March Madness is always packed with buzzer-beaters, upsets — and increasingly, unexpected brand plays. This year, Planet Fitness is offering hydromassage chairs on wheels, Great Clips is teaming up with a "Saturday Night Live" comedian, and Dr. Scholl’s is telling the story of a mom who may have raised the next NBA star.

They may not have the budgets of big-brand sponsors like Coca-Cola, Capital One and AT&T, but these challenger brands are getting creative about how to muscle into tournament conversations — with mobile activations, strategic storytelling, and plenty of social media.

Planet Fitness is hitting the road with its first-ever PF Mobile Black Card Spa, an activation that’s parking outside major tournament markets including Atlanta, Birmingham, and San Antonio. The mobile spa features massage chairs, a hydromassage bed, and a CryoLounge+ cold therapy station. Ads for the activations are voiced by college basketball icon Dick Vitale.

“We understand this time of year watching your favorite team can feel as intense and strenuous as a workout,” says Brian Povinelli, the company’s CMO, in an email to Marketing Daily. “The ups and downs of every March basketball season will truly test your strength. We are bringing the rebound and recovery in-club experience Planet Fitness is known for directly to basketball fans. Our goal is to help people de-stress and recharge for all of the big games with the amenities traditionally offered to our PF Black Card members.”

The effort includes a national offer for fans at home too: a free month of Planet Fitness’ Black Card membership with just $1 down.

Great Clips, the official hair salon of March Madness, is leaning into laughs, bringing in "Saturday Night Live"'s Mikey Day for its latest campaign. The Minneapolis-based chain is known for its long-running presence during March Madness, and offering a familiar $10-off on all haircuts. But this year, it’s upping its media game with a comedy-forward push that includes NCAA athletes Hunter Dickinson (University of Kansas) and Lucy Olsen (University of Iowa), alongside plenty of Instagram and TikTok content. Ads are running across CBS, TBS, TNT, and TruTV for the men’s tournament, and on ESPN during the women’s.

Dr. Scholl’s is playing the long game, highlighting the often-invisible labor of sports moms. Its new campaign, “The [Un]Official Sponsor of Sports Moms,” features Kelly Flagg, mother of Duke University’s Cooper Flagg, the presumed No. 1 pick in June’s NBA Draft and a frontrunner for national player of the year. The effort promotes the brand’s 24-Hour Energy Multipurpose Insoles, casting them as essential equipment for moms running on fumes.

“At Dr. Scholl’s, we know that moms are the ultimate game-changers,” said Kate Godbout, the brand’s CMO, in the announcement. “We’re proud to give them the energy and support they need to keep showing up and giving their all.”

The campaign runs across media, social, and brand-owned platforms -- with Duke already in the Sweet 16, and Flagg drawing headlines as the tournament’s breakout star.

There are no guarantees in NCAA basketball’s famously hard-to-predict March Madness tournament. No one has ever filled out a perfect bracket predicting the results of the men’s or women’s basketball tournament, according to the NCAA, which, on a post on its website, estimates the odds of a perfect bracket at around 1 in 120.2 billion.

That makes the tournament a seemingly ideal platform for longtime tournament sponsor AT&T’s “AT&T Guarantee” campaign, which contrasts the brand’s recently introduced network reliability and customer care pledge with the things in life that do not come with a guarantee. A sponsor of NCAA men’s and women’s Mach Madness basketball, and the Final Four, for over 20 years, AT&T teamed up with a host of NBA, men’s college basketball, and women’s college basketball stars for its March Madness campaign.

“Villanova BFFs” features New York Knicks stars Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and Mikal Bridges, and the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Donte DiVincenzo. The 30-second spot shows how “staying close with your college besties” is not guaranteed, depicting DiVincenzo feeling excluded from the three Knicks teammates’ inner circle, before they toss him a Villanova cap.

“Shai, Chet & Jalen” stars the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams as they navigate an outfit miscommunication.

And Duke Blue Devils player Cooper Flagg takes center stage in an eponymously named spot depicting his lack of chill after winning at bingo.

While NCAA women’s basketball stars don’t appear to get equal billing in the campaign, UCLA Bruins teammates Lauren Betts and Kiki Rice star do in the 15-second “Lauren & KIki,” which notes that AT&T’s guarantee is meant for the brand’s “fast, friendly service,” not in helping customers avoid plot spoilers.

The campaign is running across NCAA March Madness broadcast partners CBS, TBS, TNT, Tru TV and ESPN, and associated digital channels. It follows the launch of the “AT&T Guarantee” campaign during NCAA football’s Orange Bowl game back in January.

This week, AT&T also celebrated the Congressional Gold Medal being awarded to the “Hello Girls" --  a group of women AT&T trainees who served during World War I as telephone operators for the American Expeditionary Forces -- with posts on its website and social media pages. An “Explain It To Me Like It’s 1925” post on the brand’s Instagram page calls the veterans the “OG comms queens,” noting they connected some 26 million calls while operating switchboards during World War I. 

The top two search engines have begun to roll out AI multimodal models with vision capabilities — with user permission, of course. Google and Microsoft have been demonstrating the features during the past year. Now they have begun to show us what the technology can do and how it will change search.

There is no word yet on whether advertisers will get an AI vision-type of feature from Google and Microsoft that enables them to test ads across search.

Wouldn't it be a good thing if Google Project Astra and Microsoft Copilot Vision had the ability to test ads in real time and then make responsive changes depending on the reaction of the consumer?

Here's what these AI vision-based agents can do now.

Project Astra is Google’s vision for AI agents. The company first demonstrated the technology in early 2024, but recently began to roll out the AI feature for smartphones running the Android operating system (OS). It integrates Project Astra capabilities with Gemini.

In real time, the feature allows Gemini to see and ask questions about what is on the user's screen.

Astra allows Gemini to integrate the phone’s front-facing camera, for example, to request that Gemini assist with something such as helping someone choose a paint color.

In December 2024, Google explained that the prototype, Project Astra, at the time was powered by Gemini 2.0 and used an Android app or prototype glasses to record the world as a person is seeing it.

Astra summarized in a video what it saw, answering questions with content that pulled from Google services such as Search, Maps, Lens and Gemini.

Microsoft Copilot Vision, which can see what people do on the web, was announced in October and released the preview in December 2024. I first received a notice earlier this month. It can see, explain, and give context to websites. 

This past week, Microsoft released Copilot Vision for Android devices for Pro subscribers in United States.

Copilot Vision allows users to use their Android phone’s camera to get help from Copilot by sharing what they see and talking about it. 

Access to Copilot Vision in Edge has expanded to all users for free in the U.S. Copilot can browse alongside the user and instantly scan, analyze, and offer insights based on what it sees on their webpage. 

The tool can understand the full context of what someone does online.

When someone chooses to enable Copilot Vision, it sees the page they are looking at, reads along, and can talk through a problem the user may face. Vision makes browsing an interactive experience.

Copilot can now answer questions with responses with images or videos where appropriate. These enhancements are currently available on desktop and will roll out to mobile in the coming weeks.  

In February, Microsoft introduced Magma model, which integrates visual perception with language comprehension to help AI-powered assistants or robots understand surroundings they have not been trained on.

These models can suggest appropriate actions for new tasks — such as making use of a tool or navigating a website and clicking a button to execute a command. Microsoft said this is a significant step toward AI agents that can serve as versatile, general-purpose assistants.

Shelly Palmer, CEO of The Palmer Group, a consulting practice, has provided details on how to think about and then write or code an AI agent. He outlines product requirements, from defining the problem to focusing on the outcome. Keep it simple and pay attention to security requirements, he explains.

"The gap between 'I want an agent' and 'I have an agent' is bridged by a clear Product Requirements Document (PRD)," he wrote, showing how to create one.

Manischewitz, the 130-year-old food/wine brand, isn’t just popular with Jews. The wine was marketed across religious lines, while its classic Jewish cuisine has been a comfort food for generations.

The wine’s ad slogan, "Man, oh, Manischewitz," became so iconic that Apollo 17 astronaut Gene Cernan exclaimed it during his 1972 moon mission.

Now, the brand is rebranding.

And it begins with the first Manischewitz Deli on Wheels— a mobile Jewish deli serving authentic cuisine year-round. The food truck brings traditional and modern fare directly to consumers, including knishes, matzo ball soup, babka, rugelach and all-beef hot dogs.

“The Manischewitz Deli on Wheels is backed by a digital and social campaign to keep everyone informed of its locations throughout the year,” said Elie Rosenfeld, CEO of Joseph Jacobs Advertising, the agency responsible for the creative.

Follow the Deli on Wheels at Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, X and manischewitz.com/foodtruck for “great food, good laughs and updates on where to meet the team.” Rosenfeld told Agency Daily. “We're bringing delicious, authentic Jewish flavors to the masses.”

The truck is also a locus for special events, product activations and Manischewitz merch.

Starting March 27 just ahead of Passover, the Deli on Wheels will debut at high-traffic ShopRite locations in New York and New Jersey, offering free samples of product innovations and holiday staples. The truck pauses during the holiday, from April 12 to April 20, before resuming its travels as a mobile restaurant.

Shani Seidman, CMO of Kayco Kosher, the parent company of Manischewitz, added: “This food truck is a key part of our rebranding efforts, inviting culturally curious consumers to experience and enjoy the richness of Jewish cuisine. It strengthens our connection with loyal customers, while expanding our cultural relevance to a younger Jewish audience and mainstream consumers.”

Apple's App Tracking Transparency (ATT) privacy framework could have contributed to the decline in U.S. game installs and time spent with the apps in 2024, as well as in the first quarter of 2025.

ATT opt-in rates rose slightly from 37.5% to 37.9% in Q1 2025, according to data from Adjust. But the recent study, Gaming App Insights 2025, from the measurement and analytics company suggests AI-driven behavior data can turn that around.

Generative AI-driven personalization has begun to enhance in-game experiences and provide predictive retention strategies, according to Adjust, an analytics and measurement company.

The data identifies trends and patterns expected to shape the gaming app industry in 2025. These trends include personalization through artificial intelligence (AI), hybrid monetization and user acquisition (UA) strategies. 

“Developers can personalize experiences, optimize game mechanics, and offer targeted rewards that drive longer play sessions, encourage repeat engagement, and ultimately improve retention,” said Tiahn Wetzler, director of content and insights at Adjust. “With increased prevalence of AI and machine learning technology to personalize content, from ad creative through to the user journey, it has become more and more possible to give cohorts, and even individual users, experiences that convert.”

Roughly 57% of the U.S. population is projected to play digital games in 2025, according to Emarketer. Asia-Pacific will account for more than 57%, with 588.9 million coming from China and 460.7 million from India. But the fastest growth will come from the Middle East and Africa.

Adjust’s 2024 data suggests North America saw the steepest decline of app installs, down 11%. Sessions dropped 14% in the same year, compared with the prior year, signaling user engagement challenges. 

Middle East and North Africa with 10%, and Latin America at 8% led global gaming app install growth in 2024, while sessions increased 7% and 5%, respectively. 

Asia-Pacific app installs grew 4% while sessions declined 3%, indicating retention challenges. Europe experienced a 1% drop in installs and 6% drop in sessions, reflecting possible issues with user engagement.

Global gaming app installs overall rose by 4% YoY in 2024, although the amount of time spent with content fell by 0.6% after a very challenging prior year, according to recent data.

The hyper-casual category garnered 27% of installs, the largest global share. Action games, despite representing just 10% of installs, generated 21% of sessions.

Gaming app businesses need sophisticated analytics to drill into what converts and what doesn’t, and how that differs based on regional preferences, device types, and demographic data, Wetzler said.

“Staying ahead of evolving privacy laws, regulations, and frameworks is critical to success. From Apple’s ATT, to laws like the DMA and CCPA, the ability to work with aggregated and privacy-compliant data as part of a bigger measurement picture means adopting a next-generation mindset, which is fundamentally data-based and agile.”

The friendly employees seen in many fast food restaurant commercials are being replaced by artificial technology. 

Even though other fast-food chains have tried the new tech out with mixed results, AI will soon be taking your drive-thru orders at 500 Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and KFC locations.

“Through a partnership with technology company Nvidia, fast-food giant Yum! Brands said it will begin rolling out AI at hundreds of its locations starting in April and continuing through June,” according to USA Today. “That includes using the company's voice-ordering tech, which will handle complex menu orders and navigate customer speech patterns, according to a news release this week.”

Yum! Brands announced the partnership last week at Nvidia’s GTC conference, the chipmaker’s annual developer conference.

So what are the advantages of putting a computer as the public face of your brand? 

“AI could speed up the time it takes for a person to order food at a drive-through or call center, especially during big events like game days when demand could surge at popular restaurants,”  according to the Los Angeles Times. “On average, the total amount of time a customer spends in a drive-through is 5 minutes and 29 seconds, according to a 2024 drive-through study by Intouch Insights. The study, which involved shoppers placing orders at the drive-throughs of fast food restaurants, found that only 4% of visits involved AI technology, but the total time spent was faster by 29 seconds.”

Other fast food restaurants are also experimenting with the technology including Wendy’s, which announced in February it was deploying voice-enabled AI to take orders at up to 600 restaurants nationwide after executives "really liked" the results of the pilot program, which incorporated the technology at nearly 100 locations.

However, McDonald’s ended a pilot AI program last July after customers reported the tool got orders wrong. In 2021, the fast food giant partnered with IBM to test-run the AI ordering technology at over 100 locations, according to CNBC and Fox Business.

For those who aren’t fans of talking to AI, yelling “representative” over and over again won’t do you any good at the drive-thru window. There’s always the restaurants mobile apps, which offer a goes of having to use your voice all together. 

Google has spent nearly $66 billion on its top 10 acquisitions -- with half of that spent on acquiring Wiz, estimates CB Insights.

But how do you put a price on security -- especially when the threats are related to your top business, cloud services and online advertising?

In a research note published earlier this week, the analyst firm wrote that the $33 billion acquisition of cloud security Israeli startup Wiz is 2.4x larger than its second-largest purchase, Motorola Mobility, in 2012. It even surpassed Cisco’s acquisition of Splunk for $28 billion in March 2024.

The analyst firm makes an interesting point. Google’s merger-and-acquisition strategy has evolved from ad technology, such as YouTube and DoubleClick, to mobile such as Nest and Motorola, to cloud such as Mandiant and Looker. Now the company needs cloud security to protect this movement.

Google's acquisition of Wiz addresses security challenges in the cloud services and ad-serving era, driven by AI-powered threats and safety.

Wiz strengthened its position as a leader in cloud cyber security, especially since Assaf Rappaport, co-founder and CEO at Wiz, walked away from a potential $23 billion acquisition by Alphabet, Google’s parent company, last year.

Wiz this week reached an acquisition deal with Alphabet that had a price tag of $32 billion.

“The company generates about $700mn of annualized recurring revenue — a common metric used by software start-ups,” reported the Financial Times. People familiar with the company said “it was on track for that figure to surpass $1bn this year.”

Did Rappaport plan this move? Some insiders said yes, although the company publicly said there were no plans to go public in 2025. It hired a former executive at DreamWorks and Tanium as a chief financial officer.

Sometimes hiring a CFO is a sign of getting books ready for a public offering, Bill Hogan, board member and advisor at the cybersecurity company Sphere that specializes in Identity Hygiene, wrote in an email to MediaPost. 

“One of the reasons the talks failed previously was the inability of the two companies to agree on whether Wiz would remain a separate division or be integrated into Google Cloud,” he wrote. “Plus, the high regulatory scrutiny for large transactions during the Biden administration also contributed to the deal’s breakdown last summer.”

Now that the deal is done, he said, it will have a significant impact on the cybersecurity space. “We will just have to wait and see how,” he wrote.

The AI boom will require Google and others that support cloud services to tighten cybersecurity, even if they must spend billions of dollars to get there.

The acquisition is just one more creative move for Google to take additional market share to compete with Amazon, Google, Oracle and others.

For the sake of keeping companies, brands and advertisers safe, here's hoping that the Department of Justice doesn't view this as a monopoly. 

Consumers worldwide have lost trust in brands when it comes to protecting their privacy. 

Privacy fears prompted 82% of consumers to abandon brands last year, according to a new study from Thales: Consumer Trust Index.  

And why wouldn’t they be suspicious? Of the individuals polled, 19% learned that their personal data was compromised in the past year. 

Moreover, 63% feel that brands put too much onus on the consumer to protect their own data. Indeed, 86% expect some level of privacy rights with firms they interact with online. 

The sheer hassle of remembering passwords has caused 75% to favor passwordless authentication via biometric data or a PIN -- up from 72% last year.  

Which sectors are most trusted? Banking remains the top vertical in this regard, although only 32% of those ages 16-24 have faith in it, down from 44% in the prior year.  

Oddly, 42% government organizations are now more trusted, compared to 37% last time. The least trusted sector is news media, at 3%. 

All this is harming companies. Consumers list these five reasons for abandoning a brand in the past 12 months: 

• Demanding too much personal information — 32%
• Poor online support — 27%
• Concerns about how my personal information is used — 25%
• A long sign-up process — 25% 
• Website too slow — 24%

Most of us, even those in the profession, have experienced these aggravating issues. Why can’t companies get it right?

Take the challenges faced by a new banking customer.  “A conventional onboarding process would require her to visit the branch, get in a queue and wait for a long time for the bank to run its administrative processes,” the study says.

Int adds “A digital onboarding experience still requires an excessive amount of back-end processing, but hides that complexity from the consumer who can be up and running in the matter of a few clicks.”

The user can enter a mobile phone number or email address. The system does the rest, affirming identity with device intelligence, behavioral analytics, behavioral biometrics and consortium intelligence. 

Granted, consumers make take a dim view of some of these practices if they learn about them through exposes. The best policy is transparency. 

The takeaway?  “Global trust in digital services is decreasing or remaining stagnant at best, even among highly regulated industries,” says Sebastien Cano, senior vice president, cybersecurity products at Thales.

“One area that does not remain stagnant is the threat landscape. Consumers are more aware than ever before of online threats, and the consequences of their data falling into the wrong hands,” Cano adds.

On behalf of Thales, Censuswide and the Red Consultancy surveyed 14,009 consumers  in Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, Mexico, Japan, Netherlands, Singapore, Sweden, United Arab Emirates, the U.K. and the U.S.