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Good morning.

Not so long ago, back in the early 2020s, brands were so invested in topics like sustainability and DE&I that entire businesses sprung up around helping marketers match their investments to their purpose pledges. 

Just a few years later, with the rise of AI and the sharp right policy turn from the Trump administration, those topics have (regrettably, in my opinion) gone out of fashion. And the businesses supporting them have had to pivot.

Scope3’s rebrand to Apostra is a clear manifestation of that shift. We dig into how the change in focus impacts the business. 

Elsewhere, Dr. Martens is leaning into its thick rubber soles in a new global brand platform that’s a key part of its turnaround strategy. DoorDash and Instacart have new commerce tools. And a creative staffing company is getting into the agency biz.

Before we jump in, Spooky season is almost upon us, and it's not the only scary thing on the horizon. What your CTV dashboard isn't showing you might be worse. Before you dive into the headlines, register for ADWEEK's webinar today at 1 PM ET, What Your CTV Dashboard Isn’t Telling You, for an unflinching look at the CTV numbers that don't hold up—and what it takes to prove yours do.

Let’s dig in.

1. Scope3’s Rebrand to Apostra Solidifies Shift from Sustainability to AI

Scope3’s rebrand to Apostra is confirmation that the company has turned away from sustainability and toward agentic, Kendra Barnett reports. 

The company isn’t ditching its core focus entirely, standing up a practice called Scope3 by Apostra that will maintain its media carbon emission measurement service. But for the future, the writing is on the wall: “I do not see anybody who’s in or around the AI ecosystem being excited about a sustainability conversation,” said founder Brian O’Kelley.

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2. Dr. Martens Turns to Heritage and Wearers to Tell a New Story Amid Turnaround

Dr. Martens has a new brand platform that wants to put a pep in your step. “With Bouncing Souls” highlights the brand’s famous air-cushioned soles as a celebration of creativity and self-expression in an ad starring actress Chloë Sevigny, musician and writer Jordan Stephens, and comedian Naomi Watanabe.

Brittaney Kiefer has more on the brand’s autumn-winter campaign and why it’s a key part of its turnaround plan.

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3. DoorDash and Instacart Are Giving Brands New Ways to See What’s Actually on Retailers’ Shelves

DoorDash and Instacart both released new features that give brands deeper insight into their in-store inventory levels. The new tools have real implications for advertisers, helping them shift their budgets based on product availability in real time, reports commerce reporter Mitchell Parton.

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4. ‘Better Not Bigger’: 24 Seven Launches New Agency Challenging the Holdco Model

Creative staffing company 24 Seven has launched a new agency division that rolls up three offerings—Futureman, SketchDeck, and Markacy—under the 24 Seven Agencies banner. Just don’t call it a holding company. Chris Cicchiello digs into the new offering and how it aims to challenge the agency model.

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• These are the 4 black pencil winners of the D&AD Awards, (ADWEEK).

• How HBO's marketing shone a green spotlight on lanterns, (ADWEEK). 

• OpenAI is enlisting an influencer army to make it look 'good for the world' (The Verge).

• Evening news ratings for the 2025-2026 season are in, (ADWEEK).

• Royal Caribbean buys a 50% stake in Sandals Resorts for $3 billion, (Bloomberg).

• The executive partnership behind Stanley 1913's hypergrowth, (ADWEEK).

• Sister Group invests in and partners with Common Interest, (Variety).

• Kara Swisher says she is leaving CNN as Paramount-Skydance merger nears closing, (THR)

• The media sales advantage hiding in your workflow, (Brandshare from Salesforce).

Read more

• Ben James boomerangs back to Crispin as CCO, (ADWEEK)

• OpenAI nabs key Patreon execs ahead of upcoming announcement, (The Verge) 

• Google head of agency Chris Marino to depart, (LinkedIn)

That's all from me; Ryan Joe will take you into the weekend.