ADWEEK

Dany Garcia, our 2024 ADWEEK | ADCOLOR Beacon Award honoree (and cover star!), is redefining entrepreneurship to build a sports and entertainment empire.? Garcia was part of a consortium that bought the pro football minor league XFL, making her the first woman to first woman to own co-equal or majority ownership stake in a major professional sports league in the United States. Earlier this year, the XFL merged with the USFL and became the United Football League (UFL), with Garcia retaining a minority stake. The nature of Garcia’s story, and how she’s epitomizing what women of color can be, have made her the 2024 Beacon Award honoree, selected by ADWEEK in partnership with ADCOLOR Conference and Awards. Read more here:?https://adweek.it/3YlJtd3 ? ??: Rose Marie Cromwell?

After a tenure in Europe, Heineken marketer Alison Payne is returning to the brand’s New York office as chief marketing officer (CMO) of The HEINEKEN Company USA. https://adweek.it/4hLHQhu

AI-powered rich communication services (RCS) messaging is revolutionizing brand-customer interactions. Ethan Gustav, Group President of North America at Infobip shares why brands that adopt AI-enhanced RCS will not only drive conversions but also create meaningful, loyalty-building interactions. #sponsored?https://lnkd.in/dPVcYjAZ

covered this cool Nike campaign celebrating the re-release of the Wu-Tang Clan Dunk Highs for their 25th anniversary. hip-hop, basketball, and sneakers collide in this new spot from afterhrs. that sees RZA beekeeping (yes, the bees are real) with a cameo from New York Knicks starters Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and Mikal Bridges ?????????????

A new Squid Game: The Experience opened in New York City last month. My colleagues Colin Daniels, M.A. and Bianca B. checked it out to see if it's worth it. I also interviewed Josh Simon, vice president of consumer products at Netflix, what went into building the immersive experience as well as the company's plans to build more globally. My latest for ADWEEK:

Hip-hop, sneakers, bees, and basketball collide in Nike’s film to mark the re-release of its 1999 Wu-Tang Clan Dunk High model, which debuted on the latter’s SNKRS app in early November. https://adweek.it/3AChBcE

Raw moments are making a comeback ??? Presented by ATTN:

“Lemonade stand ?? or newspaper route ??? ?” If you want to find out Gary Vaynerchuk’s provocative answer to that and many more questions from our special on-stage-at-#Mediaweek #MarketingVanguard live podcast, you’ll have to listen in. Thank you, Gary, for joining us! ADWEEK https://lnkd.in/e7MhjpkH

Mattel, Inc. is pulling dolls from several stores following shoppers discovering that the packaging for its dolls tied to upcoming Universal Pictures release Wicked included the URL for age-gated pornography site rather than the film’s official website. Mattel said in a statement shared with CNN Sunday, “Mattel was made aware of a misprint on the packaging of the Mattel Wicked collection dolls, primarily sold in the U.S., which intended to direct consumers to the official WickedMovie.com landing page. We deeply regret this unfortunate error and are taking immediate action to remedy this. Parents are advised that the misprinted, incorrect website is not appropriate for children.”https://adweek.it/4hFcTvt

Our TV reporter Saleah Blancaflor checked Netflix's "Squid Game: The Experience" out to see if it lives up to the excitement of the hit television series, which is gearing up for its much-anticipated second season. “When you watch the series, there’s almost a simplicity to the games, and when you layer the amount of tension, you start to wonder what it would be like if you were ever in that situation,” Josh Simon, vice president of consumer products at Netflix said. “We decided to create a more fun environment to allow people to answer that question.” Read more to learn about if it's worth the hype: https://adweek.it/4hIGUKH