The NFL has a lot to compete with amid today’s deluge of information and entertainment, especially among younger audiences who may not connect with the league’s legacy. That’s why it has turned to a TikTok presence to meet the next generation of fans where they are—and do so in a way that authentically connects with them. During Day 1 of the Brandweek Sports Marketing Summit, CMO Tim Ellis led a panel with social marketing-focused teammates Sana Merchant, A.J. Curry and Rich Elmore. 

Watch: Discover how the NFL is creating content and marketing initiatives that bring connections with players to the forefront of the brand experience.

Also at the Brandweek Sports Marketing Summit today:

• The NBA's Kate Jhaveri, the NHL's Heidi Brownig and the MLB's Barbara McHugh discussed exactly how these three leagues pivoted in times of need and what we can expect from the future of sports in the “new world” post-pandemic. 
• When your business depends on live sports, what do you do when the games stop? Hear from FanDuel CMO Mike Raffensperger on how the betting brand did it. 

Register for Day 2 of the Brandweek Sports Marketing Summit to learn about The Brand Experience, in which brand marketers and athletes share how to succeed in this competitive space.

Overpromising has been a bad habit of advertising since its very beginnings—and Crunch merrily pokes fun at it in a new series of ads touting the immense power of “CRUNCHing.” Montages of delighted people fail miserably at their hobbies while remaining overconfident thanks to the candy bar. It’s the first campaign for the brand from Ferrero since the company bought Nestle’s chocolate portfolio two years ago. 

Watch, and learn how it came together: The humorous and faux-inspiring spots aim to brighten your day.

WPP is at it again. The fourth time in two years, WPP is merging agencies. This time around, WPP is merging commerce and experiential shop Geometry into VMLY&R (which is already the product of a merger) to form a larger commerce agency called VMLY&R Commerce. Beth Ann Kaminkow, who joined Geometry in spring 2019, becomes VMLY&R Commerce CEO, working closely with VMLY&R global CEO Jon Cook.

How clients benefit: Cook and Kaminkow explain the agency's expanded capabilities.

SoFi Stadium, the brand new indoor-outdoor venue for the Rams and the Chargers in Los Angeles, boasts among its extensive amenities is its own 5G network with a 2.5-gigabit-per-second data transmission speed (faster than 99% of U.S. households). It’s a growing trend among large arenas, with AT&T Stadium claiming to be the first to include 5G and Verizon similarly getting in on the action—but it’s no small task to implement.

An investment for the future: Is this feature for the fans (who aren’t in seats right now) or for venue owners and teams and their marketing benefits?

The heat on China’s tech sector isn’t likely to decline under Joe Biden’s administrations, experts say. That’s not to say things won’t change, though: Biden’s policy implementation is likely to be driven more by overall U.S. business interests and a little less by gut reactions. Trump focused on individual Chinese companies like Huawei, ZTE and the parent companies of TikTok and Grindr, while Biden will be more likely to focus on the country’s tech infrastructure. 

Experts expect the “depoliticization” of the shadowy government body CFIUS.

Also on the legislative front: Last week, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a new law designed to curb abusive “strategic lawsuits against public participation,” known as SLAPPs. Here’s a primer on the new law. 

More of Today’s Top News & Highlights:

• ‘Tis the Unseason. Shopping Change Is the New Normal
• HBO Max Strikes Distribution Deal With Amazon Fire TV
• For Universal ID 2.0, Magnite and Index Exchange Join Forces With The Trade Desk
• Zeotap Raises $18.5 Million as Investments in Identity Continue
• Want to Find Customers Online? Here’s How They’re Searching for You
• Deutsch New York Partners with School of Visual Arts for Scholarship Promoting Diverse Talent

In the spirit of the holidays, Ryan Reynolds says Mint Mobile doesn't hate you—and won't lure you into a figurative bear trap despite the "enticeMINT" of its latest offer. While taking viewers on a stroll through the woods in the brand’s latest ad, he takes digs at big wireless yet again, pleasantly panning their holiday sales which are designed to lock you in.

Join us today at the Brandweek Sports Marketing Summit to explore the 2020 brand experience evolution. Hear insights and lessons learned from today's lineup of leading marketers and sports figures, such as AT&T's Shiz Suzuki, the WNBA's Christy Hedgpeth, Snapchat's Luke Kallis, the Miami Marlin's Michael Shaw, San Francisco 49ers CMO Alex Chang, former NFL player and Magician Jon Dorenbos, the New York Jet's Tim Kemp and more.

Register today and join the movement.

Set long before Covid-19, the spot might actually make you miss getting festive with coworkers.

She increased the sales rank of one product by 110,071%.

Campaign by Wieden+Kennedy is a departure from the blockbuster holiday ads the retailer has become known for.

UK retailer Tesco says St. Nick forgives you.

New campaign by Argonaut doesn't ignore the pandemic, but gives it an optimistic spin.

The SuperValu spot reminds viewers of what really matters this time of year.