From Pepsi undoing a decade of design history to Olipop parking a SpongeBob Airstream where digital ads can't reach, we're learning from the week's wildest marketing news.

Did you know that BMW paid for an entire highway lane to give their drivers a free ride—and then forced Mercedes and Audi owners to advertise for them to get the same perk?

Ben Kaplan (CEO, TopAgency.com) breaks down why the era of "perfect" campaigns is over—and why the next big marketing wins won’t come from data-driven insights alone.

Featuring:

• Apple’s $230 "sock" & the luxury of zero utility
• BMW’s petty (and brilliant) Russian toll lane war
• Pepsi’s "Ugly Sweater" logo pivot
• Adidas vs. Nike: Why gut instinct can sometimes beat big data
• The Campbell’s Soup hot mic disaster
• Olipop’s SpongeBob Airstream & physical retargeting
• Why "No AI" is the new premium flex

Minimalism had a long run. But consumers got bored and brands felt it.
BMW pulled off a toll-lane stunt that turned Audi and Mercedes drivers into unwilling brand ambassadors.

Apple dropped a knitted “iPhone Pocket” that has more in common with Hermès than hardware. And Pepsi just ended a decade of flat, sanitized branding with a bold return to maximalism.

The new wave isn’t clean, quiet, or neutral.
It’s loud, emotional, and intentionally polarizing.

Because in a crowded market, clarity doesn’t win contrast does.

Which brand nailed the moment?

LeBron had millions bracing for goodbye—until the twist revealed it wasn’t retirement at all. And that’s just one part of this week’s story about belief: who has it, who earns it, and how brands weaponize it.

From China blocking influencers without real credentials…
to Cheetos turning a baseball superstition into an official MLB deal to Prime, Feastables, and Stanley proving that today’s strongest brands start as people, not companies.

Ben Kaplan (Founder + CEO, Top Agency) breaks down why trust, identity, and community have become the new moat in marketing—and why the next decade of brand power won’t come from logos, ads, or campaigns, but from belief systems.

Featuring:
• LeBron x Hennessy emotional clickbait
• China’s degree-verified influencer crackdown
• Cheetos & the Seattle superstition
• Prime Hydration + Feastables as belief-driven brands
• The Stanley Cup identity movement
• Why attention isn’t enough anymore—belief is the strategy