☕ History lessons

Why some brands looked backward for their America250 campaigns.

June 29, 2026 View Online | Sign Up | Shop Presented By It’s Monday. The recent scandal on Summer House has brands glued to the screen, too: Hyundai increased ad spend on Bravo by 73% during the reality show’s season reunion, according to AdImpact. And for anyone (consumers or brands) who don’t care to know who West Wilson and Amanda Batula are, good on you. In today’s edition: Flag it Outside rules Seat of their pants —Kristina Monllos, Kelsey Sutton, Andrew Adam Newman BRAND STRATEGY Right down the middle Illustration: Morning Brew, Inc. Photos: @Jeep/YouTube, @MountainDew/YouTube, Coca-Cola Some brands are as American as apple pie—and they’ve been hyping as much ahead of America’s 250th anniversary this year. Brands Anheuser-Busch, Mountain Dew, and John Deere have looked to connect their legacy to American history in campaigns leading up to July Fourth. Others, like Coca-Cola and Chevrolet, have opted for messages that showcase the wide-ranging landscape of the country. Some especially lucky brands, including Budweiser and Jeep Wrangler, have milestone anniversaries that line up with America’s 250th, making it something of a double-whammy celebratory effort. The variety of America250 campaigns from brands isn’t surprising, but there’s much to consider before a brand shows up during a major cultural touchstone. America’s 250th anniversary comes amid a fraught, politically divisive landscape where brands can easily get into hot water for seemingly innocuous marketing. Beyond that, patriotic symbols that have a newer political affiliation with one party can color the current celebration—making it all the more important for marketers to delicately navigate a moment where campaigns touch on patriotism. “It’s a delicate line to balance,” David Reibstein, William Stuart Woodside professor of marketing at Wharton, said. “What you want to do is come across being celebratory of America and being pro-America…the balance that firms need to do right now is come across being very pro-American without taking a political stance at all, unless they want to identify their brand with a particular horse in the race.” Continue reading here.—KM Sponsored By Twilio Messaging is more than a one-way channel designed to help you reach customers on their phones. It’s now a rich, interactive channel where you can showcase products, guide customers, and even process payments—all without ever leaving the conversation. Twilio’s Emerging Trends and the Future of Rich Business Messaging guide explores how Rich Communication Services (RCS) has driven change with carousels, quick replies, CTAs, and more. In today’s landscape, brands need a fully immersive, multimedia-rich experience to stand out. Get the scoop on how rich content can create more engaging messaging than traditional SMS, boosting marketing campaigns, sales, and support. Read the full report. CANNES LIONS Presence is a present Morning Brew At Cannes Lions, there were plenty of billboards advertising AI—and at least one taking aim at it. “You can’t AI IRL” was the message emblazoned in all-caps on an installation from the nationwide out-of-home media company Outfront Media. It marked the first time the brand has run a billboard to market itself at the festival, according to Chief Marketing and Experience Officer Stacy Minero. “Our whole positioning is around leaning into IRL media, which is a way that you connect with people through shared experiences and real-world exposure and taps into the power of presence,” she said. Minero sat down with Marketing Brew at Cannes Lions to tell us more about repositioning OOH and why Outfront Media is making big bets on experiential marketing. Here are a few highlights. See more from our conversation here.—KS Sponsored By Roku Ads Manager CTV takes the lead. CTV has the scale to anchor campaigns and reach audiences other channels miss. Roku Ads Manager helps businesses of any size launch self-service campaigns starting at $500, letting marketers drive ROAS, brand lift, and full-funnel momentum from the biggest screens at home. SPORTS MARKETING Put me on, coach Jesse Marsch./Duer When brands ink deals with spokespeople, what they surely don’t want to happen is what occurred after Chinese smartphone maker Huawei hired Wonder Woman actress Gal Gadot in 2018. Gadot shared a Huawei commercial she starred in on Twitter (now X) that included a stamp revealing it was sent “via Twitter for iPhone.” Although Gadot subsequently deleted the tweet, explained it was sent from a publicity assistant’s iPhone, and subsequently sent more tweets from her Huawei device, the eggy-faced PR damage was done. One brand that seems likely to avoid such a mishap is Duer, the Vancouver-based self-described “performance jeanswear” brand, which has hired Jesse Marsch, head coach of the Canadian men’s national soccer team, as a brand ambassador for the duration of the World Cup. “I have very specific things that I like about clothes, and one of them is comfortability,” Marsch told Retail Brew. “The pants and the jeans for me are my favorite that I’ve ever worn.” Marsch described himself as “not a big shopper,” but, “if I’m ever in any of the cities where [Duer has] stores, I’m like, ‘Hey, tell them I’m gonna stop by.’” Marsch models Duer on the brand’s website, social media accounts, and in imagery in its stores. “It’s about the freedom to move,” Marsch says on the Duer website where he’s photographed wearing the brand on and off the pitch. “Whatever the day throws at you, you are ready for it.” Read more on Retail Brew.—AAN Sponsored By Viasat Ads Take to the skies. In case of advertising, your in-flight entertainment system may be used as a revenue driver. In fact, Viasat Ads found that ads at 30,000 feet are 8% more emotionally engaging than the exact same ads on the ground. Read the full report before taking off into the world of in-flight advertising. Level up your career with these resources from our sponsors! 400+ marketing leaders reveal where their AI investments go—and what’s working There’s a place in France where all the marketers dance See how marketing teams are launching and scaling incentive programs to cut through the (AI) noise FRENCH PRESS Morning Brew There are a lot of bad marketing tips out there. These aren’t those. That’s rich: A primer on adapting LLM marketing strategies in the luxury brand space. Word to the wise: Reflections from brand leaders on mistakes they’ve made and what they learned from them. Take a stand: How to approach consumer expectations of influencer activism when it comes to brand partnerships. More engaging than ever: Messaging has transformed into a fully immersive, multimedia-rich brand experience. Learn how businesses are using rich content to create engaging experiences without leaving the inbox in this guide from Twilio.* *A message from our sponsor. IN AND OUT Francis Scialabba Executive moves across the industry. Snap elevated Emma Wakely to head of sports and media partnerships, Americas; her predecessor, Anmol Malhotra, has been promoted to the role of global head of content and partnerships. Wendy’s tapped Potbelly alum Steve Cirulis as CFO and chief strategy officer. Nike hired Pfizer vet David Denton to serve as CFO. He starts on August 17. 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, Kelsey Sutton, Andrew Adam Newman, and Jasmine Sheena 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 Founder 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