ADWEEK

?? The March issue of ADWEEK is here. ?? Major League Baseball enters its 2025 season with the winds of change firmly at its back after two straight years of increased attendance, TV viewership, and media visibility. More than 71.3 million fans went to MLB games in 2024, an 11% increase over 2022. Viewership at home is way up as well: Fox’s 2024 World Series broadcast averaged 15.8 million viewers, the highest since 2017. The 2025 season will start with a two-game Tokyo Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs on March 18-19. It will be the biggest standalone international event the league has ever put on, and mark MLB’s return to Japan after six years with several home-grown superstars on both teams. And if you really want proof that it’s a new era in baseball, New York Yankees players are finally allowed to have facial hair again for the 2025 season after a 49-year ban. Read more — https://adweek.it/43zaC07

Independent agency Quality Experience will no longer be operational after founder Ari Weiss’ death last month, its founders confirmed. Weiss launched Quality Experience in January 2024 with partners Colleen Leddy (chief strategy officer), Cristina Reina (chief creative officer), and Dan Gonda (chief executive officer). He served as founder and creative chairman. https://adweek.it/4hqQPTO

As Donald Trump settles back into the White House for his second term as president, another transition is taking place: Republicans are warming up to Big Tech. Following Trump’s election victory in November, Meta, Google, and Amazon all donated $1 million to his inauguration fund. Apple CEO Tim Cook gave the same amount from his personal funds. https://adweek.it/4hniqFz

The Hershey Company has named longtime PepsiCo veteran Stacy Taffet as its chief growth officer, reviving a role it had eliminated previously. https://adweek.it/3DzKDer

It's March, which means it's almost time for baseball! Did you know that since 2022, ballpark attendance is up 11% and sponsorship revenue rose by 55%? The short answer is the game is faster and more exciting than it's been in decades. The long answer is my March cover story for ADWEEK with Major League Baseball (MLB)'s Rob Manfred. There's no single element to success like that, or the doors that it opens. Commissioner Manfred talked candidly about how baseball is played today to getting more people to play the sport, and the marketing power of taking the game on the road. https://lnkd.in/ewY-FrEM

South by Southwest (SXSW), Austin's annual 10-day spring festival is the land of brand activations. While established participants like Paramount+ and Prime Video returned, new brands including Dubai's Museum of the Future, Rivian, and Aveeno joined with first-time immersive installations. https://adweek.it/3XHNBV2

Comedians Jim Gaffigan, Bill Burr, and Sebastian Maniscalco are teaming up with Hulu's stand-up brand Hularious. Hulu’s comedy brand features one comedian on the streamer each month, and the creative showcases the specials viewers can expect ahead. Read more — https://adweek.it/3DuXFKm ??

In this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE Podcast, Neil Shah, Chief Commercial Officer, at SharkNinja, joins hosts Rachel Tipograph and Sarah Hofstetter to discuss how SharkNinja has grown from a single category company into a $5.5 billion global brand spanning more than 36 categories. Neil shares how SharkNinja’s consumer first approach fuels rapid innovation, ensuring every product meets four key criteria: speed to market, superior performance, five star quality, and strong value. He explains how the brand’s relentless focus on consumer insights, viral marketing, and omnichannel execution creates category defining products, from robot vacuums to slushy machines. For brands looking to drive innovation and win in retail, this episode provides insights into leveraging consumer feedback, optimizing go to market strategies, and integrating retail media with organic demand generation. Listen Now — Apple Podcasts: https://adweek.it/4kJM9LJ Spotify: https://adweek.it/4kJMqyf

Drop by ADWEEK House Las Vegas on March 25 and explore strategic ways to engage modern shoppers at every touchpoint. If your brand is ready to drive commerce, Request an Invite for Group Chat discussions and RSVP for Open Doors networking. https://adweek.it/4bK0Udr

AI is reshaping marketing, but adoption alone won’t drive impact. Karissa VanHooser, senior director of product marketing at Epsilon explains that the future of marketing belongs to brands that integrate AI with a solid data foundation to create personalized, scalable customer experiences. #sponsored https://adweek.it/3DBAvBX