Nothing is certain when it comes to predicting if a marketing effort a trailer, an activation, merch will stick with audiences. To that end, the past year has seen studios, streamers and record labels sign on more promo partners than ever before, says Disney chief brand officer Asad Ayaz, to help break through the clutter, combining the power of the brand and the project to grab attention. Who did it best? While Disney gets major props for selling three $1 billion-plus pics, a THR survey indicates that rivals were most impressed with Universals Wicked campaign they had major doubts as to whether the film would work which really took the (pink and green) cake with its seemingly infinite number of partnerships, from Walmarts green mac and cheese to a special version of Monopoly. Dune: Chapter Two: Chapter Two sandworm popcorn buckets answered the call when the internet needs a moment just to have fun, as one source puts it, but so did a Deadpool Wolverines Xbox controller shaped like Deadpools arse, Sabrina Carpenters avatar in Fortnite and the many viral moments in the marketing case studies below. As the marketing world convenes for Cannes Lions on June 16-20, these leaders from across entertainment share their innovative ways to cut through the culture. SUE KROLL, GLOBAL HEAD OF MARKETING, FILM AND SERIES; GREG COLEMAN, HEAD OF INTEGRATED MARKETING; STEPHEN BRUNO, HEAD OF FILM MARKETING; ALEX MARINESCU AND JARED GOLDSMITH, HEADS OF SERIES MARKETING

As Amazon MGM, the new home of James Bond, began morphing into a full-fledged film studio, Kroll and her team closed out 2024 selling Christmas pic Red One, starring Dwayne Johnson, Chris Evans and Lucy Liu. Having secured such heavyweight partners as MMs, Farmers, LG, Duracell and Pillsbury, Red One racked up $176 million in global ticket sales despite its limited theatrical run. Ben Afflecks The Accountant 2 was among the first high-profile titles getting a proper release per the studios new mandate. Affleck who has long worked with Kroll at Warner Bros., including on his Oscar-winning Argo was a key asset in promoting the film, which grossed $101.9 million globally following its April release.

On the TV side, season two of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power was preceded by activations across 31 territories worldwide, including social videos of Orc armies invading major cities. Beverage company Liquid Death featured The Boys The Deep educating kids about the dangers of sugary beverages before (gulp) handing out tobacco products. An in-world public apology quickly followed, and within 72 hours, the video reached 8.4 million accounts on Instagram alone.

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KROLL The Dove Real Beauty campaign we are similarly committed to showcasing real stories about women around the world.

CASE STUDY Red One x MMs For the Christmas actioner Red One, the candymaker had its own red MM insist on being in the movie while interviewing The Rock and cast in a promo reel. The campaign included a red Snack Jacket puffer that sold out in three minutes.

PRINCIPAL PLAYERS Jane Hwang, GM global MM Lily Akerman, global MMs experience ecosystem lead; Rankin Carroll, chief brand officer

AMC Networks KIM GRANITO, CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER

Handling both brand work and integrations see all those Mercedes-Benzes on Mayfair Witches and the Whole Foods-ified In the Kitchen With Harry Hamlin Granito is one of the rare marketing execs who also oversees a studio. Content Room, AMC Networks award-winning branded-entertainment studio, collaborates with brands on campaigns that integrate the portfolios programs and talent. That includes a Home Depot spot pegged to Decembers Best Christmas Ever, AMCs month of holiday programming that lured more than 20 other brands.

CASE STUDY Best Christmas Ever x Home Depot For shoppable ads promoting this event, Home Depot looked for a real family. The only requirement: They had to be newbies to holiday decorating. The award-winning ads led to improvements in purchase intent and brand opinion.

PRINCIPAL PLAYERS Marshall Weiss, senior director, category enterprise marketing, The Home Depot; Brandon Helrich, executive director, OMDs The Content Collective

Apple Music MATT PLOTNIK, HEAD OF MARKETING

In February, 133.5 million people tuned in for Kendrick Lamars Super Bowl halftime show, making it the most viewed ever. Its a major win for Apple Music since it took over from Pepsi as sponsor in 2023. Apple worked closely with Lamars pgLang and Jay-Zs Roc Nation, the latter of which has booked and executive produced the halftime show since 2019, to devise a spectacular event. Apple Music also made waves last year with its much-debated 100 Best Albums of All Time list, celebrating that with a luxe $450 coffee table book.

CASE STUDY Kendrick Lamar x Buick Sometimes marketing is free. Lamars Super Bowl halftime show featured him driving a 1987 Buick Grand National GNX onto the field, for no reason other than the rapper is a fan of the car (his latest album is called GNX, and this one was found at a used lot in Riverside. Searches on eBay for the Buick GNX skyrocketed after the show.

PRINCIPAL PLAYERS Kendrick Lamar, Dave Free, Cornell Brown, Anthony Saleh, Mike Carson, Jared Heinke pgLang + project3; JAY-Z, Desiree Perez,Roc Nation.

Kendrick Lamar performing at his Super Bowl halftime show on top of his favorite car, a 1987 Buick Grand National GNX. Cindy Ord/Getty Images Apple TV+ SHANNON WILLETT, GLOBAL HEAD OF MARKETING

She may have only been on the job for a few months, but Willett now commands the film and TV marketing for the globes most valuable brand. The Peacock alums team executed the particularly ubiquitous State Farm ad featuring Severance star Adam Scott, set in the series distinctive office and directed by Ben Stiller. Apple TV+ marketing also worked with the publicity and awards teams to pull off the biggest guerrilla marketing stunt in recent memory a glass cube in Grand Central Station containing the Severance stars, in character, going about their days.

CASE STUDY Severance x State Farm Scott, as severed Mark S., met up with Jake from State Farm in the halls of Lumen Industries to highlight challenges that can arise when young adults, ahem, sever from their parents insurance and get their own. State Farm also launched a Severance micro-site with sections for Gen Z kids and their Gen X parents.

PRINCIPAL PLAYER Alyson Griffin, head of marketing, State Farm

Atlantic Records MARISA ARON, EXECUTIVE VP, HEAD OF MARKETING

Atlantic had one of the biggest recent moments in pop culture with Charli XCXs Brat summer, which turned to Brat fall and is still going strong as Charli continues to tour. Charli began the buzz with her infamous viral tweet Kamala IS brat, but Aron helped stoke the flames, organizing Charlis Club Angel events and partnering with nonprofit I Support the Girls to donate 10,000 pairs of underwear. (You wanna guess the color of my underwear is a lyric from Guess, a breakout single with Billie Eilish, which has been streamed more than 631 million times on Spotify.)

CASE STUDY Charli XCX x HM HM had its own Brat summer in an event series called H, with 14 shows in eight cities. Charli XCX performed at the London kickoff and NYC closing event (which included reopening HMs Times Square flagship), driving more than 1.5B impressions and a Media Impact Value of $4M-plus, per Launchmetrics.

PRINCIPAL PLAYER Bianca Franklin, global business developer, music, HM

Columbia Records ERIKA ALFREDSON, EXECUTIVE VP, HEAD OF MARKETING

Between Beyoncs Grammy-winning Cowboy Carter and Tyler, the Creators smash Chromakopia, Columbia had a good 2024. Tyler sent ripples simply by releasing the record early Monday rather than the usual midnight Friday drop, hoping fans would listen more closely during the week instead of passively over the weekend. That bet paid off in three consecutive weeks atop Billboards album chart.

CASE STUDY Tyler, the Creator x Postmates From Tyler, the Creator to Tyler, the Postmates driver? The hip-hop artist showed up at the doors of fans as a driver delivering not food, but his album.

PRINCIPAL PLAYER Joe Gallo, general manager, Columbia Records, Nikki Deguia, marketer, influencer, Postmates

Tyler, the Creator x Postmates Arturo Holmes/Getty Images Epic Games EMILY LEVY, DIRECTOR OF MUSIC, TALENT, INFLUENCER

Travis Scotts Fortnite concert in 2020 was no pandemic-era anomaly, as the video game and publisher Epic Games have only doubled down since. Today, Levy and Epic help connect stars to gamers with unique in-game experiences, from livestreamed concerts to artist takeovers in Fortnites Guitar Hero-like game Fortnite Festival. Fortnites Remix: The Finale concert with Snoop Dogg, Ice Spice, Eminem and a posthumous tribute to Juice Wrld drew more than 14 million players, beating Scotts viewership by 2 million.

CASE STUDY Fortnite x Sabrina Carpenter The Short n Sweet artist took to the virtual stage of Fortnite Festival season eight, where those who plopped down 1,400 V-Bucks for a pass unlocked Sabrina Carpenter outfits, including one that was LEGO style.

PRINCIPAL PLAYER Micah Pittard, CEO, NSB Agency

Fortnite x Sabrina Carpenter Courtesy of Epic Games Focus Features JASON CASSIDY, VICE CHAIR; JOSH KORNBLIT, EXECUTIVE VP MARKETING

Not another Dracula movie! Thats the challenge the duo faced in selling Robert Eggers Nosferatu. But succeed they did; it grossed $181.2 million globally, one of the top showings of all time for the specialty label. We have to make our films feel like a cultural moment, says Kornblit. Partners included Titan Caskets, Hot Topic and Mise en Scne, with The Cinegogue delivering Focus most successful retail collection ever. And its collaboration with TikTok generated more than 400 million views after 75 creators attended an immersive crypt dinner in New York.

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CASSSIDY Louis Vuitton. Im constantly inspired by how they merge their brand with innovation.

CASE STUDY Nosferatu x Heretic Parfum What do the undead smell like? Lilacs and ambergris. Heretic Parfum enabled horror fans to emulate Count Orlock with a Nosferatu Eau de Macabre fragrance, oil and candle collection generating $1M-plus in promotional value for the film. The collection sold out instantly with every restock.

PRINCIPAL PLAYERS Douglas Little, Heretic Parfum CEO

Fox Entertainment DARREN SCHILLACE, PRESIDENT OF MARKETING

On top of lucrative integrations like a Ghostbusters-themed episode of The Masked Singer, executed in concert with Sony, Schillaces recent initiatives have leaned altruistic. Hit freshman drama Doc teamed up with American Red Cross for six themed blood drives, one of them including a visit by Scott Wolf, while Decembers The Real Full Monty partnered with The Testicular Cancer Society, The Prostate Cancer Foundation and The Colorectal Cancer Alliance to amplify cancer awareness throughout the two-hour special that pointed to a micro-site with donation links.

The brand Im dying to work with

Our wish list of brands to work with is constantly changing as our content library evolves. However, on a macro level, a core marketing strategy for Fox Entertainment is to continually find new audiences where they live so one brand I would like to see us do more with as a network is YouTube.

CASE STUDY Extracted x BattlBox For the series that sees contestants trying to survive in the Canadian wilderness, Fox partnered with BattlBox, a monthly subscription box of outdoor survival gear. It created custom Extracted boxes complete with grappling hook, knife and sharpener as a social-media giveaway, reaching 22M-plus uniques. Extracted was greenlit for a second season.

PRINCIPAL PLAYERS John Roman, CEO; Walter Hix, vp marketing, both at BattlBox

HBO Max ANDREW MEENGERN, VP ORIGINALS MARKETING

Actors arent the only ones dying to get on The White Lotus. Brand execs are equally excited by HBOs cultural juggernaut. Each season of Mike Whites hit, if you didnt realize, shoots at a luxe Four Seasons, and the chain has leaned in heavily, curating a White Lotus wellness retreat at Californias Westlake Village outpost and prepping a tour of all three locations for mega-fans. For the recent season, Meengern also courted American Express, Google Pixel and Metas Threads. Each got an initiative and sponsored a finale party at where else? the Four Seasons in Westlake.

CASE STUDY White Lotus x American Express/Four Seasons For the Thailand-set season three, AmEx curated experiences for Platinum Card and Centurion members (without the side of murder), including in Koh Samui, where the season was filmed. That drove a 40 percent increase in search for the show.

PRINCIPAL PLAYERS Jessica Ling, exec vp global brand advertising; Jill Hamilton, vp global media; both at American Express; UTAs David Anderson

The White Lotus filmed at the Four Seasons resort in Koh Samui, Thailand, for season three Courtesy of HBO Interscope Records LAURA CARTER, EXECUTIVE VP/HEAD OF URBAN MARKETING; DANIEL SENA, HEAD OF STRATEGIC MARKETING

Interscope is as hot as it gets, its dominance partly attributable to being the biggest hitmaker in hip-hop, with more rap albums at No. 1 this year than any other label. Lamars Drake diss Not Like Us was the biggest rap song in the U.S. last year; Playboi Carti has one of the biggest albums of any genre with Music, and GloRillas debut Glorious went gold in April. Says Carter: Sports has been an important connector between Glo and her fans. We forged a collaboration with Adidas, which was hugely powerful and locked her in as an All Star Weekend commentator. Pop behemoths Eilish, Gracie Abrams and Lady Gaga have also helped Interscope soar, with Sena securing such partnerships as American Express for Eilish, Abrams and Olivia Rodrigo and Glossier for Katseye.

CASE STUDY Lady Gaga x Mastercard Mastercard, a longtime Grammy sponsor, was looking to go bigger. Enter Gaga. Not only did MC present the new music video for her Abracadabra at the Grammys, but it capped Gaga-themed Priceless Experiences with a chance for 32 fans to cameo in a remix video.

I feel like Gaga puts the pieces together three dimensionally, said, Steve Berman, vice chairman of Interscope Capitol Label Group. She sees how each moment is connected together in a way that will elevate the experience for fans and how people will experience her art.

PRINCIPAL PLAYERS Gaga and Michael Polansky; Steve Berman, vice chairman, ICLG; Rustom Dastoor, exec vp, head of marketing and communications for the Americas, Mastercard

Lady Gaga debuted her Abracadabra video, presented by Mastercard, at the Grammys. Courtesy of UMG Legendary JAMES NGO, EXEC VP, FRANCHISE MANAGEMENT; BLAIR RICH, CHIEF MARKETING AND COMMERCIAL OFFICER

With Legendary controlling the rights to Dune, Ngo became a part of theatrical history after OK-ing an AMC Theatres limited edition Sandworm popcorn bucket for Dune: Part Two that instantly made headlines and was the subject of an SNL skit. It created a new revenue stream worth tens of millions of dollars for pricey custom buckets that continues to this day. Says one source close to the deal, While Warners and Legendarys overall campaign for Dune was elevated and beautiful, the internet needed a moment to just have fun. Legendary and Warners Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire drew in Volkswagen, Fortnite, Call of Duty and Carls Jr.

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NGO Its two brands. I would love to put Monster Energy, Monster Jam and our Monsterverse together for an epic activation for fans.

CASE STUDY Dune x Xbox For Dune 2, Microsoft let virtual pilots fly an ornithopter. Game designers worked with the production to craft a cinematic Arrakis for an expansion pack. Fans flew the ornithopter for a total of 181M miles the distance of flying to the sun and back.

PRINCIPAL PLAYER Jorg Neumann, head of Microsoft Flight Simulator game

Dune fans racked up nearly 181 million miles flying the Royal Atreides Ornithopter on Microsofts Xbox flight simulator. Courtesy of Microsoft Mercury Records ALEX COSLOV, EXECUTIVE VP

Over several years, Mercury made itself into a power player by partnering with indie hit factory Big Loud to distribute Morgan Wallen, the biggest country artist in the world. (It took his Im the Problem less than a day to become the most streamed country album of the year on Spotify and Apple Music.) But Mercurys been equally successful in house, too, as Coslov led the marketing for Post Malones head-first dive into country with F-1 Trillion. The lead single, I Had Some Help with Wallen, became a radio smash and amassed 822.9 million streams in 2024.

CASE STUDY Post Malone x Bud Light Synonymous with Bud Light for nearly a decade, Malone continued the partnership, with the beer brand presenting his A Night in Nashville concert featuring Blake Shelton, Sierra Ferrell and Hardy, a key moment in Malones pivot to country.

PRINCIPAL PLAYERS Todd Allen, senior vp, Bud Light Budweiser; Ronnie Yoked, head of experiential, Arielle Swanson, head of entertainment at Anheuser-Busch; Kerri Mackar, exec vp, Global Brand Partnerships, UMGB/Republic Collective

NBCUniversal MICHAEL MOSES, CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER, UNIVERSAL PICTURES; DAVID OCONNOR, PRESIDENT, FRANCHISE MANAGEMENT BRAND STRATEGY, NBCUNIVERSAL STUDIO GROUP AND UNIVERSAL PICTURES; VINCE KLASEUS, PRESIDENT, UNIVERSAL PRODUCTS EXPERIENCES; JENNY STORMS, CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER, NBCU TELEVISION AND STREAMING

Thanksgivings Wicked was the marketing triumph of 2024, according to almost every rival, boasting more than 450 promotional brands reaching 4 billion shoppers including Starbucks in its first movie partnership; Amazon; a Target takeover anchored by a Cynthia Erivo national ad campaign; and LEGO sets featuring her and Ariana Grande, unusual for a female-fueled film. Twisters opened to record numbers after targeting Middle America, including partnering with Dodge Ram and American Red Cross to support disaster relief.

In TV, Storms 2024 was packed. The 50th anniversary of Saturday Night Live took over Manhattan, partnering with Saks Fifth Avenue, 30 Rock landlord Tishman Speyer and even the MTA. (Yes, that was Kenan Thompson making subway announcements.) Up next is the November return of BravoCon. The massive Vegas convention is a brand explosion, with more than 20 brands joining the most recent edition, including pop-up experiences from DoorDash, Lays, State Farm, Shark Beauty and Wayfair.

CASE STUDY Wicked x Starbucks Of all the Wicked brand collaborations, nothing was more impressive during the films omnipresent marketing blitz than getting Starbucks to do something its never done before. The coffee giant created a line of special Wicked drinkware and Starbucks cards, as well as two specialty drinks centered on the leads, Glinda and Elphaba. It was the first time Starbucks released special menu items tied to a film.

Wicked x Starbucks Courtesy of Brand Neon TOM QUINN, CEO AND CO-FOUNDER; CHRISTIAN PARKES, HEAD OF MARKETING

Without huge coffers, Quinn and Parkes rely on their well-honed instincts to fan interest in a film. We are nimble and dont have to worry about red tape, says Parkes. For the multiple Oscar-winning Anora, people lined up for hours to buy risqu merch at a one-day pop-up in L.A. And Neons guerrilla campaign for Longlegs kept Nicolas Cage hidden in the shadows, instead hooking fans with a series of cipher codes online, driving box office of $128 million globally to become the top-grossing indie horror film of the year and in Neons history.

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QUINN Kareem Abdul Jabbar and his signature Adidas high top.

CASE STUDY Anora x pop-up merch In November, Neon set up a one-day-only pop-up at Kings of Body, an L.A. auto repair yard, where lines 300-long waited for five hours to buy little wifey thongs and T-shirts with lines from the film: You hit the lotto, bitch! and Fuckin Cinderella. Marrying marketing with additional revenue, the stunt followed a similar setup in New York during the week of the films debut in October.

Netflix MARIAN LEE, CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER

The dominant streamers initiatives have grown exponentially since its lean into live programming and advertising. Two of the biggest outings to date show just how much it can leverage that with brands: Levis outfitted Beyonc for the Beyonc Bowl Halftime Show during the streamers inaugural NFL telecast. And Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson wasnt just the most streamed sporting event in history, it featured partnerships from Celsius, DraftKings Sportsbook and Experian. Lee also oversees two major growth areas: consumer products have you tried Netflix popcorn? and experiences.

CASE STUDY Emily in Paris x Quintessential Brands Series producer Paramount partnered with spirits maker Quintessential Brands to bring a fictional drink to shelves, inspired by Lily Collins marketing exec Emily Cooper pitching a canned Kir Royale. Shortly after airing, the drink trended as fans wanted to enjoy Chamere IRL.

PRINCIPAL PLAYERS Enzo Visone, CEO; Letizia Razzino, global brand director, both at Quintessential Brands

Paramount Pictures MARC WEINSTOCK, PRESIDENT, WORLDWIDE MARKETING DISTRIBUTION; DANIELLE DE PALMA, EXECUTIVE VP GLOBAL MARKETING; MICHELLE HAGEN, EXECUTIVE VP WORLDWIDE PROMOTION

This year, Weinstock saw Mission: Impossible The Final Reckoning, A Quiet Place: Day One and Smile 2 open to series-best numbers. A Day One TikTok challenge went viral as folks posted videos trying to keep their cats quiet (the breakout star of the prequel is the feline Frodo). Final Reckonings takeover of Delta Airlines was a coup and, for the first time, Cruise invited creators on set to shoot his stunts, which went viral.

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HAGEN A Nike collab for Children of Blood and Bone would be a dream, given both brands embody female empowerment.

CASE STUDY Sonic the Hedgehog 3 x McDonalds Paramounts third Sonic unexpectedly bested Disneys Mufasa at the box office in December after poaching McDs as a partner for its themed Happy Meal toys, including a special Sonic mobile game.

PRINCIPAL PLAYERS Tara Sahu, director, global alliances; Rebecca Anderson, senior manager, global family marketing; Morgan Flatley, global CMO head of new business ventures, all at McDonalds

Searchlight Pictures MICHELLE HOOPER, EXECUTIVE VP, HEAD OF MARKETING; REBECCA KEAREY, EXECUTIVE VP, HEAD OF INTERNATIONAL MARKETING, DISTRIBUTION BUSINESS OPERATIONS

Searchlights marketing acumen was on full display with Oscar-nominated A Complete Unknown, the Bob Dylan biopic starring Timothe Chalamet that was one of the best box office showings in the studios history. Chalamet drove the campaign, kicking off with a hosting gig for Atlantas ESPN College GameDay that went viral, with the star picking all seven winners correctly. His appearances were so smart and strategic, says Hooper. Searchlight also brought aboard Levis and Heavens Door Tennessee Whiskey, co-owned by Dylan.

CASE STUDY A Complete Unknown x Levis For the movie, Levis worked with costume designer Arianne Phillips to pull historically accurate denim pieces for Chalamets Dylan. Postproduction, the Levis Vintage Clothing team, led by design director Paul ONeill, curated its own Dylan-inspired collection, including jeans with a bootcut insert, a D belt and a suede jacket.

Timothe Chalamet drove much of the marketing for AComplete Unknown. Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures Sony Pictures Entertainment STEVEN ODELL, PRESIDENT OF INTERNATIONAL MARKETING DISTRIBUTION; JEFFREY GODSICK, EXECUTIVE VP, GLOBAL PARTNERSHIPS BRAND STRATEGY; DANIELLE MISHER, CO-HEAD, THEATRICAL MARKETING

No one was sure how Sonys 2024 summer film The Garfield Movie would do, given it had been 20 years since the previous feature. Motel 6 did a huge push and made Garfield its pet officer, while Popchips sold a limited-edition nacho; the movie topped out at $257 million globally. Late last year, Venom: The Last Dance was boosted by Monster Energy, Volkswagen and Waze, which made a special voice by the antihero. The movie earned a solid $478 million globally. When promotional partners invest with full force, movies can become cultural events, says Godsick.

The brand Im dying to work with

GODSICK LVMH. I would love to create a single promotion in which the film would be interpreted uniquely by each of their prestigious brands.

CASE STUDY The Garfield Movie x Popchips Move over, lasagna: Popchips gave Garfield a new snack. A branded Nacho bag appears in the film, and 3,000 of them were sampled at an L.A. activation. Popchips also sent out Garfield-orange boxes with snacks to influencers, leading to 10M+ impressions. The chip was the new item with the fastest turnover at US Foods.

PRINCIPAL PLAYERS Megan Osowski, vp marketing; Kimberly Street, marketing manager, both at Popchip parent Our Home

The Walt Disney Co. ASAD AYAZ, CHIEF BRAND OFFICER, THE WALT DISNEY CO. PRESIDENT OF MARKETING, WALT DISNEY STUDIOS DISNEY+. AT WALT DISNEY STUDIOS: LYLLE BREIER, EXECUTIVE VP, PARTNERSHIP, PROMOTIONS, SYNERGY EVENTS; MARTHA MORRISON, EXECUTIVE VP, MARKETING; RYAN STANKEVICH, SENIOR VP, MARKETING. SHANNON RYAN, PRESIDENT OF MARKETING, DISNEY ENTERTAINMENT TELEVISION

Ayazs team is responsible for selling titles from the six movie studios falling under the Disney umbrella Marvel, Lucasfilm, Pixar, 20th Century, Walt Disney Animation and Disney Live-Action, home of current blockbuster Lilo Stitch in addition to Disney+. Rivals in particular commend Ayaz for the campaign for Disneys first R-rated release, Deadpool Wolverine, which transformed into a series-best, $1.33 billion global blockbuster, while also selling the two other top-grossing billion-dollar earners of 2024, Inside Out 2 and Moana 2. This years highlights to date include the record-shattering Lilo, which has amassed $800 million in less than a month. To help grab the attention of viewers, the studio partnered with Heinz for Deadpool, Airbnb for Inside Out 2, Hawaiian Airlines for Moana 2 and Spam, 10 million cans of it, for Lilo. When its clever, it creates conversation and helps your film break into the culture, says Ayaz.

On the TV side, Ryan oversees one of the largest portfolios in the medium ABC Entertainment, ABC News, Disney Branded Television, Hulu, National Geographic, Onyx and 20th Television that raked in a record-breaking 60 Emmy awards in 2024. Recent bragging points include a Saks Fifth Avenue partnership for the launch of ABCs Doctor Odyssey, complete with window displays at the heavily trafficked NYC flagship, executed alongside DTW evp of marketing, Erin Weir; and, with Hulu evp of marketing Barrie Gruner, a co-branded product between Hulus Only Murders in the Building and star Selena Gomezs Rare Beauty that sold out in 11 days and reaped nearly $1 billion in earned media impressions.

CASE STUDY Deadpool Wolverine x Heinz Matching Deadpool and Wolverines red and yellow suits to Heinzs ketchup and mustard, Deadpool and Wolverine condiment bottles drove billions in media impressions, putting Heinz in the summer movie conversation.

PRINCIPAL PLAYERS Maximum Efforts Ryan Reynolds and George Dewey; Navjit Dhillon, brand manager; Jamie Mack, associate director, brand communications; both at Heinz

Warner Records TJ LANDIG, SENIOR VP MARKETING OPERATIONS STRATEGY; DALIA GANZ, SENIOR VP DIGITAL MARKETING

In music, theres nothing more difficult than breaking a new artist. And in 2024, Warner Records did just that, becoming the hottest artist development label in the business with out-of-the-gate successes by Benson Boone and Teddy Swims. Boone had the biggest song of the year with Beautiful Things (2.57 billion streams according to Luminate). Its ubiquity notwithstanding, Landig quarterbacked marketing on the track and planned pop-up events globally for Boones albums. Swims, not far behind with Lose Control (2.14 billion streams), benefits from Ganzs leadership in viral marketing, which she handles for all of Warners roster. Her latest win: 19-year-old developing artist Sombr, currently riding a two-fer on the Global Spotify Chart.

CASE STUDY Benson Boone x BMW With breakout hit Beautiful Things, Boone became the voice er, soul of the Soul of BMW campaign. Since September, the song has continuously been prominently featured in the launch of seven electric vehicle models on YouTube and Instagram.

PRINCIPAL PLAYERS Claudia Butzky EVP brand partnerships sync, Paul Rocha, senior director, brand partnerships sync,Warner Records. Bernd Koerber, head of product brand management, BMW

Benson Boone x BMW Gilbert Flores/Penske Media/Getty Images Warner Bros. Pictures Group DANA NUSSBAUM, EXECUTIVE VP/CO-HEAD, WORLDWIDE MARKETING; CHRISTIAN DAVIN, EXECUTIVE VP/CO-HEAD, WORLDWIDE MARKETING STRATEGY; JOHN STANFORD, EXECUTIVE VP CREATIVE ADVERTISING/HEAD OF THEATRICAL CREATIVE ADVERTISING

Following such hits as Barbie and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, the trio were upped in January to run the marketing group as equals. They struck gold with A Minecraft Movie, the top-grossing film of 2025 so far. The release of branded snacks in the form of square-shaped Doritos and square Oreos, both of which went viral, surely helped. There also was a Minecraft-themed Poppi drink and a 90-country McDonalds blitz.

The brand Im dying to work with

NUSSBAUM, DAVIN, STANFORD e.l.f., an inclusive brand hot with Gen Z right now. They have a very disruptive approach.

CASE STUDY A Minecraft Movie x Poppi Gaming and soda has always been a winning combo, and for health-conscious Gen Z, prebiotic soda Poppi produced limited-edition four-packs. Gamers ate it up: Sales grew 84.5 percent in March and April, and a third bought three four-packs at a time.

PRINCIPAL PLAYER Matt Giese, director of retail marketing, Poppi

This story appeared in the June 11 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.