| View in Browser | |  | | | | Good morning, Forget hot coffee, Dunkin’ is the latest brand in hot water over a new ad that makes a glib nod to genetics. The chain's spot starring actor Gavin Casalegno has courted online backlash, following the American Eagle and Sydney Sweeney media firestorm.
Meanwhile, thanks to pandemic-era habits that stuck, La-Z-Boy is thriving as millions continue to cocoon at home. Also on our radar today: TikTok is rolling out a new ad tool, while Meta's latest results show how its AI tools are already helping it pull in billions. There's also news from Starbucks, X, and a look at Visa's FIFA World Cup 2026 plans.
Let’s get into it. Rebecca Stewart, brand editor |
| | | 1. Dunkin’ Faces Backlash Over Genetics Reference in New Ad  Dunkin’s latest ad, released on the heels of American Eagle’s new campaign starring Sydney Sweeney, is facing backlash on social media for mentioning genetics. The ad stars The Summer I Turned Pretty star Gavin Casalegno and promotes Dunkin’s Golden Hour Refresher by playing on the actor’s “golden” tanned skin. While the Dunkin’ ad’s mention of genetics is subtler, it has struck a nerve for praising traits associated with white beauty ideals. Read more |
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| 2. American Eagle's Campaign Is a Story of Ill-Fitting Insights in Today's Retail Market  On the subject of that Sydney Sweeney campaign, today we have Mary Cirincione, MD of PR agency Propeller Group, unpack the backlash. Cirincione also canvases some opinion from the intended target audience: her Gen Z colleagues. "They’ve told me—full stop—that these spots don’t resonate with them; said it pisses them off that women like Sweeney have been repackaged into the same blue-eyed blonde bombshell their mothers were told men wanted," she writes. Read more |
| 3. Thanks to Covid Habits, Millions Are Still Loafing at Home—Just Where La-Z-Boy Wants Them  On to a brand that's making headlines for the right reasons. Earlier this week, La-Z-Boy, the leading maker of recliners, took the wraps off a new logo and visual identity. I’ve always thought of La-Z-Boy as the comfy chair that kept Joey and Chandler glued to their apartment in Friends, so I’m genuinely impressed by how sleek and stylish this rebrand looks. Read more |
| 4. EXCLUSIVE: TikTok to Roll Out New Tool for Advertisers to Follow People Beyond the App  TikTok is rolling out a new ad tool to measure user behavior after they leave the app without using pixel technology, ADWEEK has learned. The new feature, called Engaged Session, will allow brands to target users who spend at least 10 seconds on a website or retailer landing page after clicking an ad. Read more |
| 5. Meta’s AI Boosts Ads, Lifting Revenue to $46.6B  AI investments paid off for Meta’s ad business this quarter. “On advertising, the strong performance this quarter is largely thanks to AI unlocking greater efficiency and gains across our ad system,” said CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Revenue was up 21% year-on-year, hitting $47.5 billion. Read more |
| | |  - Starbucks sales keep sliding, but its CEO says Gen Z likes its new ads, (ADWEEK).
- Three things Michael Komasinski wants you to know as Criteo's retail media biz hits $60 million in Q2, (ADWEEK).
- Google will use AI to stop under 18s viewing inappropriate ads, (ADWEEK).
- X is offering brands lower rates for ‘aesthetic’ ads free of URLs and emojis 🚫, (ADWEEK).
- Kraft Heinz plans to ramp up ad spend despite those breakup rumors, (ADWEEK).
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TikTok is launching Footnotes, a fact-check tool for users, (ADWEEK). - Here's what Visa is planning for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, (ADWEEK).
- Amazon to pay NYT at least $20 million a year in AI deal, (WSJ).
- How Astronomer won the internet without losing the brand, (ADWEEK).
- Price increases arrive from P&G, Adidas, others as tariffs hit home, (Axios).
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Behr is launching its largest influencer activation to promote its Color of the Year, (ADWEEK). - Launching a new product can feel like a mission countdown—but with the right tools, timing, and trajectory, brands can turn a cold start into ignition, (Adweek Branded with Amazon Ads).
Read more |
| | |  - Ollie named Allison Stadd as its new CMO, (ADWEEK).
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| | |  As AI helps fuel billions in ad sales for Meta, its rising dominance in the space presents yet another challenge for legacy ad agency networks. ADWEEK's AI and tech policy reporter, Trishla Ostwal, takes a closer look at the Facebook owner's plans for the tech.
“Meta’s vision is to bring personal superintelligence to everyone,” CEO Mark Zuckerberg wrote in a letter published July 29, outlining his ambitions for AI’s next big leap. You'll have to read Trishla's piece to find out what this might look like in practice. As ever, Ryan Joe will be back in your inbox tomorrow with more stories from the worlds of advertising, tech, and media. | | |
