Marketing Dive vs MarTech Series

ViralGains Wins Fierce AI Innovation Award for Programmatic Marketing

New press releases added to Marketing Dive's press release page, including ViralGains, FouAnalytics, MERGE, and more.

Gap launches fall denim campaign starring Inde Navarrette

Gap launched a fall campaign called “Denim on your own” that pairs actor Inde Navarrette with singer-songwriter Malcolm Todd. The spot, directed by Tanu Muiño with creative direction by Gap’s Calvin Leung, features Todd’s cover of Robyn’s “Dancing on My Own” and was rolled out across Gap’s digital and social channels, email, stores and out-of-home placements (including billboards in Times Square and on Sunset Boulevard). Paid media elements will run on major social/video platforms and via creator partnerships. The campaign highlights Gap’s continued focus on music-and-movement-driven marketing and follows recent celebrity collaborations that have helped revive Gen Z relevance and improved comparable sales.

• Gap launched a fall campaign titled “Denim on your own” starring Inde Navarrette and Malcolm Todd.
• Malcolm Todd recorded a cover of Robyn’s “Dancing on My Own” specifically for the campaign.
• The campaign rolled out across Gap’s digital and social channels, email, in-store, out-of-home (including Times Square and Sunset Boulevard billboards) and includes paid media and creator partnerships.

Express launches Y2K-inspired 'Too Easy' campaign

Express launched a fall marketing campaign titled "Too Easy to Look This Good," starring musician Tinashe and NFL player Tee Higgins. A 30-second hero video—directed by Colin Tilley, choreographed by JaQuel Knight and produced by London Alley—spotlights a Y2K-inspired denim-led collection and will run across streaming video, digital, social, print, in-store and online channels. The effort builds on Express’s "Dress to Express" brand platform (launched February 2025) and uses a social-first creator community called The Expressionists to extend the campaign. Chief Marketing Officer Joe Berean framed the push as part of the retailer’s brand-rebuilding strategy following its April 2024 Chapter 11 and subsequent acquisition by a Phoenix Retail joint venture.

• Express launched the fall campaign 'Too Easy to Look This Good' featuring Tinashe and Tee Higgins.
• A 30-second hero video was directed by Colin Tilley, choreographed by JaQuel Knight, and produced by London Alley.
• The campaign will run across streaming video, digital, social, print, in-store and online channels.

Tells.co to Attend Contact.io with SMS and AI Focus

Tells.co, a communications technology provider specializing in SMS, messaging, compliance-aware customer contact, and AI-powered conversation workflows, announced it will attend Contact.io 2026 in Denver (August 23–25, 2026). The company said it will meet with lead buyers, pay-per-call operators, contact centers, and platform teams to discuss speed-to-contact, SMS engagement, compliant conversation workflows, and how messaging and AI tools can complement voice programs. David Schlaegel, Co-Founder of Tells.co, is quoted saying Contact.io is where call, messaging, compliance, and AI customer-contact conversations converge. Attendees can request meetings with Tells via the company website.

• Tells.co is a communications technology provider focused on SMS, messaging, compliance-aware customer contact, and AI-powered conversation workflows.
• Tells.co announced it plans to attend Contact.io 2026, taking place August 23–25, 2026, at the Hyatt Regency Denver at Colorado Convention Center.
• Tells.co aims to meet with lead buyers, pay-per-call operators, contact centers, and platform teams to discuss speed-to-contact, SMS engagement, customer follow-up, and compliant conversation workflows.

Email Marketing ROI Drives 2026 Budget Shifts

New industry data showing up to $36 in revenue for every $1 spent on email marketing is prompting U.S. brands to reassess 2026 digital budgets. The article argues email is a highly economical channel because it relies on owned audience data, automation, segmentation and CRM integration, which can stabilize revenue amid volatile paid channels. V Digital Services reports increased client interest in automation audits and lifecycle optimization, and Joe Pelosi (Senior Marketing Data Analyst at VDS) is quoted on the renewed focus on measurable ROI. The piece also notes regulatory pressure on third-party data is accelerating interest in consent-based owned channels and that finance and marketing leaders are aligning around ROI benchmarks in budget planning.

• Industry data cited in the article indicates brands generate up to $36 in revenue for every $1 spent on email marketing.
• The article was published on 2026-07-31.
• Joe Pelosi, Senior Marketing Data Analyst at VDS, is quoted discussing ROI shaping long-term digital infrastructure priorities.