From ancient fictional language courses to a cheesy martini, this week’s biggest marketing campaigns have been even more creative than usual. Find out all the details on the stories you need to know about in our Weekly Must Reads.

A Sip of La Dolce Velveeta

Last week, Velveeta started the Internet’s latest controversy with their cheesy take on a martini. As part of the company’s “La Dolce Velveeta” rebrand, their team created the Veltini. The drink combines Velveeta-infused vodka, vermouth, and olive brine in a martini glass with a gooey cheese rim. Select restaurants from the BLT Restaurant Group, a partner of parent company Kraft-Heinz, will serve the Veltini during happy hour while supplies last. In addition, the brand is selling a limited number of cocktail kits so consumers can create the drink themselves.

The drink announcement drew mixed reactions on social media. Many applauded Velveeta for the creative idea, but some called the cocktail a “travesty,” and others cracked that “nobody asked for this.” Find out more about the drink and related campaign here: https://adage.com/creativity/work/velveeta-creates-cheesy-martini-recipe/2423721

Duolingo’s New HBO Partnership

HBO’s Game of Thrones prequel spinoff, House of the Dragon, will debut next month. To promote the new series, they’ve partnered with Duolingo to help fans learn “High Valyrian,” a language from the GOT universe. Duolingo’s course features 150 new words and more than 700 sentences developed by the linguist who created the language for the show. To advertise the partnership, Duolingo put up billboards in cities across the US featuring phrases written in High Valyrian. The brand’s famous mascot, Duo the Owl, also recently attended Comic Con events to support the series.

Recently, Duolingo has noted increased course signups related to languages prominently featured in popular culture. For example, when Squid Games debuted last year, the app saw 40% growth in signups for their Korean language lessons. Learn more about the partnership here: https://www.theverge.com/2022/7/19/23268434/duolingo-house-of-the-dragon-high-valyrian

Order Feelings, Not Food

In their latest campaign, Philadelphia Cream Cheese is focusing on the emotional aspects of sharing a meal. The brand created its first pop-up restaurant, dubbed Feeladelphia, that featured cream cheese-infused menu items inspired by real feelings. To promote the restaurant, Philadelphia launched advertisements with the tagline, “You don’t order food. You order feelings.” The idea is part of a larger brand campaign that explores how food stimulates all of our human senses.

In addition to the pop-up store, Philadelphia also created a Feeladelphia immersive cookbook that contains the recipes served at the restaurant. Dig into more campaign details here: https://www.adweek.com/creativity/philadelphia-launched-a-restaurant-where-you-order-feelings-not-food/#

“Love Island” Turns Shoppable

The popular dating show “Love Island USA” is the latest TV program to add shoppable capabilities. Thanks to Comcast’s ShoppableTV technology, viewers can now use on-screen QR codes to shop for products featured on the show. Consumers can purchase the items directly through NBCUniversal Checkout and pay with the credit card already associated with their Peacock account. For viewers, this process creates a seamless experience. Meanwhile, the media company benefits from valuable first-party data.

NBCU’s ShoppableTV has also been used by partners on other programs recently, including Lacoste during the French Open tennis tournament. However, TV QR codes have had mixed reviews in terms of adoption rate and visability. Discover more details here: https://www.marketingdive.com/news/nbcuniversal-peacock-shoppable-tv-love-island/627451/