Gaming the Underground

The London Underground’s iconic signage has been taken over—temporarily—by icons instantly recognizable to any avid gamer. To promote the launch of its PS5, PlayStation partnered with Transport for London and PR agency Red took over signage in several popular locations for 48 hours, both replacing it with and incorporating it into additional sign elements shaped like the four icons on the console’s controllers.

See how the visually striking project came together.

Related: In a campaign for yet another gaming heavyweight, Brie Larson relatably plays games on her Nintendo Switch in various lockdown scenarios—getting distracted during a work call, working out using the games—and then reminisces with her sister via Zoom about playing when they were young. Fellow celebrity Awkwafina stars in a similar ad that Nintendo released a week earlier. Watch both ads here.

We’ve now experienced three action-packed days of insights and discussions at the Brandweek Sports Marketing Summit, and we’re looking forward to even more today. Kicking off a day dedicated to Sports for Social Good with some heartwarming inspiration was a chat with WWE's Stephanie McMahon and Unicef USA's Shelley Diamond, who talked about the two organizations’ partnership to benefit kids around the world in need. In 2019, they launched Unicef Kid Power, which helps kids lend a hand to other kids around the world—and even get active in quarantine. Learn all about the initiative here.

Also in top moments from yesterday’s sessions:

Register for Day 4 of the Brandweek Sports Marketing Summit to learn about the Future of Sports—what we’ve learned from 2020’s upheaval and where we’ll go from here.

"BBC Dad" Robert Kelly, a professor based in South Korea, achieved internet fame when his kids burst in during a live interview with BBC News. Now he's back, starring in an ad for Twitter’s conversational control tools. Twitter also used the platform’s limited-reply feature to host a Q&A with Kelly about his experience with social media stardom.

Watch it: Catch the original moment and the ad playing off of its virality.

Last month’s news that the Peanuts holiday specials would only stream on Apple TV+ this year left many fans dismayed. Dealing with a good deal of grief over it, Apple relented, allowing A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving and A Charlie Brown Christmas to air ad-free on PBS and PBS Kids as well. The programs had aired on broadcast TV for decades—until Apple TV+ struck a deal with media company WildBrain.

Find out when you can catch the specials and how the PBS deal came together.

More of Today’s Top News & Highlights:

The famously chill Snoop Dogg is spreading a message about celebrating the simple things—and taking simple, easygoing steps to save the planet like reducing the use of disposable plastic bottles—in a trippy and silly new ad for SodaStream. Snoop’s fondness for plant-based foods (and investment in Beyond Meat) made him a natural fit for the campaign. Watch it here.

"There's no arguing that 2020 fan engagement and marketing conventions were completely upended. What have we learned? And where do we go from here?

Today, we'll discuss the possibilities with sports leaders including Johanna Faries, Commissioner of Call of Duty Esports at Activision Blizzard, JoAnn Neale, President and Chief Administrative Officer for MLS, Jill Gregory, EVP and CMO of NASCAR, Jessica Berman, Deputy Commissioner for the National Lacrosse League, Lynne Biggar, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer for Visa, Adam Grossman, EVP and CMO for the Boston Red Sox and Fenway Sports Management, and many more.

Register at 40% off by using code: SPORTS40 and gain access to live and on-demand content. "

Instagram-famous wine makes a high-horsepower entry into the most dude event imaginable.

A partnership with Pizza Hut delivers a new audience.

Brand launches three short films featuring real adoptive families.

Walmart becomes the latest retailer to bridge tradition and safety this holiday season.

The spot marks the Belgian brand's first national ad push in the Netherlands.

Series of spots pair celebrity faces with the platform’s most popular teachers.