SPORTS MARKETING

Illustration: Morning Brew Inc., Photos: Poppi

Whether it’s the Super Bowl or the NBA Finals, Poppi has been involved in some of the biggest moments on the sports calendar.

Even so, “I would not say we’re trying to become a traditional sports marketer,” Kristina MacIntosh, the brand’s SVP of marketing, said.

Poppi’s sport marketing approach is more about becoming part of the conversations happening on the sidelines, in the stands, and on social media than it is about the on-field action, MacIntosh said. That’s why the brand’s new sponsorship of the Dallas Cowboys started not with the team’s players, but with its cheerleaders.

The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders—and their massive social reach—are the centerpiece of the sponsorship, which also includes more traditional elements, MacIntosh said. The deal includes in-stadium, retail, and social content with the team and cheerleaders, as well as pouring rights at AT&T Stadium, in-stadium and retail branding, and opportunities for ticket and merch giveaways throughout the season.

The strategy offers a look at how Poppi is carving out a unique space in the evolving world of sports sponsorship, amid stiff competition in the soft-drink category.

“We really sit within those sidelines of culture, and that’s been a strategy for us since day one,” MacIntosh told us. “We want to make sure that it makes sense for the brand to connect with highly engaged communities and participate in the moments that people are caring about and talking about on their feed…We’re looking for those opportunities where sports and culture really connect.”

For more on Poppi’s sports strategy and why the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders were the right fit, continue reading here.—AM

      

Sponsored By Lob

What makes a winning direct mail program? The 2026 Postmark Award winners have a thing or 12 they’re willing to teach on the very subject.

Lob has sent more than 2 billion mailpieces since 2013, and the Postmark Awards celebrate the programs that really dazzled audiences.

Categories include Standout Mailpiece Design, Top Omnichannel Integration, Best Campaign Personalization, Growth, Mail for Good, and Envelope Pusher.

Get standout design inspiration from L’Occitane, or learn how to build a high-value omnichannel program from SimpliSafe. Plus, you’ll get your very own winning strategy checklist delivered to your inbox.

We’ll mail it all to you—jk, here it is.

SOCIAL & INFLUENCERS

Illustration: Morning Brew Inc., Photo: Facebook

Meta’s fuzzy-looking personal AI agent Muse is apparently getting tried out—a lot.

The personal AI agent has seen more than 10 million users in the US and Canada in the month and a half since the tool first rolled out, Mark Zuckerberg said during Meta’s Q3 earnings call on Wednesday.

Among the over 10 million Muse users, roughly a quarter of them are using it daily, Zuckerberg said during the call. According to data from Sensor Tower reported by TechCrunch, the agent’s 14-day retention rate clocked in at 23%, compared to 16% on average for rivals including ChatGPT, Grok, and Claude.

While the early data is positive, it doesn’t necessarily mean personal agents will necessarily be adopted widely in the future, Eric Schmitt, Gartner VP analyst, told Marketing Brew. While companies seek to reshape online shopping via agents, there are still obstacles, including widespread lack of trust among consumers, that could stall broader adoption.

“We’re still in the ‘too soon to tell’ stage with respect to the question of how broadly and deeply agentic shopping will be adopted by the mass market, by consumers,” he said.

For more on how users are interacting with Muse and what it might mean about the future of agentic commerce, read more here.—JS

      

Sponsored By Expedia Group

Ready for takeoff checkout. From planning what they’ll pack to researching how they’ll pay at their destination, soon-to-be travelers embark on high-intent shopping journeys. Expedia Group Advertising’s report explores how travelers make shopping decisions, including when they buy and how brands influence their choices. Get the report.

COWORKING

Jonathan Ouellette

Each week, we spotlight Marketing Brew readers in our Coworking series. If you’d like to be featured, introduce yourself here.

Jonathan Ouellette is executive creative director of the studio Kill 2 Birds.

Favorite project you’ve worked on? The Severance Season 2 digital out-of-home campaign. It was such an amazing experience getting to work on a campaign for a series you’re already a huge fan of. Pretty much everyone at Kill 2 Birds loves the show, so the bar was high and nobody wanted to whiff. The team at Apple was also incredibly talented and great to collaborate with. It was the kind of partnership where everyone genuinely made the work better. The brief focused on elevating Severance from a niche series into a cultural phenomenon, then putting it on screens that reach into people’s everyday lives, from 3D anamorphic billboards in Times Square to the London Underground and takeovers of the T-Mobile and Apple flagship stores.

What’s your favorite ad campaign? Right now, I’d have to say Spotify Wrapped. It’s such a smart way to turn user data into identity and build an entire campaign around it. And no media buy beats millions of people voluntarily posting their own results.

One thing we can’t guess from your LinkedIn profile: I’m a pretty avid hiker, and lately most of my vacations have revolved around long-distance walks in the 100- to 200-mile range. I recently walked Hadrian’s Wall and Alfred Wainwright’s Coast to Coast Walk route.

Read more from our interview with Ouellette here.

      

Sponsored By Tremendous

Pull the lever! 72% of B2B marketing leaders named pipeline, demand gen, or acquisition a top-three focus this year. Meanwhile, teams keep having to cut paid channels due to low ROI. Tremendous’ free guide covers how B2B tech companies use incentives to drive pipeline, where they fit into existing growth strategies, and how teams can scale programs efficiently to make their marketing dollars count.

EVENTS

Morning Brew Inc.

Showing up everywhere isn’t a strategy, and customers have a thumb ready for the unsubscribe button. Join us for a conversation on matching email, SMS, push, mobile apps, and digital wallets to different customer needs, and building a mix that boosts loyalty and ROI without the fatigue. Register now.

french press

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

NBA season: The 2026-27 NBA season is underway, so here’s a look at the state of the league’s jersey-patch business.

Spooky season: Some of this year’s Halloween campaigns for any last-minute inspiration.

Holiday season: X hosted a webinar with tips for marketers planning holiday campaigns on the platform.

^{*A message from our sponsor.}

Jobs

Real jobs, shared through real communities. CollabWORK brings opportunities directly to Marketing Brew readers—no mass postings, no clutter, just roles worth seeing. Click here to view the full job board.

JOINING FORCES

Mergers and acquisitions, company partnerships, and more.

• McDonald’s is pulling the plug on its FIFA World Cup sponsorship deal after more than three decades.
• BodyArmor is the official sports fuel of the Philadelphia 76ers, making it one of the latest brands to announce partnerships with the team this season.
• Snap tapped Robert Downey Jr. to front an original content series promoting its Spec AR glasses.
• Domino’s is partnering with Minecraft for an in-game activation tied to its new personal pizza.