Hi Marketing Wranglers,

This week’s lineup proves one thing: marketing never sleeps, not in comment sections, Congress, or courtside.

Axe turned a TikTok joke into a viral masterclass in brand co-creation, health insurers are fighting a PR and compliance storm as Washington’s shutdown stalls subsidy talks, and Disney just made women’s basketball the hottest ad real estate on TV.

From memes to mandates, it’s all about knowing when to hand over control — and when to play by the rules.

💡 Axe’s Meme Marketing Masterstroke: How a “terrible” TikTok redesign became Unilever’s social-first blueprint

💊 Washington’s Shutdown & Insurer Headaches: Why policy paralysis is a compliance nightmare for health marketers

🏀 Disney’s WNBA Ad Sweep: How women’s sports became the new premium and the new compliance frontier

We hit the stage at FinovateFall 2025, where our CEO Austin Carroll delivered a standout demo.

Discover how Warrant is reshaping marketing compliance, learn more here.

While some brands burn through millions trying to decode Gen Z, Axe just hit "reply." The Unilever-owned men's grooming giant pulled off one of the smartest marketing moves of the year by doing something most legacy brands would never dare: they let a TikTok creator famous for terrible design choices actually redesign their product.

Enter Emily Zugay, the internet's favorite anti-designer, known for her hilariously awful logo makeovers and perfectly deadpan delivery. Back in July, she posted her unsolicited "rebrand" of Axe: a plain white can with basic clip-art of an axe. Her caption dripped with irony: "Axe wasn't made for boys in middle school locker rooms. It was made for men."

The numbers tell the story:

And here's where most brands would've stopped at a polite "thanks for the shoutout." Not Axe. Within 24 hours, they mocked up a real version of Zugay's joke and posted it online. The internet went wild. So Axe made it real, launching the limited-edition can exclusively on Walmart's website.

"The reaction from our fans was really loud and clear," said Dolores Assalini, head of Axe U.S. "They wanted the new logo, and we listened."

But "listening" here meant something bigger than monitoring sentiment. Axe didn't just acknowledge the joke. They promoted Zugay to "Big Boss," built an entire content series around her, and let the community shape the narrative. This wasn't influencer marketing. It was brand co-creation, and it turned a single viral moment into an ongoing entertainment loop.

For years, brands chased "authenticity" like it was the holy grail. Axe's play reveals the next evolution: giving your audience creative control. Gen Z and Gen Alpha don't want to be marketed at. They want to be part of the story.

As Assalini put it: "We're not just showing up where they are, speaking their language, and using their memes. We're reflecting the culture they're creating."

This campaign aligns with a massive strategic shift at Unilever. Earlier this year, CEO Fernando Fernandez announced plans to:

Translation: traditional advertising is losing its grip, and social-first storytelling is the new playbook.

For Axe, the Zugay collaboration became more than a moment. It's now a recurring series with sketches, fan interactions, and fresh content keeping the conversation alive. "We're creating a whole story and entertainment cycle around it," Assalini explained. "In every post that we do, we're getting engagement from our community."

Axe's viral rebrand didn't come from a six-month strategy deck or mountains of focus group data. It came from three things:

In a world where every brand claims authenticity, Axe went further. They became collaborative.

The lesson for marketers? Stop just listening to your audience. Hand them the microphone. The future of brand loyalty isn't being drafted in conference rooms. It's being built in comment sections, one meme at a time.

More details on Marketing Dive.

As the government shutdown drags on, the debate over extending enhanced ACA Marketplace tax credits has morphed from a budget fight into a full-blown marketing crisis for health insurers.

Here's the problem: every fall, insurers and healthcare platforms launch massive open enrollment campaigns across digital, TV, and social channels. It's a critical window that can make or break annual revenue. But with enhanced subsidies set to expire in December and no deal in sight, the confident messaging about "affordable plans" and "lower premiums" is suddenly on shaky ground.

During a recent press conference, former President Donald Trump hinted at potential negotiations with Democrats to renew the tax credits but slammed Obamacare for "wasting billions." His mixed signals, combined with a deadlocked Senate, have left marketers in an impossible position. Without clarity on subsidy levels, insurers risk advertising plans that could soon cost consumers far more than promised. That's not just bad optics. It's a compliance landmine.

Health insurers and brokers operate under strict CMS marketing rules requiring pinpoint accuracy in price and benefit disclosures. If the subsidy extension fails and rates spike mid-campaign, marketers face a nightmare scenario:

Meanwhile, Democrats are warning that premium hikes could hit consumers this month, meaning people might start receiving contradictory information from insurers versus federal channels. For compliance officers, that's not just messy. It's a regulatory powder keg.

This moment exposes a harsh reality for regulated industries: policy stability is the bedrock of marketing strategy. You can't sell "affordable care" when affordability depends on a congressional coin flip. You can't plan creative campaigns when your pricing model might crater overnight.

Speaker Mike Johnson said he'd only negotiate on healthcare tax credits after reopening the government. But by then, insurers could already be weeks into their ad cycles, burning budget while waiting for Washington to decide their fate.

The shutdown may look like a political story on the surface, but for health insurance marketers, it's a compliance and strategy crisis wearing a disguise. As the subsidy clock ticks down, brands must:

Because when Congress stalls, the campaign calendar keeps running. And in regulated marketing, uncertainty isn't just frustrating. It's expensive, risky, and potentially illegal if you get the messaging wrong.

The question now: how long can health insurers market in the dark before the lights go out completely?

Get the full scoop on Insurance Newsnet.

The Las Vegas Aces aren't the only ones racking up wins this season. Behind the scenes, Disney's ad sales team quietly pulled off a clean sweep of its own, selling out ad inventory for the first five games of the WNBA Finals on ESPN. It's a milestone that signals something powerful: the era of women's sports being an "underdog investment" is officially over.

According to Jacqueline Dobies, VP of Revenue and Yield Management at Disney, the network saw postseason ad revenue jump 110% year over year, with unit rates up 104%. The demand was so intense that Disney had to hold back ad slots to resell later in the scatter market, where prices typically run higher. That's not just impressive numbers. It's a clear message to advertisers that women's sports are now premium real estate.

Of the 38 brands featured during the Finals, 15 are newcomers, including:

These additions mark five entirely new ad categories for the WNBA. But here's where it gets interesting: some of these categories (alcohol, pharma, and sports betting) come with stricter compliance obligations. From ad placement approvals to audience age targeting and disclosure requirements, marketers in these sectors are navigating a far more complex playbook to meet regulations while capitalizing on the cultural moment.

State Street locked in a multiyear partnership with the league, while Eli Lilly doubled down with a jersey patch sponsorship for the Indiana Fever. Both moves show how regulated industries are embracing brand visibility in sports while staying within compliance boundaries.

With regulated brands entering the women's sports ecosystem, marketers face critical questions:

💥 How do you market a product with medical or financial implications during a live sporting event watched by diverse audiences?

💥 How do you ensure your messaging meets both FTC disclosure standards and league partnership guidelines?

Disney's ad team appears to be balancing both agility and accountability. By keeping some inventory out of the upfronts, they could reprice and reallocate ad slots dynamically. A smart strategy, but one that requires clear documentation, spend transparency, and compliance oversight to avoid any perception of favoritism or bid manipulation.

Women's sports aren't just having a moment. They're building an empire. And with that growth comes a new era of compliance-conscious marketing, where buying a slot and calling it a day won't cut it anymore.

Whether it's a pharmaceutical brand ensuring responsible messaging or a sports betting company disclosing odds properly, every ad during the Finals is both a brand play and a compliance test.

The WNBA Finals proved one thing loud and clear: the business of women's sports isn't just growing. It's maturing. The brands that dominate next season will be the ones that master the balance between visibility and responsibility, between cultural relevance and regulatory precision.

Head on to Marketing Brew for more information.

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