There was a time when travel-related brands heavily relied on influencers to sell a fantasy. These partnerships often resulted in a Facetuned photograph of a popular figure on a sandy beach, standing in crystal-clear waters with a candy-colored cocktail. Or they could be seen enjoying a picturesque view from their fancy hotel room, perhaps quietly anticipating all the other Instagram-ready moments that lied ahead. Regardless, the center of these curated moments were rarely the brand or even the influencer themselves; it was aspiration.

Brands had a slow start when it came to the NCAA's name, image and likeness (NIL) policy that went into effect in July 2021. But 18 months in, brands, athletes and colleges seem to have found their footing, resulting in a slew of deals. While the usual suspects such as Nike and Gatorade are in the mix, plenty of smaller brands have used NIL to connect with local markets and highlight female athletes.

One of the stars of Aflac’s first animated feature is, not surprisingly, a duck; however, the lead of The Park Bench is Bella, a girl scared and confused when her father is hospitalized. As he heals, she nurses the duck, who also becomes her friend, to recover from its broken wing. On the same day her father returns from the hospital, the duck is ready to depart and fly south for the winter. 

We’re just days away before the National Football League’s big game on Sunday between the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals. 

Two brands, one a Super Bowl stalwart and another a newbie, take PRWeek behind the scenes of their social media “war rooms” — set up virtually, of course — from the monitoring tools they’ve put in place to the conversations they’ll be looking to jump into during the broadcast. 

Here are our 40 best campaigns for the 2021 Global SABRE Awards, ranked from 40 to Best in Show.

It’s October, and that means one thing. (OK, it means several things -- buying too much candy, a return to raking leaves and pumpkin spice everything, to name a few). But it’s definitely also time for The Home Depot’s giant skeletons to shine. 

Coach Prime, aka Deion Sanders, sauntered into the office of Nick Saban with a marching band following his lead.

“Coach Prime, what, no smoke machine?” the Alabama coach quizzically asked.

Yep, that happened — in a scene for an Aflac commercial featuring the two high-profile college head coaches.