Marketing news, week of October 26, 2026

Monday, October 26, 2026

5 events. The full rundown for October 26, 2026. The most covered:

1. 20:14 UTC Lilly weight-loss drug ads stay in market after judge's ruling 6
2. 06:00 UTC Walmart unifies holiday push around Muppets and one brand theme 2
3. 07:00 UTC Pinterest opens ad inventory to programmatic buyers via Magnite 2

Tuesday, October 27, 2026

1. 0113:15 UTC

   McDonald's ends FIFA World Cup sponsorship after three decades

   2 outlets · first: Marketing Dive Brand strategy

   Machine summary McDonald's announced it will no longer be an official FIFA World Cup sponsor, a partnership that began in 1994, Marketing Dive reported.

   1. McDonald's began its official FIFA World Cup sponsorship in 1994 and, per its announcement, will no longer be an official tournament sponsor (Marketing Dive).
   2. The chain's 2026 World Cup campaign reached more than 100 markets and included soccer player collaborations, collectible cups and experiential elements (Marketing Dive).
   3. Kantar data shared with Marketing Dive showed the campaign lifted McDonald's Net Promoter Score and social buzz among young consumers.
   4. McDonald's reported 0.8% same-store sales growth in Q2 2026, with traffic declining during the period (Marketing Dive).
   5. The company attributed roughly one-third of its Q2 traffic loss to the World Cup campaign, according to Marketing Dive's account of the earnings call.

   Reported by Marketing Dive and Traders Union.

   • McDonald's
   • FIFA
   • Kantar

2. 0211:07 UTC

   Liquid I.V. names former Poppi CMO Jenny Danzi to lead marketing

   2 outlets · first: Adweek Brand strategy

   Machine summary Liquid I.V. confirmed Jenny Danzi as chief marketing officer, with oversight of marketing, creative, and consumer teams, according to a company statement reported by Adweek and Marketing Dive. Danzi was CMO at Poppi, acquired by PepsiCo in 2025, and earlier led functional beverage marketing at PepsiCo. She fills the role left by Stacey Andrade-Wells, who departed in August for infant formula company Bobbie.

   1. Liquid I.V. confirmed in a statement that Jenny Danzi has been tapped to oversee its marketing, creative, and consumer teams, as reported by Adweek and Marketing Dive.
   2. Danzi served most recently as CMO of Poppi, which PepsiCo acquired in 2025, and earlier as vp of marketing for PepsiCo's functional beverage business, per Adweek.
   3. She replaces Stacey Andrade-Wells, who left Liquid I.V. in August to join infant formula company Bobbie, according to Adweek.
   4. Grand View Research values the functional drinks segment at $178.9 billion and projects $315.9 billion by 2033, as cited by Adweek.
   5. Adweek names Nuun Vitamins and LMNT as direct competitors of Liquid I.V. in the functional drinks category.

   Reported by Adweek and Marketing Dive.

   • PepsiCo
   • Grand View Research
   • Poppi
   • Liquid I.V.
   • LMNT
   • Nuun Vitamins

Wednesday, October 28, 2026

1. 0314:26 UTC

   TikTok opens a U.S. restaurant guide built from 40 million posts

   2 outlets · first: techcrunch.com Social media

   Machine summary The guide splits recommendations into "Everyday Eats" and "Elevated Dining" categories, with OpenTable booking available for select restaurants. TikTok said 27 million Americans first visited an independent business last year after finding it on the app, estimating $4.7 billion in local spending from that activity.

   1. TechCrunch reported the feature draws on more than 40 million posts and comments to assemble its curated restaurant lists and recommendations.
   2. The guide launches in New York City, Los Angeles and San Francisco, with browsing by city and filters for cuisine, price, rating and location, per TechCrunch.
   3. According to Social Media Today, TikTok stated that last year 27 million Americans discovered independent restaurants, cafes, or shops through TikTok and visited them for the first time, with the company estimating this drove $4.7 billion in local spending.
   4. Select restaurants can be booked directly in the TikTok app through OpenTable, and users can save restaurants into TikTok collections, according to Social Media Today.

   Reported by Social Media Today and techcrunch.com.

   • TikTok
   • OpenTable
   • Must Eat

Thursday, October 29, 2026

4 events. The full rundown for October 29, 2026. The most covered:

1. 16:00 UTC Warner Bros. brings 'Cat in the Hat' to Amazon's ad formats 2
2. 04:00 UTC Maybelline takes first beauty sponsorship of New York City Marathon 2
3. 10:00 UTC Walmart puts 3,300 shopper audiences into Vibe's CTV self-serve tool 2

What kind of news was it?

1. Brand strategy 6
2. Adtech 4
3. Social media 2