From McDonald's AI Christmas disaster to Disney's billion-dollar gamble on letting you remix Mickey Mouse, TOPAgency.com CEO Ben Kaplan breaks down the wildest marketing moves of the week—and reveals why more brand control might mean letting go.Featuring:

• McDonald's fully AI-generated Christmas ad (and why it flopped)
• Disney's $1B OpenAI deal: Remixing Mickey without losing control
• Lululemon founder Chip Wilson publicly trashing his own company
• Trump Accounts: Policy or presidential branding campaign?
• Netflix vs. Ellison family's $108B bid for Warner Brothers
• Australia bans social media for everyone under 16
• Mondelez's creepy AI that predicts your Oreo craving before you do

Watch on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/@branded-podcastFollow on TikTok at: https://open.spotify.com/show/1c2q2UAA2xDRI2mqCLFeTMGet merch at: https://store.nationaltoday.com/

From Pepsi undoing a decade of design history to Olipop parking a SpongeBob Airstream where digital ads can't reach, we're learning from the week's wildest marketing news.

Did you know that BMW paid for an entire highway lane to give their drivers a free ride—and then forced Mercedes and Audi owners to advertise for them to get the same perk?

Ben Kaplan (CEO, TopAgency.com) breaks down why the era of "perfect" campaigns is over—and why the next big marketing wins won’t come from data-driven insights alone.

Featuring:

• Apple’s $230 "sock" & the luxury of zero utility
• BMW’s petty (and brilliant) Russian toll lane war
• Pepsi’s "Ugly Sweater" logo pivot
• Adidas vs. Nike: Why gut instinct can sometimes beat big data
• The Campbell’s Soup hot mic disaster
• Olipop’s SpongeBob Airstream & physical retargeting
• Why "No AI" is the new premium flex

Minimalism had a long run. But consumers got bored and brands felt it.
BMW pulled off a toll-lane stunt that turned Audi and Mercedes drivers into unwilling brand ambassadors.

Apple dropped a knitted “iPhone Pocket” that has more in common with Hermès than hardware. And Pepsi just ended a decade of flat, sanitized branding with a bold return to maximalism.

The new wave isn’t clean, quiet, or neutral.
It’s loud, emotional, and intentionally polarizing.

Because in a crowded market, clarity doesn’t win contrast does.

Which brand nailed the moment?