Need a rundown of the biggest marketing and advertising news of the week? Look no further. Catch up on the details you need to know in our Weekly Must Reads.

The Advertising Fallout from Baseball’s Lockout

With Major League Baseball owners and the Players Association unable to settle their labor dispute, the MLB is officially in its first lockout since 1994. The first two series of the 2022 season have already been cancelled, with more delays waiting on deck. No games mean no ad spots, which has steep consequences for clubs, players and brands alike. Advertising deals typically generate more than $1 billion each year, and even if both sides come to an agreement soon, some brands may be hesitant to step back up to the MLB plate. On the other hand, companies that have already created baseball-specific ads are anxiously waiting to use their content that can’t easily be repurposed.

For a league that has been struggling to attract younger viewers, the lockout risks further driving the audience toward other sources of entertainment. Find out more about the lockout’s consequences for advertisers, MLB clubs and players here:  https://adage.com/article/marketing-news-strategy/mlb-lockout-leaves-brands-stranded-its-embarrassing/2403481

American Eagle Joins the Metaverse

American Eagle is the latest brand to enter the metaverse. The clothing retailer created a virtual spring clothing collection on Roblox which aims to engage the platform’s 55 million daily users while also promoting inclusivity. Within Roblox’s popular role-play game Livetopia, American Eagle created a virtual AE Members Always Club open to all users as they look for the brand’s apparel hidden in the game.

American Eagle has invested in campaigns on other novel platforms in recent years, including partnerships with creators on TikTok and Twitch. They’ve also enlisted famous young people, including Coco Gauff and Joshua Bassett, as ambassadors of their ongoing Members Always brand campaign. Discover more about American Eagle’s metaverse experiment here: https://www.marketingdive.com/news/american-eagle-debuts-on-roblox-with-inclusive-club-showcasing-spring-appar/619750/

Coors Light’s “Future Mart”

Last week, Coors Light announced they were removing plastic rings from its packages of cans in all markets across the globe. Instead, the beer brand will complete its transition to recycled cardboard carriers by the end of the year, making it the largest beer company in the country to eliminate plastic rings. To promote their eco-friendly initiatives, Coors Light introduced the new packaging at a “Plastic-Free Future Mart” pop-up shop in Brooklyn. The shop also featured other conceptual sustainable products to represent what a plastic-free future could look like.

The brand’s parent company, Molson Coors, previously made a sustainability commitment in 2017, promising to shift to 100 percent reusable or recyclable packaging by 2025. The company has already removed plastic rings from all beer packaging for its brands in the UK. Dive into more details about their initiative here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220301005228/en/Coors-Light-Eliminates-6-pack-Plastic-Rings-Globally

Burger King Doubles Down on Plant-Based Products

Burger King first introduced plant-based burgers to their menu in 2019, and nearly three years later, the fast-food chain is still trying to drive meat eaters to the alternative products. In their latest print campaign, Burger King is featuring close-ups of vegetables that look suspiciously like red meat. According to the brand’s head of global marketing, the goal of the campaign is to showcase to meat eaters how Burger King’s plant-based products can look and taste just like real burgers.

The campaign will initially run in print and outdoor placements only in various cities across the world. Check out the lookalike images and learn more about the ads here: https://www.adweek.com/creativity/burger-kings-optical-illusion-wants-to-trick-meat-eaters-into-trying-plant-based-food/?ntfData=login