Target leads with story and a star, and keeps value in the frame.
Target Opens the Academy of Giftology for Its High-Concept Holiday Campaign
Target's holiday campaign, previewed at a press and analyst event on Tuesday, debuts in early November and centers on a fictional school for gift-givers who want meaningful presents, not just the cheapest ones. Lucia Aniello, co-creator and executive producer of Hacks, directed the content. D'Arcy Carden plays the Chief Giftologist, with a cast that includes Pat Regan, Jasmine Ashanti, Leith Burke, Veronica Osorio and Fernanda Romero. The lead spot is "Orientation," and the original song is "Gift It Your All." Indie agency Mythology developed it and Hungry Man handled production. The media plan spans broadcast, streaming, audio, out-of-home and social.
Value stays in the frame. A toy-focused ad earlier in the season promotes up to 25% off popular products for Target Circle members. Target Chief Brand Officer Michelle Mesenburg said it was "really important that we started with the store as our center place." On creators, Mesenburg said they are "super important, I would say across the board," and Target is focusing its creator push on TikTok and YouTube this year. Club Target, aimed at small and mid-sized creators, exited beta in May. Mark Weinstein joined last month as chief marketing and guest experience officer.
A fictional school with a Hacks director is a big swing for a retailer, and it works because the joke does the selling. Gift-giving is a job people dread, and Target is positioning itself as the one who helps. The risk is the gap between a clever world and a shelf. Watch whether the Orientation spot drives store and Circle activity, because the creative only earns its keep when it turns into baskets.
Domino's pairs a gaming tie-in with creators and a data play.
Domino's Pairs Its Rectangular Pizza With Minecraft Dungeons II and a Slate of VFX Creators
Domino's launches a collaboration with Minecraft Dungeons II on Oct. 26, tied to the Domino, a personal rectangular pizza that rolled out Aug. 31 and targets gaming and similar occasions. VFX creators Merrick Hanna, Daphne Le, JoshVFX and the Macfarlane Brothers appear in social content, and the Macfarlane Brothers also appear in a 15-second TV spot. Domino's Rewards members who buy online can unlock an avatar skin, a cape and a Cheesy Cube Pet, the first co-branded partner pet in the game. The rollout spans 19 global markets, with timing varying by market.
The data play is built in. From Oct. 26 to Nov. 4, Domino's gives away 2,000 game tokens daily. Customers who buy a Domino and submit proof of purchase on a microsite enter a sweepstakes, which also lets Domino's collect first-party data from non-loyalty members. Domino's had more than 37 million active Rewards users at the end of 2025, up nearly 20% since the 2023 relaunch. CMO Kate Trumbull said, "With its block shape, playful spirit and perfect-for-gaming format, the Domino felt right at home."
The smart part is not the Minecraft logo. It is that the shape of the product matched the shape of the game, and the sweepstakes quietly collects first-party data from people who are not in the loyalty program. Creators here are format specialists who make the activation feel native. We like it. The test is whether the lapsed or new buyers it reaches ever turn into repeat orders.
A partnership lands when the product itself earns the tie-in. Here the block shape does the explaining before any copy runs. Then look at the mechanic: the sweepstakes is a data acquisition tool disguised as a prize, and that is the part to measure.
Walmart is making room for AI agents and putting guardrails around them.
Walmart Opens Its Platform to AI Agents That Shop for Customers, With Controls Attached
Walmart is opening its ecommerce platform to AI agents that shop on customers' behalf, according to Adweek. The move comes a month after Amazon blocked Meta's Muse AI assistant from doing the same. Walmart is making it easier for agents to connect through a dedicated portal.
It is also adding consumer controls, including purchase approvals and spending limits. Within the next month, Walmart will launch Agent Profiles, which let shoppers authorize each AI agent they use with a dedicated profile within their account and see that agent's purchases separately from their own. Adweek's piece is behind a paywall, so details beyond these points were not available to us.
Walmart and Amazon just took opposite sides on agent shoppers. Walmart is betting that a controlled door beats a locked one, since agents that buy somewhere else cost it the sale. For brands, the question gets uncomfortable fast. If an agent picks the product, the shelf, the ad and the packaging matter less than the data it reads. Start auditing how your product pages read to a machine.
Delegated purchasing needs three things: permission, limits and a record. Agent Profiles, approvals and spending limits map to those. Any brand building for agent shoppers should assume the shopper will check the record, so product data has to hold up under review.
A Walmart name tied to this edition's agentic shopping story, framed as something to watch and not a pick.
Walmart (WMT): Opening the Door to Agent Shoppers
Walmart is the retailer making a public move on AI agent shopping. It is opening its ecommerce platform to agents, adding approvals and spending limits, and planning Agent Profiles within the next month. WMT closed Oct. 21, 2026 at $117.80, down 0.04% on the day.
The valuation figures below come from a live Oct. 22 snapshot on StockAnalysis.com, not the edition date. At that snapshot the shares traded at $120.50 with a Buy consensus from 43 analysts. The P/E of 43.67 is a premium multiple, so expectations are high. This is a watch item for how retail adapts to AI shoppers, not a recommendation.
A 43x earnings multiple means the market already pays for execution, and agent shopping is a new place to execute or stumble. We are watching two things: whether Agent Profiles ships on time, and whether other retailers follow Walmart or follow Amazon's block. The answer shapes where brand advertising budgets go next. Watch item, nothing more.
⚠️ Not investment advice. Verify independently before any decision.
The standing list, straight from Kelly.
Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special
Disney+/Hulu. Miley at 33, hosted by Alex Cooper.
Disney+ / HuluLove Story: JFK Jr. & Carolyn Bessette
FX/Hulu. Ryan Murphy. 40M+ hours watched.
FX / HuluThe Pitt
Still the most intense thing on TV.
MaxYouTube
Everything about Claude Cowork.
YouTube