Teletubbies are known for being a bit strange. For nearly 30 years, the alien-like TV characters have existed in a place where the sun is a baby and the only food is smiley-face toast and custard.

At a time when many brands seem determined to appear “unhinged” online, translating the otherworldliness of the children’s show onto social media has turned out to be a winning strategy for its parent company WildBrain, particularly among Gen Z and millennials.

“The characters have always been remarkably silly and colorful, and they mirror childlike sort of behaviors,” Kara Šegedin, digital marketing director at WildBrain, told us. “Taking that silliness out of the kids’ space and putting it in front of an adult audience and layering some trends on top of that, it’s a surprise, and people like to be entertained.”

Since 2022, the Teletubbies have amassed more than 1.6 million followers on TikTok and drawn millions of views on picnic videos, dance videos, and more. In the last year, they’ve received more than 15 million engagements and 147 million views on TikTok, per WildBrain. And they’re growing on Instagram, too. Since last fall, they’ve gained more than 630,000 new followers and received more than 217 million impressions on the platform, according to WildBrain.

According to Šegedin, the Teletubbies’ “unhinged” social strategy has not only driven engagement, but also unlocked new revenue streams for WildBrain through partnerships with brands including American Eagle, citizenM hotels, and Marc Jacobs.

Read more here.—KH

It’s been another Messi season for Major League Soccer. After joining the league and Inter Miami last season, the superstar captain Lionel Messi and his team are for the first time in the MLS Cup Playoffs that kicked off last week.

Historically, soccer has struggled to reach the level of popularity in North America that it’s achieved in other countries. But with Messi competing in his first MLS playoffs, vying for his 47th career trophy, Apple TV—which has the exclusive rights to MLS matches as part of a 10-year, $2.5 billion deal—is betting that the Messi effect has the potential to bring in a massive international audience for the postseason.

“Working with the league, what we want to do is put our best foot forward and make these playoffs feel like a big event,” Emeka Ofodile, Apple’s global head of sports marketing, told Marketing Brew.

Big time(s): Ofodile said he wants Apple’s promotion around the playoffs to “feel as big as possible,” starting with last Friday’s matchup of No. 1 seed Inter Miami and Atlanta United. That match was streamed for free, which Ofodile said is meant to boost the audience for the start of the playoffs—and hopefully, beyond.

“We felt this was a great moment to bring as many people in, to really kickstart this conversation and this journey, this energy around the MLS playoffs,” he said. “No better way to do it than making it for free for everyone.”

Continue reading here.—AM

Beauty brands know a thing or two about looking good. But what about sounding good?

According to a new report from sonic branding agency amp, some companies in the global beauty category—which reached $446 billion in retail sales globally last year—are hitting the right notes, while others are a little off-key.

While some beauty and personal-care brands have tapped into audio assets like custom music and sonic logos, amp found that sound “remains surprisingly underused in communication strategies within this sector.”

Spice things up: Old Spice ranked as the No. 1 beauty and care brand when it comes to sonic branding, per the report. Amp based its rankings on factors like use of sonic logo and identity and use of owned versus licensed music.

Old Spice has a sonic logo that’s almost as memorable as the McDonald’s jingle, and it’s been used consistently for more than a decade, including in 88% of the brand’s content this year, per the report. That repeated usage has led the sonic logo to become adopted and memeified across social media, according to amp. The brand also regularly uses custom music in campaigns like “Farewell, Teenage Me,” per the report. Those factors both contributed to Old Spice’s high sonic ranking.

Read more here.—AM

Executive moves across the industry.

• Starbucks named former Yahoo CMO Tressie Lieberman as the brand’s first global chief brand officer.
• NBCU SVP, format sales and productions, Ana Langenberg, will depart her role at the end of the year, per Deadline.
• X and NBCU alum Joe Benarroch was named NYSE’s head of content, media partnerships, and distribution, a new role for the organization.
• Disney will name a successor for CEO Bob Iger in early 2026, the company announced.