Ready to leap into the biggest advertising and marketing news of the week? Catch up on all the stories you need to know in our Weekly Must Reads.

Aviation Gin Celebrates a 21^st Leap Day Birthday

Though Arlene Marko has been alive for 84 years, Saturday was her official 21^st birthday. That’s right – she’s a Leap Day baby. Ryan Reynolds and Aviation Gin celebrated the occasion with her in the brand’s latest ad, which tells the story of Marko’s struggle to wait this long for her first legal drink. The video, narrated by Reynolds, is in the vein of Aviation Gin’s typical snarky humor, if a bit softer and more humanizing. Marko notes that she was technically only five when she was married and later laments, “I had seven kids in ten years, you think sometimes I didn’t want to drink?”

Aviation Gin isn’t the only brand who took advantage of this once-every-four-years holiday. Popeye’s offered free chicken sandwiches to customers via Postmates, while Hotels.com promoted 29% or more savings. Watch the full Aviation Gin ad here: https://www.thedrum.com/news/2020/02/28/ads-we-aviation-gin-celebrates-leap-day-21st-birthday-with-ryan-reynolds

Corona Fights Coronavirus

Corona Beer may have the most unfortunate brand name this year. As coronavirus continues to circulate around the world, the beer brand is battling the negative connotation with their name while still trying to promote their new hard seltzer. New ads for the seltzer featuring the tagline, “coming ashore soon,” were quickly met with criticism, as social media users called the campaign insensitive. Even worse for the brand: a recent survey of beer drinkers found 38 percent of consumers would not buy Corona under any circumstances now, while a startling 16 percent are confused about whether the brand is involved with the disease outbreak.

PR experts don’t expect the virus to impact Corona long-term, though they did warn the brand they should take it seriously and avoid making light of the situation. Do you think coronavirus will continue to cast a shadow over Corona’s new hard seltzer promotions? Read on here: https://www.adweek.com/digital/is-corona-beer-facing-a-brand-crisis-because-of-coronavirus/

Bush’s Beans Meets Kevin’s Chili

If you’re a fan of “The Office,” you must have wondered what goes into the recipe for Kevin’s famous chili. Now we have our answer: Bush’s Chili Beans. In a fan-favorite episode from the sitcom, Brian Baumgartner’s character Kevin brings in a pot of his famous chili to the office, only to trip and spill the whole pot all over the carpet. Now, in the latest ad from Bush’s Beans, Baumgartner is preparing the recipe in a very clumsy, Kevin-ish way.

BJ Thomas, Bush’s Brand Manager, called the partnership with Baumgartner “the perfect combination.” A number of brands have partnered with beloved TV shows recently. In 2019, both Lego and Pottery Barn partnered with “Friends” to release themed products in honor of the show’s 25^th anniversary. Check out details about the ad and get that famous recipe here: https://www.foxnews.com/food-drink/national-chili-day-kevin-the-office-famous-chili-recipe-bushs-bean

Jif vs. Gif

We all remember one of the very first viral debates: is the word “gif” pronounced with a soft or hard “G” sound? Peanut butter brand Jif is taking a stand, declaring that the word “jif” (with a soft “G”) be used exclusively in reference to peanut butter. In honor of National Peanut Butter Lovers Day this week, the brand released limited-edition peanut butter containers with a label that reads “Gif.” The lid of the container leaves consumers with a humorous message: “If you’ve ever called a gif a jif, we forgive you.”

Back in 2013, GIF founder Steve Wilhite released a statement that his creation was to be pronounced like “jif.” While a Jif brand spokesperson supported the announcement at the time, their new campaign makes it clear that they’ve switched sides in the argument. Let us know which way you pronounce “gif,” and learn more about the promotion here: https://www.businessinsider.com/jif-campaign-settle-debate-pronunciation-of-gif-2020-2