If you’ve never heard of Rivian, the California-based EV brand wants to change that with the launch of its second-generation vehicle, the R2.

The midsize, five-seat electric SUV is at the heart of Rivian’s strategy to go from a niche, premium brand to a mass-market behemoth in the same league as automakers like Tesla and GM.

“The whole essence of how we’ve designed Rivian has been set up for R2,” RJ Scaringe, Rivian’s founder and CEO, told Morning Brew during an event in Utah earlier this month. “The future of the business is dependent on R2 scaling.”

Deliveries of the R2 begin soon, starting with a launch edition priced around $58,000. By next summer, the company aims to have a $45,000 version in the hands of customers.

The product launch comes as the US EV market navigates choppy waters after the Trump administration killed a $7,500 federal tax credit for EV purchases last fall. But Scaringe insists that with the right product, customers will come—and that brand awareness will grow organically on the strength of the product.

Ahead of the R2 launch, Rivian hosted block parties in nine cities across the country to give consumers a chance to engage with the vehicle. The company plans an omnichannel marketing campaign throughout the rest of 2026.

“We are so excited to bring R2 to spaces all over the country, where customers will be able to view the vehicles and take them for test drives,” Jenny Lewis, Rivian’s VP of marketing, said in a statement to Morning Brew. “This is in addition to a multi-channel marketing campaign that will roll out over the next few months to celebrate this major milestone with our community, and invite new customers to start their adventure with us.”

Continue reading here.—JG

If you want to stand out at Cannes Lions, showing up pretty much everywhere an attendee looks is a good place to start.

At this year’s festival, Adobe’s iconic red A could be spotted all along the Croisette, including by serving as the first-ever headline partner for the festival’s growing Lions Creators track. Beyond that, its technology was on display throughout other brand spaces, including at Pinterest, LinkedIn, and Sport Beach, where Adobe products were part of hands-on experiences.

“This is an event where the entire creative industry comes together from across the world to talk about what’s working, what’s changing, and where things are going,” Dave Justice, Adobe’s GM/VP, Americas Enterprise, told us. “We felt like it was an important moment for Adobe.”

Justice sat down with Marketing Brew at Cannes Lions to tell us more about the brand’s presence at Cannes and why the company is so bullish on creator marketing. Here are a few highlights.

See more from our conversation here.—KS

Many LGBTQ+ consumers are pulling back spending at several top retailers due to the perceived lack of support for the community, a new report from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRCF) found.

Target is the top company LGBTQ+ consumers associated with a pullback in spending due to a drop in commitments to the LGBTQ+ community, followed by Walmart, Amazon, Chick-fil-A, and The Home Depot, according to a survey of 10,000 LGBTQ+ and 5,000 non-LGBTQ+ adults.

Costco was the top brand consumers associated with “visible commitment” to LGBTQ+ consumers and therefore increased spending, with Apple, Ben & Jerry’s, Delta, and Kroger rounding out the top five.

Respondents also most often named Costco as the most “authentically supportive” of LGBTQ+ consumers, followed by Apple, Starbucks, Delta, and Subaru.

In an emailed statement to Retail Brew, Amazon spokesperson Brad Glasser said the company is committed to establishing a workforce to serve “the most globally diverse customers in the world” and supporting opportunities for employees “to grow, thrive, and connect internally and in their communities.” Target, Walmart, Home Depot, and Chick-fil-A did not respond to Retail Brew’s request for comment.

Read more on Retail Brew.—EC

Mergers and acquisitions, company partnerships, and more.

• Walmart is reportedly set to acquire self-serve streaming ad platform Vibe.co.
• Target’s retail media division is partnering with DirecTV Advertising to target viewers using the retailer’s first-party data.
• Verizon tapped Off Campus star Stephen Kalyn for its latest campaign, which comes on the heels of its viral ad starring Connor Storrie of Heated Rivalry.
• Coors Light partnered with the Toronto Tempo on a “Tall Girl” can.
• Iren, an AI cloud company, is the latest jersey-patch partner of the Golden State Warriors, replacing Rakuten.
• Puma signed the No. 22 pick in this year’s NBA draft, Labaron Philon Jr., to its basketball roster, as well as Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell.
• Nascar collaborated with The Rolling Stones on a collection of merch celebrating the band’s forthcoming studio album.
• WPP is no longer using LiveRamp.