At the Experiential Marketing Summit last month, we sat down with Lauren Flanigan, Head of Global Brands, Refreshment Categories at Mondelez International, to discuss leveraging experiential as a channel within the overall marketing mix. Brands must be intentional where they show up in events, she said, and that means finding the places in culture that your brand can uniquely speak to. Watch our conversation with Flanigan about the ROI of events, tapping creator messaging and marketing a brand globally while maintaining local relevance.

Advance Auto Parts is on the upswing of its comeback, making it the right time for a brand marketing campaign, according to Bruce Starnes, Chief Merchandising Officer at Advance Auto Parts. The company posted its strongest quarterly growth in five years in Q1 2026. Dubbed “Good Parts,” the campaign is a nod to its merchandise and purpose: to help consumers repair their cars and then get back to “the good parts” of their lives. We dig into the details.

One of the best customer acquisition tools for jewerlry retailer Helzberg is having efficient and organized backend systems for its product assets, said Jackie Arlotti, Divisional Vice President, Ecommerce Operations and Planning at Helzberg, at the Salesforce Connections Conference in Chicago this month. The brand’s online sales increased 25% after updating its tech stack, and now engagement rings are one of Helzberg’s leading online categories. Read how the marketing team pulled it off.

Lastly, the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity kicks off on Monday, and sister pub PRNEWS has a primer for PR professionals seeking to get the most out of the event. Yahoo comms pros Erin Miller and Laura Pacas outline five guidelines to help maximize the week.

Until next week,