In this episode of BRANDED Weekly, we break down the brand moves (and misfires) dominating headlines:– Grok’s AI glitch: What happens when your chatbot forgets the filter?– Nvidia’s China play: Smart diplomacy or dangerous double game?– Amazon’s 4-day Prime Day: A flex or a flop?– KFC’s rebrand: Why the Colonel’s now obsessed.– Superman x Roku: Movie marketing meets voice AI.– Sprite’s spicy stunt: Burn your mouth, boost your brand.

The biggest brand moves – July 4–11, 2025
Amazon expands Prime Day to four days, but do longer sales lose their punch? Sephora offers free Lyft rides to stores, Coca-Cola brings back “Share a Coke” with a Star Wars twist, and Ben’s Original tries to move on from Uncle Ben.
Plus, TikTok Shop crosses $1B in US sales, Boeing tries to fix its image, and Wall Street sends mixed signals on ad budgets.
Also, don’t forget: National Nude Day is coming (Tom might not be dressed for next week’s episode)

Nike’s back to its roots. Unilever just paid $1.5B for a soap brand. Cloudflare declared war on AI. Oh, and Pamela Anderson is suddenly a branding icon again.
This week, Ben Kaplan and Tom Cain unpack the smartest (and strangest) marketing moves across the globe:

• Nike ditches lifestyle for core athleticism
• Dr. Squatch and the billion-dollar soap game
• Cloudflare vs. AI crawlers — is the internet changing?
• Sainsbury’s market share surprise
• Celebrity endorsements vs real influence
• Tesla’s fully driverless delivery
• NASA streams on Netflix
• And the rise of an AI-generated rock band?

Smart takes. Big brands. No fluff.