BRAND STRATEGY

Morning Brew Inc, Photos: @jackinthebox/Instagram, @gibbysgeekin/TikTok

Would you purchase a meal for a collectible? Or wake up early to stake out a coffee shop for a limited-edition cup? Or stand in line for hours to get a pastel-colored grocery bag?

Whether it’s Starbucks and its Bearista cup, Trader Joe’s and its coveted tote bags, or even movie theaters with specialty popcorn buckets, brands are increasingly betting that creating collectibles can get consumers in the door. Sometimes collectibles come in the form of a blind box, where the buyer doesn’t know what they’re getting until they open it, while other times, the item is publicized as a limited release to create a sense of scarcity—and, likely, high resale value.

This year, the fast-food chain Jack in the Box, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary, is joining in on the collectibles craze. The QSR chain’s new line of collectible items, including glass Jack Sipper Cups shaped like its brand mascot, pins, and Labubu-like Jibbis bag charms, were inspired by a nostalgic collectible item it used to offer: an antenna topper featuring its mascot that was first distributed in the ’90s, Sheena Dougher, VP of brand marketing at Jack in the Box, told us.

For the brand, the offerings go beyond celebrating its anniversary. Dougher said the collectibles provide a way to meet changing guest expectations as “the value equation shifts” between brands and consumers.

“People want more for their money, and it goes beyond the food,” Dougher said. “They want experiences from brands.”

Continue reading here.—KM

      

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SPORTS MARKETING

Premier League

What’s a predawn wake-up time on a Saturday to a soccer fan who wants to watch some of the best players in the world? For the almost half a million Premier League fans living in the US, it’s not just no big deal—it’s a ritual.

England’s top men’s league and its teams are already quite popular in the states, but coming off a World Cup that many sports marketers say likely revolutionized soccer fandom in the US, the Premier League’s top execs are betting that they can develop passion for the league even more.

“We feel like we’ve got amazing things to be able to offer,” Akash Jain, US managing director for the Premier League, told Marketing Brew. “The best players in the world, the biggest clubs in the world, the most competitive and compelling league in the world, all in one place.”

That’s why the league’s campaign promoting its 2026-27 season is called “It’s All Here.” Like Major League Soccer’s return-to-season campaign, the Premier League’s marketing push is meant to turn fans of certain World Cup players into followers of their home clubs, with an added emphasis on stateside in-person and fan-appreciation experiences for supporters who may not be able to make it across the pond to catch a match.

Read more here.—AM

      

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AI

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David’s Bridal wants to do more than just introduce brides to a wedding dress—it wants to help manage all the stress that comes with planning a wedding.

The legacy retailer known for its wedding gowns is using AI as a tool to help build the future of bridal retail for its core customer. During a panel on AI at eTail Boston, Elina Vilk, president and chief business officer of David’s Bridal, laid out the retailer’s plans and how it is rethinking the customer journey.

David’s Bridal has revamped Pearl AI, which has garnered 110,000 users in less than nine months with no marketing, Vilk said. The tool lets couples plan their wedding by connecting them to a range of vendors, from photographers to florists.

Enterprise side: The company is also building an AI tool for customers on the enterprise side, including photographers, nail salons, florists, and event planners, to connect them with couples.

“B2Bs are also now our customers, whereas the customer for 75 years has been just the bride,” Vilk said. “Now it’s the entire wedding ecosystem.”

Read more on Retail Brew.—VC

      

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EVENTS

Morning Brew Inc.

A CMO is pulling back the curtain on the jingle, the emu, and the newest addition: a Henson-built puppet with feelings. In this fireside chat, she’ll break down how one of insurance’s most recognizable brands keeps stacking characters instead of replacing them, why consistency beats novelty, and how humor lands hardest in a category built on seriousness. Catch it live at the Marketing Brew Summit, Sept. 30 in NYC.

french press

Morning Brew

There are a lot of bad marketing tips out there. These aren’t those.

Switch up: What to know about the changes coming to Nielsen’s TV measurement this fall.

Meal time: How TikTok may influence teenagers’ eating habits, per the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior.

Rule follower: A roundup of social media compliance tools to help with risk management and mitigation.

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Screenshots via BetterHelp

BetterHelp’s chief growth officer explains how the brand jumps into cultural conversations in the comments section—and turned it into a real, repeatable social playbook.

METRICS AND MEDIA

Stat: Nearly $17 million. That’s how much Grey Goose’s Honey Deuce cocktail generated in gross sales at last year’s US Open, per Ad Age. Workers prepared 2.3 million melon balls to garnish the drinks, per the NYT, so that comes out to roughly $7.39 per ball.

Quote: “The supplement industry is a bit of the Wild West. Some brands claim their gummies can do everything, without understanding that many ingredients don’t survive the gummy-making process.”—Paulie Dery, AG1’s CMO, speaking to Adweek about how the gummy supplement business has evolved

Read: “Brands are ‘maxxing’ and ‘mogging’ as they co-opt a controversial trend” (the Wall Street Journal)