Airbnb + Barbie = Everyone’s DreamHouse

Welcome to the tail end of June. Let’s see how the brands are wrapping up the month.

Airbnb’s Barbie DreamHouse in Malibu

To promote the new film, Barbie’s Malibu DreamHouse, in the very real Malibu, California, will be bookable starting July 17 at 10:00 AM PDT on Airbnb. It’ll be a race to secure a free night’s stay in the all-pink mansion hosted by “Ken.” But the listing ensures it’s not a contest—guests must make their own travel arrangements to the property.

Starbucks’ Pride Clarification Follows Union Strike

After inconsistent guidelines from Starbucks for franchises celebrating Pride—100 locations across parts of Oklahoma, Arkansas and Missouri outright banned Pride decorations—Starbucks is stepping up its LGBTQ+ support by implementing clearer guidelines. This comes after a union strike and misinformation from the company, however.

Mondelēz’s Oreo and Nintendo’s Mario Team Up

Oreo is hopping on all of the Mario hype by releasing a co-branded cookie and “interactive mission” which will result in user-generated social media content. Oreo cookies will be embossed with character images, Bowser being the rarest, and if found, Bowser should be defeated by stacking Oreos on top of his cookie while balancing the stack on the rim of the cup. Success comes when the cookies collapse into your milky beverage. Of course, all of this should be filmed and posted to social.

Chick-fil-A Brings Back Rascal Cows

Chick-fil-A is returning its mischievous cow mascots for an advertising push. This time, the cows will connect with consumers through a Chick-fil-A-branded free digital game—“Code Moo™, A Chick-fil-A Original Game." Help the cows divert people from traditional burger places to Chick-fil-A and save the cattle from slaughter.

Around the Web

• Spirits maker Diageo has ended its 15-year partnership with Sean “Diddy” Combs after a racial discrimination lawsuit.

• Unfortunately, Association of National Advertisers (ANA)’s new report shows advertisers are wasting around $20 billion on click-bait.

• SiriusXM, the owner of Stitcher, is saying “so long” to the Stitcher brand—podcasts will roll into its flagship subscription business.

• The always insightful Nick Shackelford chatted with us about paid media, ad spend, and virtual assistants—check out the full conversation here.

• Malaysia plans to prosecute Facebook for non-compliance with content control measures.

Just Can’t Get Enough

The Grimace Shake trend on TikTok, dubbed “The Grimace Shake Incident.” It’s….not what you’d expect.

• Users are trying the shake….and then pretending to pass out in a disgusting purple mess while frothing purple from the mouth.

• And McDonalds finally had Grimace himself weigh in on the videos.

Will you race to book Barbie’s DreamHouse or are you just dreaming of the movie’s marketing budget? Would “The Grimace Shake Incident” be your marketing dream or nightmare? Reply and let us know what your marketing dreams are for the rest of summer! Or just send us your Grimace video—we’re not picky.

Thanks for joining us, and we’ll see you in July!