From Marvel to Mean Girls, advertisers are tapping into consumers’ favorite pop culture moments in their newest campaigns. Catch up on all the stories you may have missed in our Weekly Must Reads.

McDonald’s Joins the MCU

Marvel’s hit series Loki returned with its second season on Disney+ last week, and fans of the Golden Arches may have noticed a cameo from their favorite fast-food brand. In the first episode’s post-credits scene, the character Sylvie arrives at a McDonald’s in 1982, where she’s excited to see happy-looking people and says she wants to “try everything.”

McDonald’s has previously teased their involvement in Loki with an installment of their “As Featured In” campaign, featuring Loki’s favorite McDonald’s meal of Chicken McNuggets with Sweet ‘N’ Sour Sauce. The “As Featured In” series has been a successful sales initiative for the brand, utilizing beloved characters to promote several of their existing menu items. Find out more about McDonald’s Marvel tie-up and their pop culture-focused marketing strategy here: https://www.fastcompany.com/90940349/mcdonalds-marvel-loki-disney-famous-orders

Four Walls Whiskey Is Always Sunny

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is the longest-running live-action sitcom of all time, with 16 seasons at the show’s iconic Paddy’s Pub. Recently, three of the show’s stars – Rob McElhenney, Charlie Day and Glenn Howerton – joined forces to create a new whiskey brand called Four Walls. The brand initially started as a limited-edition product in 2020 to help raise money to support Philadelphia’s bartending community during the pandemic, but the overwhelmingly positive response encouraged the team to bring the whiskey worldwide.

Alcohol is a common venture for many celebrities, with brands like Casamigos and Aviation Gin seeing impressive success. Four Walls also benefits from a massive base of existing Always Sunny fans, who will appreciate the brand’s nod to Paddy’s in both name and ad imagery. Learn more details about the new brand and see the first ads here: https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2023/10/03/always-sunny-stars-launch-whiskey-four-walls/71044254007/

Tinder Warns Against Dating Scammers on Mean Girls Day

October 3 is known to many around the world as Mean Girls Day due to an iconic line from the 2004 film, but Tinder wants fans to know it’s also World Romance Scam Prevention Day. In a new campaign, the dating app partnered with Mean Girls actor Jonathan Bennett to help educate Tinder users on how to avoid online dating scammers. Bennett warns about the dangers of love-bombers, money-seekers, and posturers, while also dropping funny call-backs to fans’ favorite Mean Girls moments.

Tinder’s new campaign comes as reports indicate more young adults are becoming the victims of digital romance scams. The promotion was created in partnership with Advocating Against Romance Scammers, a nonprofit that works to bring awareness to this increasingly common type of fraud. Check out Bennett’s ad and learn more about the campaign here: https://www.thedrum.com/news/2023/10/03/tinder-and-jonathan-bennett-expose-online-scammers-mean-girls-day

Disney Wins Holiday Ads With Popular Themed Programming

In advertising, it’s common for brands to sign multi-year agreements with media partners, particularly for events or athletics sponsorships. The Walt Disney Company has taken a similar approach, but in their case, the advertisers are signing long-term deals for Disney’s popular holiday television and streaming content. For example, Ford Truck is entering its second year as the primary sponsor for Hulu’s holiday programming, while Kohl’s will sponsor Freeform’s “25 Days of Christmas” for the ninth year in a row.

Disney’s status as the go-to platform for holiday advertising has helped them land many creative and lucrative campaigns from their brand partners over the years. Recently, KitKat and Reese’s launched ads featuring their products on a “Spooktacular Charcuterie Board” to promote their candy ahead of Halloween on Freeform. Dive into more details about Disney’s successful holiday ad strategies here: https://www.marketingdive.com/news/disney-brands-halloween-holiday-marketing-trends/695515/