The Week in Commerce Marketing — Retail, E-commerce and DTC: May 23, 2025 edition

Welcome to The Week in Commerce Marketing — Retail, E-commerce and DTC, a weekly roundup for marketers from Quad Insights.

Mattel is aiming to capitalize on two major trends — the increasing popularity of tabletop games and the consumer appetite for IRL experiences — with its latest activation, UNO Social Club. This new series of popup events will transform bars and other venues into “the ultimate game night destination,” per a brand statement, complete with UNO-themed cocktails, Insta-friendly photo moments and tournament-style play. Rounding out its omnichannel effort, Mattel has launched a TikTok giveaway via a custom hashtag and filter; the winning fan entry will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to the inaugural Social Club popup, which is scheduled to take place at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas this July. (The haul also includes two nights in a special UNO-themed hotel suite with a private bowling alley.) Mattel plans to announce UNO Social Club activations in other major U.S. cities later this year. (For more on IRL activations, see “The Return of Touch Report: Reimagining Consumer Engagement in 2025” — new consumer research from The Harris Poll, presented by Quad.) 

See also: “Mattel Match: Toybox Unlocked Unites Brands Like Barbie & Hot Wheels” (Trend Hunter)

More brand activations:

• “Social Media Activation Puts Crocs On NYC Statues” (MediaPost) 
  
• “Valentino Just Changed What a Brand Activation Can Look Like With Its Latest New York Project” (Cultured) 
  
• “Microsoft Celebrates 50 Years with Retro Dev Experience at Build 2025” (Design Rush)

Urban Outfitters (UO) is going big on back-to-school marketing this year with UO Haul, a new “360-degree customer experience” aimed at Gen Z shoppers, per a brand announcement. The multi-segment experiential campaign kicked off May 19 in Manhattan, where the retailer hosted a citywide scavenger hunt; clues led participants to a fleet of glass-walled trucks, which served as showrooms for UO’s dorm room offerings. (Get a peek here.) The winners scored invitations to a live music event with Katseye, the girl group featured on Netflix’s “Pop Star Academy,” as well as a preview of UO’s latest seasonal offerings. The campaign continues in June, by way of a collaboration with U-Haul, where recent high school graduates can win moving services and $1,000 in UO wares. The activation will culminate this summer with pop-ups at 20 UO stores in key college markets, offering “university-inspired” product collections.

Previously: “Urban Outfitters kicks off its new On Rotation retail concept with Nike,” from the May 16 edition of this column.

“Dogs are the original movement influencers. You have to walk them, no matter how busy you are, no matter the weather. And when people get back from that walk or jog, they feel so much better. Felix helps us celebrate that truth in a really joyful way.”

—Gary Raucher, ASICS Executive VP of Global Marketing, speaking with MediaPost about the footwear brand’s latest campaign ambassador: a 7-year-old white Samoyed named Felix. (Customers can nominate their dog to become an ASICS canine ambassador through a new online hub.)

More brand campaigns:

• “Topo Chico’s 130-Year Campaign Transforms Mexican Myth into Marketing Magic” (Little Black Book)
• “Sunglass Hut Charts New Direction With ‘Own Your Moment’ Campaign” (Women’s Wear Daily)
• “NBA releases ‘Unforgettable’ Finals promotion with throwback vignettes” (Sports Business Journal)

Major brands from a range of categories — from insurance to apparel and pharmaceuticals — are taking note of the women’s pro basketball boom. Now Sherwin-Williams is getting in on action, tapping Dallas Wings rookie Paige Bueckers to promote its “least popular” paint shade, Radiant Lilac SW 0074, for the second-annual “Loneliest Color” campaign. Bueckers, the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s WNBA draft, inaugurated the collaboration at Wednesday’s game against the Minneapolis Lynx; during her pregame tunnel walk, she wore a custom Radiant Lilac tracksuit, designed by legendary couturier Dapper Dan, who created the now-iconic Louis Vuitton mink coat for Olympic sprinter Diane Dixon in 1989. Sherwin-Williams is also running a special “Loneliest Color” promotion on its website, where fans can request a Radiant Lilac SW 0074 sample for their chance to win a free trip to see the Wings play in Dallas. 

More partnerships and promotions:

• “MrBeast Partners With Jack Link’s for Line of Jerky, Beef Sticks” (Bloomberg)
• “Albertsons partners with Antonia Lofaso for Chef’s Counter launch” (Supermarket Perimeter)
• “Ulta Strategies: How Ulta is tapping in-store associates for content creation with new ‘Ulta Beauties’ internal ambassador program” (Glossy)
• ICYMI: “You can now buy ‘real’ products in Roblox” (Vogue Business)

Since the 1930s, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) has maintained a curatorial department for architecture and design; today, that institutional arm is a fully realized retail operation, replete with brick-and-mortar shops (Tokyo, Hong Kong, New York) and a curated e-commerce experience. Its latest offering is the Now Generation 3 MoMA Edition instant camera, part of a collaboration with Polaroid. Featuring a monochrome pastel-blue colorway, this version has a nifty double-exposure mode, two-lens autofocus and comes with a trio of interchangeable wrist straps, all adorned with the museum’s classic, sans-serif logo. The collection also includes a run of limited-edition i-Type color film, which have 12 unique MoMA-branded frame designs and quotes from Vincent van Gogh, Meret Oppenheim, Milton Glaser and other artists. The Now Generation 3 MoMA Edition is available online at the MoMA Design Store and Polaroid.com, as well as at select retailers, priced from $129.99.

Previously: “The Met partners with Sprayground on limited-time bag collection,” from the Aug. 16, 2024 edition of this column.

More launches and collabs:

• “White Castle and Heelys Launch Iconic Nostalgia-Fueled Collaboration” (RetailWire)
• “Aldi brings the snark with ‘Burning Cash Candle’ giveaway” (Supermarket News)
• ICYMI: “Megan Thee Stallion launches swimwear line at Walmart” (Fashion Network)

Operations and innovations:

• “Google will let you ‘try on’ clothes with AI” (The Verge)
• “Saks Fifth Avenue Brand Heads to Costco: Sources” (Women’s Wear Daily)
• “Pottery Barn to Cross the Pond with UK Digital Launch” (Retail TouchPoints)
• “Nike is raising prices – and returning to Amazon” (CNN Business)
• “Target is heading to small towns across America. They’ve been waiting” (Modern Retail)
• “Amazon pilots audio product summaries” (Chain Store Age)
• “Levi’s to sell Dockers to Authentic Brands Group for $311M” (Retail Dive)
• ICYMI: “ALDI to Move Into Former Big Lots! Locations” (Progressive Grocer) 

Commerce insights:

• “This Grocery Chain Was Rated No. 1 in America by Millions of Reviewers” (Food & Wine)
• “Survey: Memorial Day shoppers to spend less; consumers to cut back on summer spend” (Chain Store Age)
• ICYMI: “Grocery store openings stalled in April” (Supermarket News)