Dearest gentle reader, prepare your finest silverware, for your dessert spoons are soon to be graced with ice cream fit for Lady Whistledown herself.

Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams recently collaborated with Netflix and Shondaland to produce two Bridgerton-themed flavors that Ryan Morgan, Jeni’s head of brand, is hoping fans will “eat up,” both literally and figuratively. The flavors, named Queen Charlotte Sponge Cake and Earl Grey Crème Brûlée, will be hitting Jeni’s shops and website in a staggered, two-step drop in January and February that mirrors the show’s upcoming Season 4 release schedule.

As a brand that considers its partnership opportunities with the type of discernment the queen reserves for judging her diamonds of the season, the Jeni’s team is betting on Bridgerton to help it emotionally connect with fans all over the ’Ton.

“A property like Bridgerton, which people love and is more than a period drama, but is a pop-culture icon and [one] that people have an emotional connection to, is in our long list of partnership criteria that we look at when evaluating opportunities,” Morgan told Marketing Brew. “We’re looking for icons, and we’re looking for [partners] who have passionate communities.”

Continue reading here.—JN

At CES, it’s the most wonderful (read: busiest) start to the year. And just like it has in years past, Disney didn’t hold back with a slew of ad innovations at its Global Tech & Data Showcase in Las Vegas on Wednesday.

While last year’s showcase touted capabilities like gamified ads and live sports ad bidding, this time around the House of Mouse trotted out new AI tools, including an AI-powered video generation tool along with vertical video. It also highlighted some existing products, including its measurement and analytics tool Disney Compass, which rolled out during last year’s showcase and which is getting souped up with additional features. And building off the debut of its streaming report Generation Stream last year, which highlighted global audience segments, Disney provided a preview of additional consumer behavior research it’s investing in.

“The past year has brought extraordinary change, from rapid consolidation across the industry to breakthrough advances in AI that are reshaping how we work,” Rita Ferro, Disney’s global advertising president, said during the presentation. “With constant transformation, one thing remains clear: focus drives impact. And that principle is guiding our investments in technology, insights, and partnerships.”

Disney’s announcements included:

Right place, right time? Disney is rolling out an AI-powered video generation tool that can help build creative for brands by taking into account input like audience, context, and placement, and using existing brand assets. The goal is to help brands “put the right creative in front of the right viewer at the right time,” Tony Donohoe, the company’s EVP of ad platforms, said during the presentation.

Not-so-secret agent: Disney’s internal teams are now using an AI-powered media planning tool that uses client briefs, forecasting, pricing, and audience agents to help build campaign plans, according to Donohoe.

Read more here.—JS

Shoppers spent a record $257.8 billion online during the holiday season this year, a 6.8% year over year jump, according to Adobe Analytics.

The shopping season, which spans November 1 through December 31, saw 25 days when spending hit $4 billion, besting 2024’s 18 days. Use of buy now, pay later methods also peaked this year, up 9.8% to $20 billion, posting the largest-ever spend day on Cyber Monday.

Online Cyber Week spend rose 7.7% YoY to $44.2 billion online. While Cyber Monday proved to be the biggest e-commerce day of the year, bringing in $14.25 billion in spend (up 7.1%), Black Friday’s growth actually outpaced Cyber Monday, with online spend jumping 9.1% to $11.8 billion.

Electronics were the top category, up 8.2% YoY to $59.8 billion, followed by apparel and furniture. Cosmetics got a 9.3% bump to $8.4 billion, while grocery spend increased 10.2% to $23.7 billion. Top sellers included video games, refrigerators and freezers, washers and dryers, and headphones and speakers.

Consumers shopped on their phones even more this season, with smartphone transactions accounting for 56.4% of online spend, compared to 54.5% in 2024. Mobile shopping peaked on Christmas Day, followed by Thanksgiving.

Read more on Retail Brew.—EC

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.

• Senior Manager, Regional Social Media Marketing & Community at SanDisk
• Senior Brand and Product Marketing Manager at Acuity Inc.
• Manager, Digital Marketing & Social Media at NASCAR
• Sr. Director, Pro Digital Experience at The Home Depot
• Manager, Consumer Marketing & Tenant Relations at NASCAR

Stories we’re jealous of.

• The New York Times wrote about how a lapsed trademark for Gourmet allowed journalists to revive the long-defunct magazine as an online newsletter.
• Wired wrote about the messy rollout of Roblox’s AI-enabled age-verification system that aims to improve children’s safety on the platform.
• Business Insider wrote about why brands are investing in A-list celebrity and influencer talent more than ever before.