This week’s Brand Brief is filled with love … both in the traditional sense and the reality TV form, with multiple campaigns featuring Love Island and a cinematic tour-de-force from a musical power couple that’s sent fans clamoring for a bottle of detangling spray. During a week in which most of the industry is in Cannes celebrating creativity, it’s great to see no one phoned it in this week. Let’s get into it …VerizonThe telecoms giant, which has been on quite the creative streak with its revival of hot pop cultural references, is at it again with the launch of Simplicity is Sexy, a cheeky new spot riffing off vintage Calvin Klein ads from the ’90s and early aughts starring “culture’s latest obsession,” Stephen Kalyn from the Prime Video hit Off Campus, which just released its second season. Created in-house and directed by Bardia Zeinali, who actually shot CK’s Deal with It campaign featuring an all-star cast including Justin Bieber, Kendall Jenner, Maluma and others, the spot further leans into the nostalgia with the use of the INXS track “Never Tear Us Apart,” promotes the launch of brand’s “Simplicity Plan.” CécredFollowing weeks of speculation from fans and the internet, who were sent into a frenzy when Grammy-winning rapper Jay-Z graced the stage at the Roots Picnic in Philadelphia Memorial Day weekend sporting an afro after years of rocking thick locs, his global superstar spouse and the haircare brand’s cofounder, Beyoncé Knowles Carter, dropped a video many are calling its “greatest marketing campaign yet.” The “Cowboy Carter” artist with an adept side-hustle as a documentarian released The Blueprint, a seven-minute film that serves multiple functions of being a brilliant product tutorial, a clever nod to Jay-Z’s seminal album The Blueprint, for which he’s celebrating its 25th anniversary, and a sensational piece of storytelling giving the audience an intimate glimpse of the family and how the origin of his hair journey has been attached to the confidence of his daughter Blue Ivy. It’s not a commercial … it’s cinema. And it’s going to send bottles flying off the shelves and stress out an Ulta buyer or two. Mug Root BeerThe PepsiCo-owned brand released an amusingly absurd new campaign promoting its limited-time Mug Root Beer Floats Vanilla Howler flavor starring artist Yung Gravy performing “Float Float Baby,” a parody of the Vanilla Ice ’90s earworm “Ice Ice Baby.” In the video for the social-first campaign, created by The PepsiCo Creative Studio and Vayner Media, the flamboyant trap rapper partners up with the brand’s mascot, Dog, to perk up some pool party patrons with nostalgia, weather inappropriate fashion and — what else? — giant floaties. The brand is releasing a full video of the remix on TikTok in the coming weeks.KFCIn a hilarious nod to superhero film post-credit scenes, the fried chicken QSR brand released Super Break, its own post-credit scene for its ad created as an extension of its partnership with Warner Bros.’ Supergirl, releasing in theaters June 26. In the fun spot, created by Highdive, two KFC employees making a delivery to the titular character on a rooftop discover they’re in a post-credit scene with a QR code teasing an “exclusive offer.” The spot will run organically on YouTube through July 12.EtsyThe small-business online marketplace released Shop Other Jeffs, a new campaign taking direct aim at the owner of a certain online mega e-commerce company-turned-media juggernaut, featuring three of its 5,000 sellers who also happen to be named Jeff. Positioning themselves as a David to Jeff Bezos’ Goliath, the campaign, created by Orchard and running across broadcast, OOH, paid and organic social and on the brand’s channels, took its audaciousness a step further by taking out a full page ad in the Bezos-owned Washington Post. Chef’s kiss.Best BuyThe retailer’s new campaign, Believing is Seeing, promotes its RGB LED TV offerings from brand partners including Samsung, Sony, LG, TCL and Hisense. Created in-house, the campaign aims to show consumers the wow-factor of the tech and how it enhances their TV watching experience. In addition to the two spots currently running on broadcast, the brand also partnered with tech and lifestyle creators to showcase the TVs, and have content on its YouTube channel and its dedicated RGB Hub where consumers could compare sizes and brands. It’s also tapping into the fan experience by offering exclusive Supergirl content and sweepstakes through Samsung through July 19, in which shoppers could win a trip to the Warner Bros. Archives, a micro version of the TV and more. M&M’sAs the exclusive confectionery partner for the newest season of Love Island, M&M’s launched M&M’S x Love Island, a new integrated campaign sending its iconic Spokescandies into the love arena as the new hottest bombshells.With the collaboration of ad agency BBDO Chicago, the campaign features a series of short-form episodes showing the Spokescandies and former islanders Hannah Fields and Jeremiah Brown flirting and using wordplays. In one clip, M&M’s character Red says, “I rate all the kisses, zero. Way too much teeth.” The cheeky comments from all characters deliver content that’s juicy and native to Love Island, shaping the campaign’s media placement to be organic and engaging for the viewers. The immersive episodic content is an extension of M&M’s Play Along Packs, which turns every Love Island USA episode into a board-game-style competition, bringing fans together and achieving the ultimate social experience.NuveenDespite being the world’s top asset manager with 125 years of heritage, Nuveen’s uniqueness was largely buried, until the company realized its value in generational investing and long-termism. To expand on this newfound consciousness, Nuveen launched The Future Has Questions, a campaign created with 72andSunny Toronto that places the company’s U.S.-based executives in the hot seat as a panel of curious 8-year-olds asks questions about the essence of investing. The children asked rapid-fire questions ranging from “So are you, like, the party planner of the future?” to “How do you make people’s lives better?” Nuveen’s incorporation of the children’s bold and unfiltered point of view demonstrates its commitment to being answerable to the next generation.PolaroidStanding New York’s Coney Island beach, Polaroid’s giant billboard declares “Go jump in some water before the data centers drink it all up,” inviting beachgoers to spend less screen time and strive to experience the abundant wonders of life.Polaroid’s Coney Island installation joins the wider outdoor movement across London, New York and South Korea, which works as a part of the new The Best of Summer Is Analog campaign, created with creator agency Brainlabs, which follows the company’s Polaroid Go Generation 3 camera launch released earlier this month. Amid the boom of AI-generated content, Polaroid’s message is clear — to champion the beauty of imperfection and authenticity of humanity that technology can’t replicate. Polaroid encourages users to embrace the unexpected, whether that’s a blurry photo or an unplanned adventure, celebrating experiences that are distinctly human.(Photo credit: Keith Montero / Polaroid, used with permission)Smirnoff IceThe internet has been given the power to vote for favorite personalities on Love Island USA; now fans can also vote for Smirnoff Ice’s next beverage bombshells. As the official malt beverage of the show, Smirnoff Ice is extending the voting hype beyond the villa, inviting fans to choose from eight Americana-inspired flavors. Only one month left until July 22, fans can cast their votes and help determine which four flavors will make the final cut shaping an all-new variety pack for the brand. Smirnoff Ice’s new Love Island USA campaign includes surprise fan events nationwide, co-branded merchandise and sweepstakes integration and captivating episodic video series featuring Season 7 fan-favorites Jeremiah Brown and Iris Kendall recreating iconic villa moments.Out in the wild …L’Oréal x PeacockThe beauty giant partnered with the Comcast-owned streamer as part of The Villa at Rockefeller Center, the network’s three-day immersive experience celebrating Season 8 of Love Island USA. Season 6 and Love Island: Beyond the Villa star Kaylor Martin and Bravo’s Below Deck Mediterranean star Aesha Scott appeared at the activation, which offered giveaways of CeraVe and Maybelline products as well as customized charms, interactive moments and social-worthy photo moments inspired by the Villa. The activation, located at 30 Rock, was open to the public June 22-24.(Photo credit: L’Oréal, used with permission)HBO Max x OutfrontTo promote the premiere of House of Dragon Season 3, the streamer partnered with Snap and Outfront Media for Crowd Created, a branded AR experience allowing visitors in New York’s Times Square to be projected live onto billboards using a four-sided Snapchat AR mirror wearing costumes from the show. The activation, which ran from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. on June 18, was part of a pilot program from the media company that will allow select brands to activate billboards featuring curious pedestrians.