Ad Age Marketer's Brief

Ad Age reporters Erika Wheless and Gillian Follett break down the brand lessons from the recent Cracker Barrel and American Eagle dramas: How can marketers better prepare for social pushback, what to know about official brand responses and how the brand-consumer relationship is changing on social media. Plus, AI ad networks are beginning to emerge, which place paid content in chatbots such as ChatGPT. Dig into the debate between maintaining chat quality and monetizing the technology. And Svedka has resurrected its Fembot character in a plea for people to put down their phones and go out with friends. Dig deeper on the topics mentioned in this week's episode: ~The latest on the Cracker Barrel rebrand saga ~Refresh yourself on American Eagle’s Sydney Sweeney campaign backlash ~Inside E.l.f. Cosmetics’ Matt Rife social campaign ~Keep up with the latest account reviews ~Buy tickets to Ad Age’s Business of Brands conference ~Listen to Hinge’s CMO talk connecting with Gen Z

Jackie Jantos, Hinge’s president and CMO, shares tips for winning with Gen Z and how Hinge has been able to see growth when other dating apps are seeing declines

In Ad Age’s Marketer’s Brief podcast, CMX’s Parbinder Dhariwal shares how CVS connects brands with health-focused shoppers to drive growth.

Ad Age Creativity Editor Tim Nudd reveals the creativity trends of 2025 so far, including the impact of AI on brand marketing, the resurgence of experiential activations and the secret to an effective modern Super Bowl campaign. Plus, data reveals the impact of AI search on brand's website visits—some categories are seeing a lift while others are staying flat. Dig deeper into the differentiators. And E.l.f. Cosmetics finds itself the latest subject of consumer scrutiny after partnering with controversial comedian Matt Rife. Find out where experts are saying the brand went wrong. Dig deeper on the topics mentioned in this week's episode: ~Tim's list of the top ads of 2025 so far ~Coca-Cola's AI-generated holiday campaign ~Google's not-so-good Olympics AI ad ~Walton Goggins' Doritos porn spoof ~Apply to join Ad Age's Small Agency Network ~Keep track of agency account reviews here

Ed Beadle, Honda VP of digital services and marketing, reveals how the automaker is getting more efficient with its marketing and how his background as a media strategist and Dungeons & Dragons Dungeon Master shapes his approach and leadership style.

Alvaro Luque talks tariffs, media mix and his guacamole recipe

Cash App targeted movie theaters for its recent campaign starring Timothée Chalamet

How the free-spirited light beer brand became Gallo's first beer investment

Creative Director Ryan Weaver talks about removing the stigma and increasing accessibility

CMO Vanessa Wallace talks about her ‘fun, fast, furious first year’ at the lingerie brand