Athletes are prone to injury, and women’s soccer players are no exception. So it only makes sense that, in addition to having official hydration and retail sponsors, the NWSL has an official pain reliever, too. This spring, Tylenol inked a multi-year partnership with the league, followed by a deal with its New York and New Jersey team, Gotham FC, that was announced this summer.

Both sponsorships are part of a relatively new effort from Tylenol to get more involved in the sports space, and the push so far has hinged almost entirely on the women’s game.

“As we were trying to figure out what we wanted to do to connect with our consumers and support women’s sports, it just was really clear for us [that] sports and pain relief go very well together,” Jen Gow, US head of pain at Tylenol’s parent company, Kenvue, told Marketing Brew. “Greatness hurts, and we want to support great athletes.”

While the brand is still in the midst of its first season with the NWSL, Gow said the league is already exposing Tylenol to new audiences, indicating early success and making the brand’s marketers consider the potential for a long-term investment in women’s soccer.

Continue reading here.—AM

Google is heading back to court on Monday for the remedy phase of United States v. Google LLC, where it faced judgment of operating an advertising monopoly.

Up to speed: US District Court Judge Leonie Brinkema ruled against Google back in April after closing arguments were given last November, finding that the company maintained monopolies in the open web display publisher ad server and ad exchange markets and illegally tied its ad exchange to its publisher ad server.

The court is reconvening in Alexandria, Virginia, to determine remedies that could have broader repercussions in the ad industry.

Last time around: The US Department of Justice sued Google in January 2023, accusing the tech giant of monopolizing the online advertising industry. The DOJ claimed that Google sought to stave off competition through several acquisitions, essentially forcing publishers and advertisers to use its tech and driving up prices in the process.

Google’s lawyers argued that the strength of the company’s ad-tech is why it rules the roost in the market. They pointed to companies involved in landmark Supreme Court antitrust cases, like Microsoft, Standard Oil, and AT&T, and argued that they had a greater share of their markets than Google does within the digital ads realm. However, during the trial, a lot of internal emails were shared with the court that seemed to illuminate a different view.

Continue reading here.—JS

The proliferation of AI tools—and the advertising pitching said tools—can be overwhelming. Companies are pivoting to become “AI-first” (only to roll that back shortly after), offering new AI tools, cutting headcount because of AI, or finding some other way to communicate that their company won’t be left behind in the AI race.

That overwhelm was something Robbie Ferrara, global creative director at Monday.com, wanted to reflect in the software company’s latest campaign.

“There’s a lot of employees in large corporations that are feeling the pressure to implement AI,” Ferrara told Marketing Brew. “I think we’re all clear that AI is gonna have value, but none of us know how to implement it yet.”

Does Monday.com’s new campaign also pitch a new AI tool? Yes, of course, it does.

The 70-second hero spot introduces the tool, Monday Sidekick, by showing its offering as the one that finally soothes workers who are dealing with the pressure to implement AI tools by being the tool that’s actually useful and easy to understand. The company uses humor and an on-the-nose music cue, a cover of Dirty Dancing’s theme song, “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life,” to do so.

Continue reading here.—KM

Insurance is rarely top of mind, but strong brand equity can keep you ahead when customers are ready to buy. On Oct. 2, Kantar will walk you through the metrics that matter most—salience, fluency, and predisposition—to help you build awareness, drive affinity, and secure long-term growth.

Executive moves across the industry.

• KFC’s US arm hired Melissa Cash as CMO.
• Disney tapped ESPN’s Katina Arnold to be SVP of Disney Advertising communications.
• Gap brought on board Estée Lauder alum John Demsey and Coach vet Reed Krakoff as beauty and accessories executive directors.