Why limit an ad to 30 seconds when it could basically be a movie?

Lengthy, cinematic ads are becoming increasingly popular, with brands like United Airlines, Cash App, Uber, Gucci, and Gushers creating short films that bust typical advertising parameters wide open. These ads, which often employ film production tactics and are distributed beyond TV and social, are aimed at creating genuine entertainment and fan service, according to brand representatives that Marketing Brew spoke to.

In an era where short-form video is dominant, advertisers leaning into movie-making could be a breath of fresh air, Tom Murphy, chief creative officer at VML North America, said.

“Because of the pervasiveness of ultra-short-form, sort of disposable content, the stuff that we’re looking at all day, every day on our phones, I feel like it’s almost like an antidote to that. It’s a counter-reaction,” he said.

But going the Hollywood route isn’t always easy, and it isn’t guaranteed to pay off. After all, there’s a reason why ads typically stick to a 15-, 30-, or 60-second time limit—and if advertisers are going to break the rules, they want to make sure it’s worth the risk.

Continue reading here.—JN

Google is extending its partnership with the McLaren Formula 1 Team, execs from the companies shared exclusively with Marketing Brew.

The announcement comes the day before the start of the Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend, where Google will activate with McLaren and the Las Vegas Sphere, according to Nick Drake, global VP of marketing at Google. Drake declined to share exactly how long Google’s current deal with McLaren is set to last, but he said the extension represents a “multiyear agreement.” The sponsorship officially kicked off in 2022.

The updated deal also marks a shift in the partnership’s focus from Google Chrome, which has been a previous focal point, to its AI assistant tool Gemini, the third model of which Google unveiled on Tuesday. Branding for Gemini has already replaced the Chrome logo on McLaren’s engine covers, Drake said.

“The application of generative AI in the Formula 1 space is really, really exciting,” Drake told Marketing Brew. “It’s great from a fan perspective, we see great applications for the drivers themselves, and obviously for the team and team performance.”

Read more here.—AM

Tylenol may have a bot problem.

In late September, President Trump directed the FDA to warn those who are pregnant against use of acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, citing an unproven link between taking the medicine and rates of autism. (At the time, researchers said they needed more evidence; a more recent review published in the British Medical Journal found no link between use of acetaminophen and diagnoses of autism or ADHD.)

Following President Trump’s directive, bots seem to have driven and amplified the conversation, according to a new report from narrative intelligence platform PeakMetrics. Nearly a third of posts about Tylenol from September 19 to November 4 on X were likely bot-driven, according to PeakMetrics, which reviewed 437,131 posts across X.

According to Peak Metrics, 93% of the suspected bot activity was “reposting existing content, extending reach and lifespan of emotionally charged narratives.” More than half (65.8%) of the conversation on X about Tylenol was unfavorable toward the brand, according to PeakMetrics, which also noted that, across those posts, “themes of parental guilt, loss of trust, and frustration toward pharmaceutical companies” were prominent.

“The conclusion of this data, to me, is that by volume of conversation, it makes sense that the stuff that was unfavorable to Tylenol was the biggest share of the data,” Molly Dwyer, director of insights at PeakMetrics, told Marketing Brew. “Algorithmically, [that’s] how these things work, right? Something that causes outrage is going to get boosted, and therefore it’s going to incentivize bots to post about it.”

Read more here.—KM

Real jobs shared through real communities. CollabWORK brings opportunities directly to Marketing Brew readers—no mass postings, no clutter, just roles worth seeing. Click here to view the full job board.

• Influencer Marketing Manager at Adore Me
• Ecommerce Marketing Manager at Sky Diamonds
• Global Head of Communications at TYLin
• Digital Strategy Lead, Vice President/Director at SMBC
• Marketing Manager at Lyman Products

Stories we’re jealous of.

• Bloomberg wrote about the Australian brand MCo, which is duping both the products and the packaging of big players in beauty.
• The New York Times wrote about the “dystopian” rise of skin-care brands geared at children in the years since the “Sephora tween” phenomenon made headlines.
• The Washington Post wrote about TikTok Shop’s rise as a major e-commerce destination poised to sell $15 billion in merchandise this year.