It’s a summer of collaborations between brands – some that make perfect sense, and some that are quite unexpected. Catch up on the latest creative partnerships you need to know about in our Weekly Must Reads.

An American Eagle Summer

For their latest summer campaign, retailer American Eagle recruited the stars of Prime Video’s popular series “The Summer I Turned Pretty.” According to the brand, the ad campaign, titled “Summer of Us,” highlights human connection and optimism for the possibilities of summer. You can find creative for the campaign in-store, on American Eagle’s website and app, and on social media in the months to come.

American Eagle has partnered with several streaming shows in recent years, strategically choosing series that appeal to their key Gen Z demographic. Their previous collaborations included “Stranger Things” and “Outer Banks.” Find out more about the new summer campaign here: https://www.marketingdive.com/news/american-eagles-summer-i-turned-pretty-cmo-interview/651634/

Coca-Cola’s Ultimate New Drink

Last week, Coca-Cola leveled up and launched its newest soda product, developed in partnership with Riot Games’ League of Legends. The brand designed the new drink, called Coca-Cola Ultimate Zero Sugar, to taste like the game’s “experience points” and let fans of the franchise “celebrate every player’s journey.” So far, consumers report the soda has a mellow citrus flavor with a hint of peach. To support the new product, Coca-Cola created Ultimate “emotes” for the League of Legends game, as well as an Ultimate-themed Instagram filter.

Coca-Cola’s other “mystery flavors” have included Dreamworld, which tastes like dreams, and Byte, which tastes like pixels. According to Coca-Cola CEO James Quincy, these intangible flavors are all about “testing the boundaries” of how consumers will engage with the brand. Learn more about the newest flavor of Coke here: https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikestubbs/2023/06/07/coca-cola-is-making-a-coke-drink-that-tastes-like-league-of-legends-experience-points/?sh=355abdc32114

Keurig’s New “Start Me Up” Coffee Kit

For their newest iced coffee system, Keurig is brewing up a truly rock & roll collaboration. The new “Start Me Up” Iced Coffee Kit was developed in partnership with The Rolling Stones. The product is a variation of Keurig’s K-Iced Brewer, featuring the band’s iconic flaming lips logo and matching themed tumbler & Keurig coffee blend. Additionally, The Rolling Stones created a Spotify playlist that coffee drinkers can enjoy as they sip their morning cup.

Surprisingly, this is not the first time a major coffee brand chose to partner with the Stones. In 2003, the band joined with Starbucks to create curated CD compilations to sell in their coffee shops. Despite their song “Start Me Up” premiering more than 40 years ago, The Rolling Stones are still popular enough today to command a high-profile partnership. See the new product and discover more details here: https://variety.com/2023/shopping/news/rolling-stones-keurig-start-me-up-iced-coffee-kit-1235634535/

Wendy’s Partners with Fros-T-Pain

In celebration of the returning Strawberry Frosty, Wendy’s teamed up with rapper T-Pain to remix his 2007 classic, “Buy U a Drank.” The new song, naturally titled “Buy U a Frosty,” premieres in a new commercial for the brand, featuring T-Pain enjoying the limited edition frosty in a studio-turned-Wendy’s-turned club. The remix will be available as an original song on TikTok, in hopes of inspiring fans to turn it into a viral hit. To further support the promotion, Wendy’s is offering a free small Strawberry Frosty with any purchase through June 21.

T-Pain has reportedly dreamed of collaborating with the brand for years. The rapper stated that he loved Wendy’s “We Beefin?” rap mixtape from 2018 and hoped he could work with the brand when the time was right. Check out the new song and details about the collaboration here: https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/fros-t-pain-wants-to-buy-u-a-frosty-at-wendys/