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Welcome to The Brief by Kuro House, your daily dose of the most compelling stories in the marketing world. Today, we’re diving into fresh moves from Meta and the NBA, a fascinating lesson in authenticity from Italian soccer, and a look at what’s hot in the streaming wars. Let’s get you up to speed.

First up, let’s talk about authenticity and how it’s propelling an underdog soccer club into the international spotlight. According to Adweek, actor Mark Consuelos and business partner Matt Rizzetta—alongside Kelly Ripa and others—acquired Campobasso FC, a little-known Italian soccer team, in 2022. What started as a passion project rooted in Consuelos’s Italian heritage quickly turned into a case study in genuine brand building. They’ve not only pulled the club from the amateur ranks into professional leagues but also made it the subject of a Disney and ESPN docuseries, “Running With the Wolves.” Consuelos and Rizzetta credit their success to staying true to the club’s roots—speaking Italian at press conferences, respecting local customs, and weaving the club into their personal lives and media appearances. For example, when Consuelos swapped jerseys with Ryan Reynolds on “LIVE with Kelly and Mark”—both actors being soccer club owners—the moment made national news in Italy. Their approach has attracted marketing partners like Liquid Death and shone a spotlight on the Molise region, where the club is based. The key takeaway? In a world of over-commercialized sports and entertainment, authenticity still resonates and can create a family-like bond with fans and partners alike.

Switching gears to social media, Meta is experimenting with a major change on Instagram Reels. As reported by Adweek, Instagram is now testing skippable ads in Reels, giving users the ability to bypass ads—much like YouTube’s long-standing model. When scrolling through Reels, users may now see a countdown timer signaling an incoming ad, followed by a “skip” button. Meta says this limited test is to see if skippable formats help users discover businesses without overwhelming them. Notably, unlike YouTube, Meta has no plans to share ad revenue with creators for this format. This move comes as marketers are pouring more money into social media—Gartner’s 2025 CMO Spend Survey shows a 10% year-over-year increase in paid media budgets, with social as the second-largest channel. Instagram, in particular, has a higher purchase intent than Facebook or YouTube, making it a valuable testing ground for new ad formats. Skippable ads may not bring in more dollars immediately, but they’ll provide Meta with important engagement signals and help balance monetization with user experience.

Now, let’s talk streaming. Tyler Perry’s “Beauty in Black” has topped Nielsen’s streaming ratings for the week of September 15, according to Adweek. The Netflix drama’s second season pulled in a massive 1.354 billion viewing minutes, overtaking previous chart leader “Wednesday.” Notably, over half of “Beauty in Black’s” audience is Black, and Hispanic viewership more than doubled from 14% to 31% week-over-week. Netflix dominated the charts, holding six of the top ten spots, with “Black Rabbit” and “Wednesday” rounding out the top three. Prime Video’s “The Summer I Turned Pretty” was the first non-Netflix entry at number five, while Paramount+’s “SpongeBob SquarePants” and Disney+’s “Bluey” also made strong showings. The numbers highlight Netflix’s continued dominance in original content, but also the growing appeal of diverse stories and audiences in the streaming landscape.

Speaking of streaming, the NBA is making a big play to solve one of sports fans’ biggest headaches: finding where to watch their favorite games. As reported by Adweek, the NBA is launching a new “Tap to Watch” digital initiative ahead of its new season and fresh media deals with ABC/ESPN, NBC/Peacock, and Amazon Prime Video. Here’s how it works: On NBA.com, the NBA app, and team sites, fans will see a “watch” button that, based on their location and subscriptions, takes them directly to the correct streaming platform—whether that’s Peacock, Prime Video, or elsewhere. These call-to-action links will also appear across social platforms like Meta, X, and Snap. If you’re already subscribed, you jump straight to the game; if not, you get the option to sign up. This move is all about reducing fragmentation and making it easier for fans to tune in, no matter where the game is broadcast. The NBA’s also pushing this info through its flagship show, “The Association,” and will keep evolving the experience with more partners and platforms. It’s a fan-first approach aimed at making live games as accessible as possible in an increasingly complex streaming world.

That’s all for today’s Brief. From the power of authenticity in sports marketing to big shifts in digital ad formats and the ongoing streaming wars, it’s clear that the landscape is constantly evolving. Staying authentic, putting the user experience first, and embracing innovation are the threads tying today’s top stories together. Thanks for tuning in—keep your edge sharp, and we’ll catch you tomorrow.