☕ Game on

Why brands are borrowing from video games.

April 16, 2026 View Online | Sign Up | Shop Presented By It’s Thursday. It’s also the last day to cast a vote for our podcast, Marketing Brew Weekly, which has been nominated for a Webby! If you haven’t already, please vote for us here. In return, you’ll receive one (1) measure of our endless gratitude. In today’s edition: Out of control Right on par Straight from the source —Kristina Monllos, Alyssa Meyers, Jeena Sharma BRAND STRATEGY Leveling up Morning Brew Design, Photos: Met-Rx, Skittles When crafting Coinbase’s 60-second ad for last month’s Academy Awards, the team behind it looked back. Approximately 26 years back. The ad follows a non-player character (NPC) in a video game world where he realizes he’s a cog in a machine and, ultimately, decides to break out and enter the human world—a retro metaphor for the modern idea of finding financial freedom through cryptocurrency. The spot, created by Coinbase’s in-house creative team and ad agency Isle of Any, used early PlayStation games and The Sims, which was first released in 2000, as its primary reference points, according to Gareth Kay, VP of brand at Coinbase. “The best advertising, I’ve always believed, is all about making people feel something,” Kay told Marketing Brew. “It’s not so much about what the actual words are or the message. It’s giving you that feeling. And it just struck us as a really powerful metaphor for what we were trying to communicate.” Coinbase isn’t the only brand to adopt old-school video game aesthetics in advertising. Protein brand Met-Rx recently tapped John Cena for a 60-second spot that looks like it’s straight out of a ’90s Nintendo game in which the brand’s protein bars are depicted as a way to “level up.” Skittles, meanwhile, adopted a similarly retro look for social spots that promoted a branded video game flute controller that the brand sent to gamers to use while livestreaming. Last fall, Jack in the Box created the video game Deal Quest: Revenge of the Munchies, complete with a pixelated Jack Box mascot, as a way for fans of the brand to get new deals. (The aesthetic choice has even made it to the White House social team, which has used the Wii and a hodgepodge of other video game aesthetics in videos promoting the war in Iran.) Brands borrowing video game aesthetics isn’t a brand-new phenomenon; back in 2006, a Coca-Cola spot imagined a gritty, violent world reminiscent of Grand Theft Auto that transforms into a utopia when the hero drinks a Coke. But the continued growth of the gaming community, the perpetual appeal of nostalgia, and the likelihood that those behind the spots were once (or still are) gamers themselves could be why some brands are adopting the look and feel of vintage video games. “Even if you aren’t active in the gaming world now, chances are you still have nostalgia and love for Nintendo days,” said Brian Culp, group creative director at TBWA\Chiat\Day Chicago, which worked with Skittles on its gaming-flute activation. “It can be a fun new visual storytelling language that is unique.” Continue reading here.—KM Presented By LinkedIn Ads Waste not, want not Ever invest in something that seemed incredible at first, but didn’t live up to the hype? LinkedIn is challenging brands to “cut the bullspend”—wasteful or vanity-powered ad spend—and to rethink B2B marketing altogether. LinkedIn Ads is giving marketers the tools they need to drive actual business impact and deliver the highest ROAS of all major ad networks. Here’s one way they’re doing it: LinkedIn Ads helps you reach the right audience by targeting your exact buyer, down to their job title, industry, company, skills, and more. Want to see for yourself? Spend $250 on your first LinkedIn Ads campaign and get a $250 credit for your next one. SPORTS MARKETING Georgia on their minds IBM During the Masters Tournament last weekend, many golf fans had Georgia on their minds. Since not all of them were actually getting to experience Augusta National Golf Club in person, IBM brought some of the fun north. The tech giant, which is celebrating 30 years as a partner of the Masters, transported a bit of the tournament to its backyard in New York City with its Masters at Madison Square Park activation. The experience kicked off in time for the Masters, and it included a golf simulator, merch, food, and decor all meant to replicate the vibe at Augusta National. The campaign represented something of a pivot for IBM’s sports marketing strategy: While it’s been in the business of sports for almost 40 years, its work has typically been more behind-the-scenes, focused on clients and tech that the general public may not see. Now, under Kameryn Stanhouse, who joined IBM as VP of global sports and entertainment partnerships just under a year ago, the company is working to use its sponsorships “to engage more than just our clients and customers,” Stanhouse told Marketing Brew. Read more here.—AM SOCIAL & INFLUENCERS Keeping it real Amelia Kinsinger In the age of social media, traditional advertising and marketing have completely transformed, especially in the past decade. Consumers need more than impressive billboards or advertisements to put their trust in a brand. Many now look to influencers, content creators, or other consumers before purchasing a product or service. Per a recent PYMNTS intelligence report, 56% of shoppers in the US make at least one annual purchase based on influencer recommendations, while 12% make more than six. “Customers want to reduce the gap between their experience and also the information created by the sellers or the brands,” Minkyung Kim, assistant professor of marketing at Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business, told Retail Brew. “That’s why there are a lot of things like social commerce or online reviews that actually lead brand marketing in retail, because that kind of authenticity, the closer distance, and bridging the gap between their experience and the information really matters to the customers.” Read more on Retail Brew.—JS Sponsored By Hightouch Creative on demand? Yes, please. Hightouch would like you to meet Ad Studio. It lets performance marketers churn out hundreds of data-backed ads without the brand-quality nightmare. Refresh tired creatives, ride cultural trends, and quickly respond to competitors. Export anywhere you run ads. Ramp up the growth potential; ramp down the chaos. EVENTS Where to play Morning Brew Inc. New platforms launch constantly. Not all of them deserve your time or budget. Celia Bouza, VP of Multi-Platform Video at ESPN, will break down how to evaluate where to invest, what signals actually matter, and when it’s time to pivot or walk away. Expect a practical take on building a strategy that keeps up without chasing every trend. FRENCH PRESS Morning Brew There are a lot of bad marketing tips out there. These aren’t those. Listen up: A roundup of sounds that are hot on Instagram right now. Snake, meet tail: The “AI slop loop” that might make marketers think twice about relying solely on LLM-generated information. Reddit and weep: Tips on ways to connect with audiences on Reddit. JOBS Real jobs shared through real communities. CollabWORK brings opportunities directly to Marketing Brew readers—no mass postings, no clutter, just roles worth seeing. Click here to view the full job board. Senior Brand Manager, Marketing, Medical Dermatology at Sun Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Associate Marketing Manager, Customer Marketing at The Clorox Company Vice President of Marketing at Schrödinger Vice President, Digital Health Strategist at FleishmanHillard Manager, Brand Advocate at Home Depot WISH WE WROTE THIS Morning Brew Stories we’re jealous of. Wired wrote about the digital marketing strategies being used to promote artists like the indie rock band Geese. The New York Times broke down the Alex Cooper versus Alix Earle feud. The Wall Street Journal reported on NBCUniversal’s rare public spat with Nielsen amid broader questions about the accuracy of the measurement giant’s figures. SHARE THE BREW Share the Brew, watch your referral count climb, and unlock brag-worthy swag. Your friends get smarter. You get rewarded. Win-win. Your referral count: 0 Click to Share Or copy & paste your referral link to others: marketingbrew.com/r/?kid=77999182 Written by Kristina Monllos, Alyssa Meyers, Jeena Sharma, Katie Hicks, and Kelsey Sutton Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up here. Get smarter in just 5 minutes Business News: Morning Brew Tech & AI News: Tech Brew Markets News: Brew Markets Real Estate News: The Playbook Money & Career: Bossy   Take The Brew to work CFO Brew HR Brew Revenue Brew IT Brew Retail Brew Healthcare Brew Interested in podcasts? Check out Marketing Brew Weekly on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. ADVERTISE // CAREERS // SHOP // FAQ Update your email preferences or unsubscribe here. View our privacy policy here. Copyright © 2026 Morning Brew Inc. All rights reserved. 22 W 19th St, 4th Floor, New York, NY 10011