The latest marketing and advertising news is awfully meta this week, don’t you think? Catch up on the most recent stories you need to know in our Weekly Must Reads.

A Meta Name Change

Last week, at the virtual reality conference Connect, Mark Zuckerberg announced that the corporation formerly known as Facebook would now be called Meta. According to Zuckerberg, the Facebook app is “still an iconic brand,” but it no longer embodies everything the company plans to do. Over the next decade, Meta hopes to build its own virtual world, called the “metaverse,” filled with new digital social experiences. However, others wonder whether the rebrand is also a way for the company to dissociate from the many scandals Facebook has faced.

 Some experts note that name changes can be risky for established companies. MySpace, Yahoo and others have struggled to find their identity and retain their credibility following a rebrand. What do you think the future has in store for Meta? Read up on the details and let us know your thoughts. https://adage.com/article/digital-marketing-ad-tech-news/facebooks-new-corporate-name-meta-it-prepares-virtual-reality-future/2376596

Booritos Go Virtual

Chipotle is already well-known for its typical Halloween offering – a discounted “Boorito” for customers who come dressed in costumes. This year, though, the brand took the campaign up a notch. Last week, Chipotle gave away $1 million in free burritos on the online game platform Roblox. In total, 120,000 Roblox users who put on virtual Chipotle-themed costumes and visited the in-game restaurant received promo codes for a free entrée. Additionally, users could earn other free Chipotle items by completing Roblox’s Chipotle Boorito Maze.

Roblox is quickly becoming a hub for marketers looking to engage with younger audiences in the growing metaverse. This year, brands like Hyundai, Vans and Gucci have also created branded experiences within Roblox. Learn more about Chipotle’s latest promotion here: https://www.marketingdive.com/news/chipotle-hosts-virtual-restaurant-on-roblox-for-halloween-experience/608979/

Shop Joy. Fully.

This holiday shopping season has the potential to provide a huge boost for retail brands, and Walmart is aiming to grab its share of shoppers with new “connected experiences.” Walmart’s recently-launched holiday campaign, called “Joy. Fully.,” will encompass shoppable livestreams, interactive recipes, and much more. Perhaps its most futuristic offering comes in the form of an AR holiday gift guide which uses facial recognition technology to gauge whether the consumer is excited about the gift or not. The brand’s Gift Finder will be directly linked in the guide so customers can immediately make their purchases without leaving the platform.

According to Kara Rousseau, Walmart’s vice president of marketing, the Joy. Fully. campaign is a way for the brand to bring “purpose and positivity” back to its customers after a stressful 2020 holiday season. Find out more about all of Walmart’s new interactive experiences here: https://www.adweek.com/commerce/exclusive-walmarts-joy-fully-campaign-is-a-glimpse-at-our-connected-commerce-future/

The Washington Post’s Impact

For the first time ever, The Washington Post newspaper is launching a national brand campaign to showcase the importance of its news reporting. The first ad of the campaign, called “Impact,” looks more like a movie trailer than a typical commercial, telling the story of the Post’s investigative journalist who uncovered the Afghanistan Papers. Future ads will take a similar approach, summarizing the groundbreaking and diverse stories the Washington Post reports on.

Unlike other newspapers, the Washington Post has seen remarkable growth in the past decade, boasting nearly 5 times more readers today it than in 2013. The campaign’s goal is to illustrate that the Washington Post is now a full multimedia news organization that touches their audience’s lives through a wide range of platforms. Check out the first ad in the series here: https://adage.com/article/marketing-news-strategy/washington-post-debuts-first-national-brand-campaign/2376581