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Welcome to The Brief by Kuro House, your daily dose of marketing insight. Today, we’re diving into the latest creative campaigns, bold strategic moves, and a few shakeups that are making waves in the marketing world. Whether you’re looking for holiday inspiration or want to keep your finger on the pulse of agency drama and platform power plays, we’ve got you covered.

Let’s start with the holiday season’s biggest battleground: Walmart and Target. According to Adweek, Walmart just unveiled its “WhoKnewVille” holiday campaign, a playful reimagining of Dr. Seuss’s Whoville, thanks to a collaboration with Dr. Seuss Enterprises. The campaign, developed by a suite of Publicis Groupe agencies, features Mindy Lou Who, the Grinch, and other Whos navigating the chaos of the season—but finding their holiday cheer restored thanks to Walmart’s app. Walmart positions itself as the ultimate holiday stress reliever, with 50 different “WhoKnewVille” executions rolling out across YouTube, social, ecommerce, and even influencer partnerships. The campaign is part of Walmart’s broader “Who Knew” platform, which aims to update customer perceptions and highlight Walmart’s digital, delivery, and membership offerings. This year, Walmart is sticking to a central creative idea throughout the entire season, a shift from previous years where nostalgia-driven ads like the Mean Girls reunion or Office Space spot were just one part of a larger mix. The stakes are high: Walmart’s Q2 revenue was up nearly 5% to $177.4 billion, and its global ecommerce jumped 25%. All this comes as Walmart’s shares have soared 123% over five years, while rival Target’s have dropped 65%. It’s a big, bold swing for Walmart, leaning into IP and nostalgia to drive home its evolution—and it’s going to be everywhere this holiday season.

Speaking of Target, they’re hoping a little magic—and a lot of charisma—can turn things around. Also reported by Adweek, Target is bringing back Kris K., better known on social media as “hot Santa.” Kris, a stylish, quirky, and ever-helpful Target employee, first appeared last year and quickly became a viral sensation, racking up over 70 million views under #TargetSanta on TikTok. This year, he’s the star of Target’s biggest holiday campaign yet, with 10 spots across TV, streaming, radio, and social. The campaign is launching at a critical moment: Target just announced it’s cutting 1,800 jobs, about 8% of its corporate staff, following four years of stagnant sales and consumer backlash over its handling of DEI initiatives. New CEO Michael Fiddelke has set out to rebuild merchandising, improve the in-store experience, and invest in tech. The holiday campaign leans into those priorities, with Kris guiding customers through gift picks, football watching, karaoke, and even dates—all designed to remind shoppers that Target is there to ease their holiday burden. It’s a strategic play for emotional connection and value, aiming to recapture lost ground and bring joy to a challenging season.

Now, let’s shift from holiday cheer to political drama. In a fascinating piece from Adweek, we learn that a new ad campaign from Ontario, Canada, has managed to enrage former President Donald Trump and even threaten cross-border trade talks. The $75 million campaign features Ronald Reagan’s voice, lifted from a 1987 radio address about free trade, to argue against American tariffs on Canadian goods. The ad, which aired on Fox, Bloomberg, and Newsmax, uses classic Americana imagery and Reagan’s words: “When someone says, ‘Let’s impose tariffs on foreign imports,’ it looks like they’re doing the patriotic thing… but over the long run, such trade barriers hurt every American, worker and consumer.” Trump lashed out on Truth Social, calling the ad “fraudulent” and “fake,” apparently more upset about the use of Reagan—a Republican icon—than the anti-tariff message. The Reagan Library chimed in, accusing the Ontario government of using “selective audio” and threatening legal action. Ontario Premier Doug Ford responded with Canadian politeness, calling the U.S. a friend and ally, while former Alberta premier Jason Kennedy insisted the ad was a direct replay of Reagan’s words. This ad joins a long tradition of political spots that aim to sway public opinion and policy, and it’s a rare example of international ad warfare making a real impact on diplomatic negotiations.

Next, let’s turn to the world of ad tech, where Amazon is making a bold move to win over media buyers. In an exclusive from Adweek, leaked slides reveal that Amazon is offering agencies a free, head-to-head test of its demand-side platform, Amazon DSP, against any rival DSP. Amazon is covering the cost of ad inventory, technology, and measurement tools for these trials, which run for four to six weeks with equal budgets and simultaneous campaigns on both platforms. The goal? To prove Amazon DSP’s value and performance, and ultimately drive greater adoption among agencies that might otherwise stick with more familiar platforms. This kind of aggressive, no-risk challenge is a sign of just how seriously Amazon is taking its ambitions in the programmatic ad space—and how competitive the DSP market has become.

Finally, there’s major news on the agency front. Adweek reports that AKQA, the WPP-owned digital agency, is seeing more high-profile departures. North America CEO Tesa Aragones and chief marketing and growth officer Jabari Hearn have both exited the company, following multiple rounds of reorganization in the past year. Jonathan Bolden, AKQA’s global chief transformation officer, will oversee the Americas on an interim basis while maintaining his current responsibilities. The agency is shifting its regional structure and management approach, and these leadership changes signal a period of uncertainty—and, perhaps, opportunity—for AKQA’s teams and clients. The company expressed appreciation for Aragones’ leadership and positive contributions, but with so much flux at the top, all eyes will be on how AKQA navigates the next chapter.

That’s it for today’s Brief. From nostalgic holiday storytelling to international ad warfare, and from aggressive platform plays to agency shakeups, the marketing world never stands still. Thanks for tuning in—stay sharp, stay curious, and we’ll catch you tomorrow.