Brand Waves This Week #13
Evian celebrates Carlos Alcaraz, Dunkin’ brings Sabrina Carpenter into summer, and Greenpeace turns Piazza San Marco into a global protest stage.
What’s New in Branding and Marketing This Week?
As summer heats up, brands are far from taking a vacation. In this newsletter, we explore a diverse landscape that goes well beyond traditional advertising, where the lines between entertainment, activism, and consumerism are increasingly blurred.
Let’s start with a sporty yet highly strategic note: evian has named Carlos Alcaraz its new Global Ambassador, reinforcing its long-standing connection with tennis and speaking directly to the hearts of Gen Z through the Live Young concept.
We stay in Italy but shift to the cinema of spontaneity with Jonathan Bailey starring in MARTINI®’s new Off Script campaign - an invitation to enjoy a script-free summer. Still on the theme of summer lifestyle, MIRAGGIO takes us to the Seychelles with The Holiday, blending product and storytelling through a travel lens.
In the food & beverage world, Dunkin’ returns with Sabrina Carpenter and her Strawberry Daydream, while Baskin-Robbins teams up with Sydney Sweeney for a campaign featuring rainbow cones and color-changing drinks. Then there’s TRIP, which combines flavor and mental wellness with its new Wild Strawberry and a partnership with Calm - a winning strategy that’s both digital and tangible.
On the OOH (out-of-home) front, the British Skin Foundation makes an impact with a billboard that “burns” under the sun to raise awareness about UV risks, while Corona transforms its bottle label into a sunset you reveal simply by rotating it. Speaking of multisensory creativity, Heinz unveils its new MUSTAAAAAARD in collaboration with music producer Mustard, blending bold flavors and musical branding.
And then there's the big comeback of fandoms: Coca-Cola celebrates Star Wars with a global campaign that combines collectibility, augmented reality, and community spirit.
We close with a dramatic twist from Greenpeace, which turned Jeff Bezos’ wedding into a global guerrilla marketing operation by raising a banner in Piazza San Marco that made headlines worldwide and reignited the conversation around tax and climate justice.
In the second half of the newsletter, we dive deeper into the latest trends in business and consumer culture.
evian announces its new brand ambassador: Carlos Alcaraz
To mark the most anticipated tennis season of the year, evian has announced a new partnership: Carlos Alcaraz, 2025 Roland Garros champion and face of the new generation of global tennis, is now the brand’s Global Ambassador.
This is far more than a typical celebrity endorsement. The bond between evian and tennis is part of a long-term strategy - consider that evian has been the Official Water of Wimbledon since 2008 and of the US Open for nearly 40 years. Alcaraz’s arrival renews this positioning, bringing with it a fresh, international aura deeply connected to Gen Z.
Narratively, the campaign is framed within the Live Young concept -evian’s philosophy that celebrates a healthy, energetic lifestyle that begins in the mind even before the body. With this move, evian strengthens its premium reputation without losing pop relevance.
Jonathan Bailey goes Off Script in Italy with MARTINI®
MARTINI® has chosen British actor Jonathan Bailey as the face of its new summer campaign Off Script - an invitation to break free from routine and embrace a summer of spontaneity and authenticity. Filmed in a picturesque Italian setting that evokes the Mediterranean lifestyle, the spot shows Bailey stepping away from written scripts to dive into a journey full of impulsive choices, real moments, and a toast with a MARTINI® Spritz - a symbol of a fresh, elegant, and unconventional summer.
The campaign is rooted in broader insights: a MARTINI® study reveals that over 60% of people feel trapped in a predictable routine, yet yearn for more inspired and spontaneous choices.
MARTINI® taps into this important insight, transforming it into a call to action grounded in the values of freedom and lightness - perfectly embodied by Bailey’s charm and personality. Fittingly, the Terrazza Martini experience will accompany the campaign across more than 30 European cities, bringing rooftop bars and public squares to life with convivial off-script moments, all in classic Italian aperitivo style.
MIRAGGIO’s Summer Campaign: The Holiday
Indian accessories brand MIRAGGIO has launched The Holiday - a campaign that’s much more than a product showcase. It’s an invitation to escape, to dream, to live a story. There are no staged shoots or posed images, just three influencers, a getaway to the Seychelles, and a visual narrative that feels like pages torn from a travel diary.
The goal? To associate each bag not just with a look, but with an emotion. Every piece in the collection - from roomy totes to chic mini evening bags - is presented in real, candid settings: beach strolls, laughter among friends, sunset dinners. The result is content that doesn’t speak the traditional language of advertising but instead tells a shared experience.
Jeep Honors Mothers with The Real Off Road
For Mother’s Day 2025, Jeep launched its new campaign The Real Off Road, created by agency Mood Peru. The brand celebrates motherhood not as an idealized concept, but as a true off-road adventure - chaotic, unpredictable, and full of obstacles.
The concept is simple yet powerful: Being a mom is the most off-road ever. It’s a raw truth that Jeep makes its own, recognizing in mothers the same resilience and determination that have always been at the core of its brand identity. The campaign focuses mainly on print, featuring images that depict messy, spontaneous situations: mud-covered kids, domestic chaos, and mothers who tackle every moment with the spirit of an explorer.
Dunkin’ Launches New Strawberry Daydream with Sabrina Carpenter
Dunkin’s summer 2025 takes a dreamy, pop-infused turn with the return of its collaboration with pop star Sabrina Carpenter. Following last year’s success, the brand brings her back to launch the Sabrina’s Strawberry Daydream Refresher - a drink that blends the nostalgic sweetness of strawberries with smooth oatmilk and a cloud of cold foam.
The campaign spot immerses the Dunkin’ world in a retro-surrealist aesthetic, with Sabrina playing a Daydream Matchmaker in a whimsical summer hotline, helping callers find the perfect drink to escape reality. The tone is light, airy, and full of imagination.
Alongside Carpenter’s special edition, Dunkin’ is rolling out an entire summer line that taps into childhood nostalgia and classic ice cream flavors. From Frozen Coffees inspired by beloved treats (Butter Pecan, Cookie Dough, Mint Chocolate Chip) to the MUNCHKINS® Bucket - complete with a beach pail and shovel - every product leans into playful aesthetics and the idea of sharable, joyful experiences.
Baskin-Robbins Launches Collaboration with Sydney Sweeney
Baskin-Robbins’ summer takes on a pop-colored, nostalgic vibe thanks to a new collaboration with actress and Gen Z icon Sydney Sweeney. Starting July 1st, U.S. stores will feature the Sweet on Sydney Menu, a limited edition co-created with the Euphoria and Anyone But You star, a longtime fan of the brand. The menu includes two creations that perfectly reflect her personality - playful, spontaneous, and sweetly retro.
The star of the show is Sydney’s Signature Scoop: Rainbow Sherbet (her favorite flavor), served in a chocolate-dipped waffle cone, topped with rainbow sprinkles and mini gummy bears. Alongside it is Sydney’s Signature Fizz, a sparkling drink made with Rainbow Sherbet and STARRY™ soda, served in a limited-edition color-changing thermochromatic cup.
TRIP Launches Wild Strawberry with Calm
TRIP has unveiled its new Wild Strawberry flavor in collaboration with Calm. The launch campaign strikes a perfect balance between digital and real-life experiences: carefully curated IRL events, sensory partnerships (like with Cocomelt London for strawberry matcha), limited-edition summer merch, and of course, TRIP on tap. At the same time, the buzz on TikTok soared, catapulting the drink to the top of TikTok Shop rankings across Europe.
But the real strength of Wild Strawberry lies in its strategy. In an age where brands compete fiercely for attention, TRIP hit the mark by blending product and purpose. The partnership with Calm - the world’s #1 meditation app - comes with a tangible benefit: a free three-month Calm subscription included with every can. A concrete gesture in support of mental well-being, especially as the UK faces a growing mental health crisis.
The Burnable Billboard by British Skin Foundation
On the hottest days of the year, your skin burns even when you don’t realize it. That’s the concept behind the British Skin Foundation’s new campaign by Wonderhood Studios: The Burnable Billboard, a digital OOH activation that shows in real time how skin reacts to UV rays - progressively reddening and blistering.
Powered by an AI system developed with a team of dermatologists, the billboard uses sensors and live weather data to adjust the image based on current UV levels. It only appears when the risk is genuinely high- making the message even more impactful and contextually relevant. The installations appeared in high-traffic areas across London, Manchester, and Southampton, timed to catch the peak pedestrian flow.
Corona Unveils Its Hidden Sunsets
With its new Hidden Sunsets campaign, Corona - the beer brand long associated with beaches, lime, and golden hour - has found a brilliantly simple way to capture that perfect moment of the day.
By rotating a Corona bottle, the label surprisingly reveals the silhouette of a sunset over the ocean. This visual insight is at the heart of the new OOH campaign created by agency JKR, now live in South Africa, Canada, and Chile. Billboards have been strategically placed in prime sunset-viewing locations. The digital displays sync with local sunset times, turning the simple act of tilting a beer into an invitation to pause and savor the moment - in true Corona style.
Heinz Launches MUSTAAAAAARD in Collaboration with Mustard
Heinz has unveiled HEINZ MUSTAAAAAARD, a bold chipotle honey mustard - smoky, sweet, and just the right amount of spicy - created in collaboration with music producer Mustard. The launch has already lit up the internet, thanks to its playful tone, unexpected partnership, and a product that cleverly blends culinary and musical trends in one.
Mustard is more than just a face of the campaign - he’s been named the brand’s first-ever Chief Mustard Officer and was hands-on in developing the recipe, testing ingredients and remixing the classic mustard into his own personal version. The result is a sauce made for barbecues, but just as perfect on burgers, ribs, or even salmon.
Coca-Cola Celebrates Fandom Power with New Star Wars Campaign
Coca-Cola has launched a new summer campaign in partnership with Star Wars, titled Refresh Your Galaxy. The campaign brings the iconic saga directly into fans’ hands with a limited series of 30 collectible cans and bottles featuring beloved characters - from Luke Skywalker to Grogu and the Mandalorian.
This global initiative goes beyond nostalgia and Star Wars passion; it’s designed to strengthen community through immersive experiences. Thanks to QR codes on the packaging, fans can access an augmented reality (AR) experience that lets them create and share hologram-style messages inspired by the Star Wars universe.
Greenpeace Makes an Impact: When a Banner Says More Than a Commercial
It was a scene straight out of a movie: Venice under tight security, Jeff Bezos arriving in the lagoon for a lavish wedding - and then, a massive banner from Greenpeace appears.
The message was blunt and direct: If you can rent Venice for your wedding, you can pay more tax. The banner was placed in the heart of the city, in Piazza San Marco, and quickly spread across the world via social media and global news outlets.
The target wasn’t just Bezos - it was the system itself: an economic model that, according to Greenpeace, allows the ultra-rich to dodge fiscal and environmental responsibilities while cities like Venice are sinking under the weight of the climate crisis.
Riding the Brand Waves: Who’s Making Ripples This Week
Ambassadors, collaborations, launches, and openings
Yepoda opens The Yepoda Haus in Milano.
Ruinart unveils a new collaboration with Tiffany & Co.
Stone Island presents the new Autumn_Winter ‘025-‘026 collection.
Wild releases a new limited-edition case with Paddington.
tarte™ and Dunkin’® launch the Guava Girl Summer collection.
Tech and social media updates
LinkedIn introduces video cover for articles and newsletter.
WhatsApp rolls out AI-powered message summaries, perfect for staying up to date in chats.
Instagram anhances Notes with colorful backgrounds and emoji for even more expressive updates.
Business news
Anna Wintour steps down as Editor-in-Chief of Vogue US.
Unilever expands its portfolio with the acquisition of Dr. Squatch, the American men’s brand care.
Prada CEO Gianfranco D’Attis steps down from the brand’s leadership.
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.