EMBrief: Marketing News, May 2025

Do you have whiplash from marketers telling you to care about this, then that, then the other—always changing the name of the game? Well, sorry, because now Fortune says the rise of generative search has made metrics and success less about clicks and more about mentions. And we sorta agree! Backlinks, partnerships and word of mouth will never go out of style. And with GPTs using online authority scores to choose info sources, that’s never been more true.

If you’re still not used to calling HBO’s streaming platform “Max,” then no worries—it’s called HBO Max again anyway. And yes, the parent company is aware of the silliness of its choice and has made fun of itself on social media ever since, leveraging HBO shows and actors to make its humorously self-depreciating point. It says it’s not an identity crisis, it’s smart marketing since the choice was made based on “consumer data and insights.” We guess, girl. We guess…

MarketingWeek recently revealed a new series called Influencers Explored, and in its first episode hit us with a new term to abuse: “professionalisation.” Not the antonym to personalization per se, it’s meant to describe content creators’ journey to “adjust to a corporate world.” Billion Dollar Boy’s 2025 Creator Economy Report shows that half of creators (even the funny ones) use LinkedIn to build brand partnerships.

Coca-Cola’s long-time nemesis, Pepsi, has fallen to fourth place in the war for the soda favorite, losing to Dr. Pepper (who stole its second-place spot last year) and the new #3, Sprite. In response to the unfortunate news, the declining soft drink said it’s still second in overall brand rank across its numerous options and is focused on creating new flavors. Sounds a bit thirsty for that #3 spot if you ask us.

Little Spoon, a children's and toddlers’ food brand that offers a D2C subscription service, announced a new partnership with, of all IPs, Barney & Friends. It kicks off their “Summer of Love” campaign and aims to bridge the gap between kids’ brands and the brands that adults love. They also created a deck of conversation cards to keep the convos going after snack time.

Some may say a paper towel brand doesn’t need a hunky mascot, but we disagree—especially after Brawny recently unveiled its latest Brawny Man. He’s one in a long line of traditionally masculine lumberjacks that represent the brand and the attractiveness of the times, and embodies the company’s core promise of “strength, resilience and everyday dependability.” He also proves that if your mascot ain’t broke, don’t fix it. You can, however, give it a minor makeover.