The Marketer’s Storybook: AI Regrets, Football Legends & Groin-Scented Ads
From Beckham’s cowboy comeback and Costa’s coffee-fueled connection to groin-scented billboards and Duolingo’s AI backtrack, The Marketer’s Storybook has no fear in diving into the bold, the bizarre, and the backpedaling. Whether it’s high-stakes rebrands, emotional storytelling, or a wake-up call on AI promises, these stories remind us that attention without strategy is just noise and brands that move culture do so with intent.
This week’s lineup includes:
- Pepsi’s Beckham-led global football campaign
- Costa’s emotionally resonant shift to ritual storytelling
- Duolingo’s AI misstep and reputation recovery
- Axe’s cheeky scratch-and-sniff billboard stunt
- M&S’s £300M cyber crisis and comeback strategy
- Meta’s plan to make AI generate your ads by 2026
- RXBar’s Chrome extension for filtering corporate jargon
- Toblerone’s awkward eating angle turned branding win
- Uno’s in-person social clubs for game night fanatics
- Vodafone Ireland’s emotional audio campaign on human connection
This Week’s Marketing Stories
A curated mix of breaking news, insights, and trends, each with actionable takeaways to inspire your brand storytelling.
1. Beckham Returns, and So Does Pepsi’s Football Glory
David Beckham saddles up again in Pepsi’s new global campaign “Refresh the Game,” alongside legends Pelé and Ronaldinho and today’s female football icons including Alexia Putellas and Lauren James. Created by Copa90 and directed by Nicole Ackermann, the ad reimagines classic Pepsi moments with cutting-edge CG, AI upscaling, and VFX magic, giving fresh perspective to 50 years of football fandom. The campaign doesn’t just revisit history, it rewrites it for a new generation, with a strong spotlight on the rising impact of women in sport.
Key Takeaway: When you have this much star power in an ad, you know it will get watched. However, what’s interesting about Pepsi’s new campaign is how it doesn’t rest its laurels on nostalgia – it evolves it with advanced CG previs, AI upscaling and cutting-edge VFX. Pepsi’s campaign wins by blending legacy with next-gen storytelling, championing inclusivity, and using new tech to celebrate what sport means today. Read more
2. Costa Coffee Brews Connection with ‘Made With Heart’
Costa Coffee’s new global platform, “Made With Heart,” celebrates the emotional rituals of everyday coffee moments, from early mornings to split-shift goodbyes. Developed with VML and led by hero films from director Tony Barry, it’s a human-first pivot toward storytelling that values presence, purpose, and connection.
Key Takeaway: When brands go beyond product features to champion emotional resonance, they build deeper loyalty. As someone who worked in the coffee industry for five years, I related to this campaign and the role that coffee plays in our daily lives. Where Costa’s spot really shines is how they bring relatable everyday moments to life through storytelling using coffee as the connective tissue. Read more
3. Duolingo’s AI Hype Backfires – Then Softens
After Duolingo’s CEO claimed AI would replace contractors and potentially teachers, backlash hit hard, especially on the brand’s own TikTok. The company quickly shifted tone, emphasizing support for employees and safe, human-guided AI experimentation.
Key Takeaway: Brands experimenting with AI to reduce or replace employees, contractors, agencies, etc., must tread carefully. While a bold vision is fine, arrogance isn’t. It’s also a warning for CEOs and business leaders to phrase their comments about AI replacing employees carefully – or run the risk of going into damage control. It was smart for Duolingo’s CEO Luis von Ahn to write a thoughtful LinkedIn post explaining his comments. This pivot shows how transparency, humility, and tone can make or break trust. Read more
4. Axe’s Groin-Sniff Billboard Is as Wild as It Sounds
Axe (Lynx) invites Londoners to scratch and sniff billboards of models in underwear with a bright circle printed over their nether regions (yes, sniffing there…hmmm) to promote its new Lower Body Spray. The campaign, by LOLA MullenLowe, turns the ads into a live product demo – with scent-infused ink and cheeky callouts.
Key Takeaway: Physical media can still punch above its weight – especially when it invites interaction. While this isn’t the first scratch-and-sniff billboard (I previously featured Billie’s and Sure UK’s billboards in this newsletter), Axe’s stunt is equal parts absurd, on-brand, and unforgettable. Read more
5. M&S Faces £300M Hit From Cyberattack – And Uses It to Transform
Marks & Spencer disclosed a £300M operating profit impact from a ransomware attack that disrupted online orders and logistics. The brand is already using the incident to modernize tech, strengthen supply chains, and reposition for long-term growth.
Key Takeaway: It’s pretty eye opening how long it is taking M&S to come back from this massive cyber attack. It’s a big wake-up call to brands to invest in crisis management training and scenario planning in advance of a crisis (let me know if you need help!). With the right training and agile team in place, marketers and communications professions will be better prepared to pivot and support a business impacted by a crisis, plus plan for the future. Read more
6. Meta Wants AI to Run Your Ad Campaign by 2026
Meta’s next big AI push would let brands upload a product image and budget – then let AI generate ad creative, placements, and targeting. It builds on existing Advantage+ features and could reshape campaign development for SMBs and big brands alike.
Key Takeaway: While Meta is selling the vision that AI will soon be your media planner, copywriter, and creative director, I have questions and am skeptical that this will work for big brands. I could see smaller businesses being excited by this for the scale of it but would caution them about making sure they define their brand and design guidelines, brand story, mission, vision, and values, go/no go topics they want to be associated with before handing an image over to AI to create and run ads. Otherwise, my concern is that the brand will be diluted and the ads won’t be as effective. File this one under: watch and wait – I believe they still have a lot of work to do. Read more
7. RXBar Fights Buzzwords with a Chrome Extension
In its latest “No B.S.” stunt, RXBar released a browser extension that censors jargon like “disruptor” and “move the needle” from social feeds. Users can even nominate their least-favorite phrases to be blocked next.
Key Takeaway: I must confess – I love clever stunts like this that align with product and brand mission. RXBar’s are known for simple, real ingredients, so this “No B.S.” stunt of censoring unnecessary jargon makes sense. It’s a great reminder that brands who have a clear brand POV ideate clever campaigns and stunts around them. Read more
8. Toblerone Turns Awkward Bites into Branding Gold
In a surreal new ad scored to Strauss’s “Blue Danube,” Toblerone embraces the unflattering expressions caused by eating its triangular chocolate. The campaign leans into imperfection and invites joyful indulgence.
Key Takeaway: The visual storyteller in me loves this campaign. It’s refreshing to see a brand own a quirky customer experience and then bring it to life through clever visual storytelling. Toblerone shows that playful self-awareness builds likability and helps its distinct product stand out. Read more
9. Uno Launches Social Clubs to Fuel IRL Game Nights
Uno’s Vegas pop-up suite kicks off a summer-long campaign to celebrate in-person gameplay. With themed décor, drink menus, tournaments, and TikTok tie-ins, it’s a content-rich, nostalgia-driven brand play.
Key Takeaway: In a world chasing digital scale, don’t sleep on real-world joy. I’ve personally seen a shift post-pandemic in brands bringing back IRL (in real life) experiences. More than ever, brands have an opportunity to build communities and be the connector for their customers around a shared experience. While I have mostly played Uno with my niece and nephew, I like the idea of a fun Uno Vegas suite experience. Not only is it unique in a sea of casinos with all of the same games, it also makes Uno cool for an older audience by making it an adult experience. Read more
10. Vodafone Ireland Turns Commuter Moments Into Emotional Storytelling
“A Stranger’s Tale” is an original podcast on Spotify capturing real stories of human connection on public transport and part of Vodafone’s campaign to foster more real-world interactions. Written by Locky McKenna and narrated by Killian Scott, the series leans into serendipity and shared experience.
Key Takeaway: Purpose is best told through story. Vodafone’s campaign is a heartfelt reminder that connection doesn’t always start with WiFi, it starts with listening. Bonus: I was just having conversations with a friend who runs a successful podcast media company and his feedback was that the brands that invest in podcasts around the story, educating on a topic – e.g. not making them like a brand press release – and the ones who are the most successful on this medium. Read more
My Stories
A Customer Experience Fail That Made Me Ask: What Are We Doing?
Sometimes I don’t understand email marketing. I never signed up for emails from Michaels. I don’t even live in the USA. Somehow they got my email address and proceed to email spam me daily. I catch on and hit unsubscribe… and they say it will take a FEW WEEKS. What!? Will someone please explain to me how companies think this is a good customer experience? Read more
Unlock More of My Stories
🌍 Website: JessicaGioglio.com Your one-stop shop for all my books, speaking engagements, and blog posts on marketing and storytelling.
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- The Power of Visual Storytelling: Learn how to shape a visual story around your brand using images, videos, GIFs, infographics, and more. Get your copy here.
- The Laws of Brand Storytelling: The definitive guide to using storytelling to win over customers’ hearts, minds, and loyalty. Grab it here.
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Until Next Time
Thank you for being part of this journey. Whether you’re here for marketing trends, storytelling inspiration, or both, I’m so grateful to have you along for the ride.
Keep telling the stories that matter, Jessica
Jessica Gioglio is the co-author of The Laws of Brand Storytelling and The Power of Visual Storytelling. Professionally, Jessica has led innovative marketing and public relations programs for Dunkin’, TripAdvisor, Sprinklr, and more. Today, Jessica is a keynote speaker (book her here) and founder of With Savvy Media & Marketing, a strategic branding, storytelling, and content strategy consultancy.