Catching up on the latest marketing and advertising news has never been easier! Read our rundown of the stories you need to know this week.

KFC’s New Influencer

KFC’s Colonel Sanders has gone through a number of makeovers in his life, but his latest iteration may take the cake – er, chicken.  In fact, the new slick and handsome Colonel isn’t a real person at all. He’s computer-generated and designed to imitate the modern Instagram influencer. He has perfectly styled hair, a “#SecretRecipeForSuccess” tattoo and posts filled with classic influencer hashtags. In addition to promoting’s KFC’s own products, Sanders will also collaborate with other brands, including TurboTax, Old Spice and Dr. Pepper.

The new campaign launches as influencer marketing continues to grow in popularity. Influencer marketing firm Klear reports there were more than two million sponsored influencer posts on Instagram last year. Do you think creating a CGI influencer is an effective strategy or just a gimmick? Check out the new Colonel and learn more here: https://adage.com/article/cmo-strategy/kfc-pokes-fun-instagram-influencers-colonel-sanders-version/2163246

Nike Celebrates Tiger’s Big Win

Last week, Tiger Woods made history as he won his fifth Masters golf tournament after going more than a decade without a major championship win. Woods’ longtime sponsor, Nike, stood by him throughout his personal and professional struggles, and they wasted no time creating an ad in his honor. The ad, titled “Same Dream,” features clips of Woods’ impressive round on Sunday and highlights his childhood dream of winning more major championships than Jack Nicklaus. He’s now just 3 wins behind the golf legend.

Woods’ victory is a big win for Nike, too. According to Apex Marketing data, Nike is poised to earn more than $22 million as a result of his win. His comeback story also fits perfectly within Nike’s ongoing advertising narrative of dreaming big and overcoming adversity. Watch the ad here: https://www.marketwatch.com/story/tiger-woods-wins-the-masters-and-nike-was-ready-to-capitalize-on-it-2019-04-14

Donald Glover AirDrops Across Coachella

In a more personal take on experiential marketing, Donald Glover gave music lovers at Coachella a special giveaway via AirDrop. During the festival, a number of attendees received an AirDrop with a coupon of Glover’s new Adidas sneakers. The lucky winners received the shoes for free, with a few caveats – they were to attend Glover’s set and wear the sneakers throughout the rest of the festival.

In addition to launching his new sneakers, Glover also headlined the popular music festival (as Childish Gambino, his musician name) and recently debuted a new Amazon Prime movie. Do you think using technology like AirDrop as marketing is creative, or does it border on invasive? Check out the full story here: https://www.esquire.com/style/a27136719/donald-glover-childish-gambino-coachella-airdrop-adidas/

For the Throne

As anyone who doesn’t live under a rock knows, the final season of Game of Thrones premiered two weeks ago. While fans shared their anticipation all over social media leading up to the premiere, they weren’t the only ones excited for the show. For weeks, the HBO series has partnered with brands to release a slew of Thrones-themed ads. They collaborated with brands like Mountain Dew, Twitter, Adidas, Major League Baseball, Oreo and even New York City’s MetroCards.

HBO’s Executive Vice President of Program Marketing, Zach Enterlin, said each ad is part of one overall theme, which they call “For the Throne.” Much of the show has been based on the characters fighting for control of the throne, and now they’ve posed a related question to fans. “What would our fans do?” Enterlin asks. “What would other brands do?” Find out what they’ve done so far here: https://www.fastcompany.com/90332320/the-epic-marketing-for-game-of-thrones-last-season-reveals-that-this-is-just-the-end-of-the-beginning