From TikTok Drama to Super Bowl Halftime Show news, the marketing and advertising world is full of buzz this week. Catch up on the latest stories you need to know in our Weekly Must Reads.

Apple Music Dances into the Super Bowl Halftime Show

Following Pepsi’s decision not to renew its decade-long sponsorship of the Super Bowl Halftime Show, the NFL has finally chosen its new partner. Apple Music, the music-focused branch of the tech giant, will now put on the famed concert beginning in 2023. The sponsorship will likely drive increased conversation for the Apple Music brand, as Pepsi clocked in as the most-mentioned company on social media during the past three Super Bowls. In 2022, the show itself garnered more than 120 million television viewers.

So far, we’ve learned that Rihanna will headline the 2023 show. Apple Music noted that it intends to release more details in the future through its social media accounts. Find out more about the NFL’s decision and the future of the Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show here: https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/the-nfl-names-apple-music-as-super-bowl-halftime-show-sponsor/

TikTok Draws the Line on Political Fundraising

Ahead of the upcoming midterm elections, TikTok is taking a stance on political advertising on its platform. The social media site will now require government departments, politicians, and political parties to advertise only with their own verified accounts. TikTok also banned all ads that encourage campaign fundraising and will not allow political ads to access any digital payment features. For those who have questioned the security of the ByteDance-owned app, the news is encouraging, as it illustrates the platform’s commitment to minimizing the spread of misinformation.

During the last presidential election, other social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, added their own restrictions to political advertising policies. Learn more about TikTok’s new political advertising requirements here: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/tiktok-verify-political-accounts-us-ban-campaign-fundraising-2022-09-21/

P&G Re-Submerged into TikTok Drama

Most of the time, going viral on TikTok is a good thing. However, for P&G and NyQuil, that’s not the case this week. In response to the dangerous “sleepy chicken” TikTok challenge, which involves cooking chicken in NyQuil, the medicine brand took to Twitter, replying to tweets and discouraging users from participating. Though the user who originally started the challenge was clearly joking, and there have been no reported injuries so far, the challenge has once again dragged a Procter & Gamble product into social media controversy. In 2020, P&G was involved in another dangerous TikTok trend, the infamous Tide Pod Challenge that encouraged people to eat laundry detergent.

For their part, TikTok added a safety warning to all videos containing the hashtag #sleepychicken and pulled related videos from its For You Pages. Discover more about the challenge and the brands’ responses here: https://adage.com/article/marketing-news-strategy/nyquil-chicken-tiktok-challenge-pulls-pg-back-social-media-chaos/2431821

Kraft Celebrates Mayo Freaks

Did you know that in 2021, mayonnaise was the top-selling condiment in the US? To celebrate the popular yet divisive product, Kraft Heinz crowned its mayo brand “the Mayo of Mayonnaise,” and is using a new campaign to showcase the many ways consumers use the condiment. The series of ads, called “Mayo Rituals,” shows people using mayo for everyday activities, like dipping French fries, as well as offbeat choices, such as making mayo sandwiches. For Kraft Heinz, all these uses should be celebrated, as it closes each spot with the tagline, “Let Your Mayo Freak Flag Fly.”

The mayo-focused ads not only appeal to mayo lovers, but also embolden them to stand up to mayo haters. Each spot is preceded by a viewer advisory that explains the ad is for mayonnaise fans only, with “zero regard for anyone else.” Check out the videos for yourself here: https://www.marketingdive.com/news/kraft-heinz-mayo-rituals-freak-flag-fly/632338/