campaign, it celebrates fan passion and the almost transformative experience of tasting the iconic spicy honey for the first time.
Tracking The Brand Waves - Mike’s Hot Honey
Beyond sharing the latest marketing and branding news, it’s crucial for us to provide insights on consumer behavior and campaign effectiveness. To do this, we rely on our partner Tracksuit, which has a big update: it now tracks 25 global markets!
Analyzing data from May to October 2025, Tracksuit shows that Drizzle the Mike’s generated a clear uplift across key brand health metrics: awareness grew by 3 percentage points, consideration by 5, perceived quality by 5, and brand trust by 5.
Top-of-funnel conversion saw a notable increase as well, up 7 points to 82% period over period, demonstrating that not only has awareness grown, but consumers are moving further down the funnel.
Mike’s is building real brand momentum, evolving from a niche cult favorite to a household name. The next challenge? Perceived value. The main driver of upper-funnel conversion is the perception that the product is “worth paying more for,” yet Mike’s Hot Honey currently ranks last among competitors.
Become a better brand builder by signing up for Tracksuit’s fortnightly newsletter, Shorts, which is jam packed with marketing advice, consumer insights like these, and case studies from around the globe.
Spotify Wrapped 2025 turns listening into a global experience
Spotify has unveiled Wrapped 2025, its biggest edition ever, with over 200 million active users in the first few days alone, marking a 19% increase compared to last year and celebrating the audio that defined our year.
What makes Wrapped 2025 truly special is its perfect balance between the digital and physical worlds. The design draws inspiration from the DIY aesthetic of the ’80s and ’90s, while more than 50 installations and pop-ups across over 30 global markets transform listening data into tangible, shareable experiences.
Completing the story is the partnership with FC Barcelona, which brings together sport, music, and entertainment through the players’ listening habits.
But Wrapped 2025 isn’t just for fans. With the launch of Wrapped for Advertisers, Spotify gives brands the opportunity to turn this cultural moment into a strategic insight for 2026. Advertisers can access interactive recaps of their audiences, analyzing ad listening minutes, format mix, top music and podcast genres, and other key data to optimize future campaigns.
McDonald’s flips the holiday narrative
McDonald’s Netherlands approaches the holiday season with a campaign that overturns the traditional festive narrative.
The film, created by TBWA\NEBOKO, provocatively rewrites It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year as “the most terrible time of the year,” offering an ironic yet realistic portrayal of the very real stress of December, marked by rushing around, expectations, fatigue, and lack of time.
At the heart of the concept lies the insight from a study revealing that two-thirds of Dutch consumers would like to have more time for themselves during the month of December.
To bring the film to life, TBWA\NEBOKO collaborated with an international collective of AI specialists and involved the Los Angeles-based directing duo MAMA (Sweetshop).
Zalando answers the What Do I Wear? question
With its 2025 holiday campaign, Zalando answers the What Do I Wear? question by celebrating authenticity and shifting the focus from performance to style as a form of personal expression.
The creative follows three siblings and their extended family - portrayed by Tish Weinstock, Oliver Green and “The Spanish King” - immersed in the typical chaos of the holiday season.
It’s a story built around relatable dynamics: from family lunches that need “reviving,” to unexpected romantic moments under the mistletoe, all the way to those recurring social roles that return every year, like the uncle tasked with keeping the energy alive.
The choice of soundtrack, “HOHO” by Charlotte Adigéry & Bolis Pupul, adds another layer of disruption compared to traditional Christmas codes, strengthening the brand’s edgy and contemporary positioning.
Save the Children launches the campaign The One Delivery That Matters
Save the Children has launched the new global campaign The One Delivery That Matters, created together with Ace of Hearts, reimagining one of the most iconic rituals of Christmas: the delivery.
The film opens with an apparently nostalgic and festive atmosphere: a convoy of red trucks moving through the snow. It is soon revealed, however, that they are not carrying gifts or treats, but food, medicine, warmth, and protection for children in urgent need. The spot ends with a call to donate to help keep these deliveries moving.
The choice of an integrated approach - spanning film, OOH, digital, physical activations, and social - further strengthens the impact of the message, transforming the narrative into a lived experience.
“This Christmas, we’re asking people to pause and reflect on what generosity really means. It’s about giving hope to children who need it most and reminding ourselves what this season is really about,” said Kate Hewitt, Director of Brand and Creative at Save the Children.
Ralph Lauren unveils Team USA’s uniforms for the Milano Cortina 2026 Games
With the unveiling of Team USA’s uniforms for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, Ralph Lauren renews a historic partnership now in its tenth consecutive edition.
“With Milan - one of the great fashion capitals - as this year’s backdrop, we sought to honor the city’s creative spirit while staying true to the enduring style that defines Ralph Lauren,” said David Lauren, Chief Branding and Innovation Officer of Ralph Lauren Corporation.
For the Opening Ceremony, Ralph Lauren embraces a heritage aesthetic with a winter coat, wooden toggles inspired by tradition, a turtleneck sweater with an intarsia American flag, and tailored trousers.
The Closing Ceremony features a color-block puffer jacket inspired by vintage ski racing, bold Team USA graphics, and a patriotic color palette.
Toyota celebrates the joy of helping others in its new holiday campaign
In its new holiday campaign, Toyota focuses on emotion and human connection, highlighting the joy of helping others through the new spots The Holiday Job and Running Late.
The Holiday Job, created by Saatchi & Saatchi and directed by Speck & Gordon of Furlined, centers on the challenge of finding the perfect gift without being discovered. Through clever and humorous missions, the spot shows how even the smallest gestures can make a big impact, turning surprise into a shared moment of joy.
Running Late, developed by Conill and directed by Max Malkin, instead explores the hectic yet affectionate side of the holidays in the Hispanic community. From rushing to pick up a seventy-year-old aunt to putting the final touches on a holiday flan, the short film authentically captures the love and dedication that accompany every holiday preparation.
BÉIS x Chipotle present The To Go Collection
BÉIS and Chipotle have launched The To Go Collection, a travel accessory capsule that blends fashion and functionality, inspired by Chipotle’s real food and iconic packaging.
The collection caters to a constantly on-the-go audience, featuring insulated pieces to keep food warm during travel, convenient pockets for napkins, and stylish details.
For the launch, the two companies hosted a pop-up event in Los Angeles, BÉISpotle, giving fans early access to the collection, photo opportunities, and experiential moments connected to the brand, strengthening both engagement and loyalty.
“We’re longtime Chipotle fans here at BÉIS and were excited to approach clever design in a new, fresh way through this collaboration,” said Adeela Hussain Johnson, CEO of BÉIS.
Wendy’s becomes Tendy’s for the new launch
To launch its new chicken tenders, Wendy’s chose to change its name and temporarily become Tendy’s.
A rebranding move designed to reinforce a clear message: Wendy’s chicken tenders are so good, you’ll call them by name.
After changing its name across digital channels, the rebrand came to life in the real world through a collaboration with stand-up comedian and content creator Connor Wood (@fibula), who performed a comedy show at the Tendy’s launch event.
“We’re excited about the next step in our chicken journey with the new Wendy’s Tendys and lineup of six new sauces. Consumers told us what they wanted in a chicken tender, and we listened - taste-tested, fine-tuned and delivered,” said Lindsay Radkoski, Chief Marketing Officer at Wendy’s.
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
Gant celebrating the festive season with a cinematic mood; lululemon unveiling the Team Canada kit for the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Games; Giorgio Armani Neve presenting the Autumn/Winter 2025/26 collection; Nike and Jacquemus launching the new Après Ski collection.
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.
Sharp curation of how brands are reimaging seasonal storyteling with counter-intuitive moves. McDonald's flipping teh holiday narrative from wonderful to terrible is particulary clever because it aknowledges the actual lived experience before offering relief, which makes the brand positioning feel earned rather than imposed.