At the beginning of 2025, all anyone could talk about was “Severance” Season 2. That virality was thanks in large part to Apple’s team, which promoted the highly anticipated installment by bringing the cast to Grand Central Station as part of a guerilla marketing stunt. The team also launched a commercial that included CEO Tim Cook and orchestrated a fan event that turned New Jersey’s Bell Labs into the show’s Lumon corporation to promote the season. And in the summer, Apple took over pop culture again thanks to the premiere of “F1,” an extension of Apple’s multi-year deal with Formula One that contained so many corporate logos and product placements, the movie felt like watching a real Formula One race. Apple’s big branding experiments turned promotional work into events in and of themselves, while also pushing the limits of what’s possible for an authentic brand partnership.

Prime Video gets a good amount of attention for its integrations, like the crossover between Liquid Death and the hit series “The Boys,” but some special attention needs to be paid to Amazon. The e-commerce hub is leading the pack when it comes to branded shortform series thanks to shows like the Owen Thiele-hosted “Girl Room,” which makes over messy bedrooms from real women, to the Julian Shapiro-Barnum-hosted “Celebrity Substitute,” which asks celebs like A$AP Rocky and Billie Eilish to take over a school classroom and help students along the way. Hannah Broadhurst has been at the center of this push into shortform, a brand marketer who has worked with the Prime and Amazon brand for five years and who has an entertainment-first approach to her work. Prior to joining Amazon, Broadhurst started her career at “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” before serving as the Senior Manager of Entertainment and Culture Marketing at Lyft.

If you’ve ever wondered how so many luxury products find their way into HBO shows, Jennifer Bydwell is your answer. An industry veteran, Bydwell has been responsible for everything from adding a McLaren to “Industry” Season 4 to ensuring David Webb’s specially made snake choker for “The White Lotus” Season 3 made it to Thailand. Bydwell secured luxury products worth millions for “And Just Like That” and “Succession.” What separates Bydwell from most of the other people on this list is that her product placements are never paid. When a showrunner or director is looking for a specific item or brand to enhance the story they’re telling, Bydwell serves as that go-between, working with companies to secure the items and ensuring they’re delivered safely to set.

Who says you can’t have fun with your brand collaborations? That’s the approach Warner Bros. Pictures has taken lately. From having Jason Momoa crushing up Oreos for “A Minecraft Movie” to having James Gunn explain why Lois Lane is a Toyota owner in “Superman,” Warner Bros. Pictures experimented with using brand collaborations to expand its IP this past year. But, as Modelo and Budweiser’s incorporation in “One Battle After Another” prove, these integrations weren’t only reserved for WB’s blockbuster hits. All of these placements are thanks to Jennifer Chalhub, who oversees product placement and brand integration across Warner Bros. Pictures, DC Films, New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. Pictures Animation. An industry veteran of more than two decades, Chalhub is a pro when it comes to finding strategic partnerships that enhance a filmmaker’s vision for a movie.

Epic Games’ Fortnite has long been a notable player in the music industry, airing concerts for major artists in-game and more. But last year the free-to-play gaming hub proved it’s ready to more seriously partner with Hollywood. That meant monthlong Fortnite seasons for both “Star Wars” and “The Simpsons;” a “Stranger Things” Blitz mode; a “Kpop Demon Hunters” Demon Rush mode; collaborations with “South Park,” “The Office,” “The Walking Dead” and “Superman;” and one of the company’s wildest and most ambitious projects to date — animating “Yuki’s Revenge,” the lost chapter of Quentin Tarantino’s “Kill Bill” series. It used to be that companies needed to invest in Fortnite to reach Gen Z and Gen Alpha. Now Fortnite is becoming the hub for all of pop culture.

Sony has a long history of interesting brand collaborations, from the Nike partnership in “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” to the Audi-branded digital short for “Spider-Man: Far From Home.” But the partnerships in “GOAT” are on another level. Adding the UnderArmor logo — a brand that’s always seen on the basketball court — to players’ jerseys went a long way in making roarball feel like the sports phenomenon it’s supposed to be. Similarly, the movie’s DoorDash short served as a great way to tell another story in this universe without feeling like marketing. These partnerships couldn’t have happened without Jeffrey Godsick, who has held his executive vice president role at Sony for over 10 years. Under Godsick’s leadership, his division has created record-breaking campaigns in support of franchise hits like “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire,” “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” “Spider-Man: No Way Home” and “Jumanji.”

During a time when so many are angling to get Gen Z’s attention, Paramount Pictures’ collaboration with Olipop for “The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants” proved to be a smart way to appeal to younger viewers. The partnership didn’t stop at co-branded cans or limited flavors. “SpongeBob” and the soda alternative also had a Roblox integration and a fictional rival soda brand named ChumPop as part of Olipop’s biggest campaign to date. That commitment to experimentation also appeared in “The Running Man,” which featured a custom in-world commercial for Liquid Death. Michelle Hagen leads this innovative division, overseeing the design and creation of Paramount’s global brand integrations and partnerships for its theatrical, home entertainment and streaming releases. Before joining Paramount Pictures, Hagen spent over 10 years at Universal Pictures in leadership positions across global theatrical and DVD partnerships.

When you think of some of the most memorable branding moments in the past 25 years of film and television, chances are Britt Johnson was involved. The vodka used in James Bond’s infamous “shaken, not stirred” martini was orchestrated by Johnson, as was all the Prada in “The Devil Wears Prada.” And Johnson is still a force in this industry as Mediaplacement was behind such integrations as Toyota appearing in “Superman” and Johnnie Walker Blue appearing in “Hacks.” Johnson and his team have a knack for product placements and collaborations that enhance these fictional worlds, helping to make these characters feel more realistic. His current clients include Toyota, Lexus, Diageo, Shark/Ninja, Enterprise Holdings, Kahala Brands, UPPAbaby, Ally Bank, Revlon and Lionsgate.

In the world of brand integrations, 2025 was Netflix’s year. On a global level, the streamer unveiled more than 20 collaborations and activations to celebrate the final season of “Squid Game.” The streamer then upped the ante for the final season of “Stranger Things,” which had over 50 collaborations and activations including the return of the Citrus Cooler flavor of Gatorade and a retro ad campaign for Target. This is without mentioning the remarkable branding work Netflix did for “Wednesday” Season 2, “Nobody Wants This” Season 2, “Emily in Paris” Season 5, “Bridgerton” Season 4 and the openings of two Netflix Houses in Philadelphia and Dallas. Netflix undoubtedly established itself as a leader in brand integrations last year, and it’s all thanks to Marian Lee’s guidance. Before coming to Netflix in 2022, Lee spent eight years at Spotify and has held leadership positions at Condé Nast and J.Crew.

All of those remarkable brand additions in “F1”? They’re thanks to David Leener, a producer, entertainment and marketing executive and advisor who has a long history with mega-producers like Jerry Bruckheimer and Michael Bay. Leener’s work on the movie brought in a substantial amount of funding, with Forbes predicting that Leener’s work brought in at least $40 million. The movie was a masterclass from this industry veteran. Leener has been working in Hollywood since 1996 and has worked on everything from the “Transformers” franchise to “Top Gun: Maverick.” He’s also spearheaded TV projects and commercial campaigns for global brands like Ford, Mercedes-Benz, Alfa Romeo and Heineken. Leener serves as an advisor on entertainment integration for marketing and brand strategy for Verizon and OpenAI.

For several months, you couldn’t open up TikTok without hearing a creator rave about e.l.f. Cosmetics. Part of that fanfare had to do with the line’s high quality and low price point, but a huge amount of that attention came from how the brand reacted to its virality. From sending a surprise care package to Oliver Widger, the creator who gained attention for sailing around the world with his cat, to partnering with the National Women’s Soccer League as part of an ongoing effort to democratize access for women in sports, e.l.f. consistently entered the cultural conversation in ways that went beyond traditional advertising. It all culminated in a telenovela-inspired Super Bowl spot starring Melissa McCarthy. It’s thanks to Kory Marchisotto’s leadership that e.l.f. has remained a top brand for millennials, Gen Z and Gen Alpha. Before joining the e.l.f. team, Marchisotto spent 18 years at Shiseido.

If you’re looking to partner with Paramount, chances are high you’re going to be working with Stewart Mitchell. Mitchell’s Hanover Entertainment has secured brand support for several of the “Mission: Impossible” movies, including those that appeared in “The Final Reckoning.” Hanover was also behind the Amazon Prime partnership in “Regretting You,” a collaboration that seamlessly fit into the movie’s plot as Allison Williams’ character remodeled her home. The global brand integration and marketing firm was founded in 2016 and has secured brand support for other major Paramount blockbusters like “A Quiet Place: Day One,” “Smile 2,” “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” and “Mean Girls.”

Throughout 2025, UTA’s Product Placement team secured more than 250 placements both paid and unpaid, and it’s all thanks to Jillian Raskin. The leader of her division for more than five years, Raskin and her team were the dealmakers behind such innovative collaborations as L’Oreal Paris in “Emily in Paris” Season 5, an entire episode that saw social media marketer Emily (Lily Collins) designing a campaign for L’Oreal’s Infallible Lipstick, and Aperol’s appearance in “The Moment,” a collaboration that channeled Charli XCX’s love of an Aperol Spritz. Raskin is deeply focused on measurement when it comes to her and her team’s work, partnering with UTA’s IQ team to determine how exposure translates to pricing efficiency, brand lift and performance impact. Before UTA, Raskin spent five years at BENlabs and started her career in literary management at 3 Arts Entertainment and Entertainment 360.

One of the biggest marketing moments of 2025 never actually appeared in the film it was promoting. We’re of course talking about the “Marty Supreme” jacket, a collaboration with Nahmias that went ridiculously viral among star and EP Timothée Chalamet fans and inspired both headlines and long lines. Under Retzik, the marketing for A24’s movies and shows has remained as cool as the production company itself, like when Aperol appeared in “The Moment,” mirroring Charli XCX’s outspoken love of the Italian aperitif. Before joining A24, Retzik served as a creative marketing executive at Fox Searchlight Pictures and has held roles at 20th Century Fox, HBO, MTV Networks and Razorfish.

It’s rare for a recently launched studio to almost immediately win an Emmy, but that’s exactly what happened at Cookie Jar and a Dream, the in-house content and production studio for Dick’s Sporting Goods. Before the studio’s official public launch, it won its first sports Emmy for “The Turnaround,” a documentary about Philadelphia Phillies’ superfan Jon McCann, who inspired an unexpected standing ovation in 2023 that helped turn the team around after a major roadblock. It’s all part of Dick’s strategy to cement itself as a leader in the world of sports documentaries, an effort that’s being led by Mark Rooks. A leader who’s been with the company for more than 13 years, Rooks previously held positions at PepsiCo and Starbucks.

Sometimes, a brand is the perfect fit for a show. That was the case with Lysol, which came to “Abbott Elementary” in a series of scenes focused on Mr. Johnson (William Stanford Davis), the school’s eccentric janitor. The collaboration was so well received it was a Silver winner at the 2025 Clio Awards, and it’s all thanks to Neil Sadhu. A creative director at Disney CreativeWorks Studio, Sadhu has been with the full-service branded content studio for over six years. He leads the development of branded campaigns across Disney Entertainment’s portfolio, which includes ABC, Disney Branded Television, Freeform, FX, Hulu and Disney+. Sadhu has spearheaded other remarkable integrations such as American Express’ partnership with “The Bear” and Volvo’s partnership with The Oscars, “Deadpool & Wolverine” and “The Bachelor.”

For one of its holiday campaigns, TelevisaUnivision experimented with one of the hottest new trends in Hollywood: microdramas. The Spanish language media company partnered with JCPenney for a customized five‑episode novela‑style series that was created for social media with the goal of appealing to younger, Hispanic viewers. Every product in the series, from clothing to jewelry, was available for purchase via scannable QR codes. The innovative campaign continued the success TelevisaUnivision has seen in social-focused microcontent, a format the company has been experimenting with since the summer. JCPenney’s series was created by TelevisaUnivision’s Así Studios, the company’s branded content studio that’s composed of more than 75 award-winning creators, storytellers and production specialists who are all unified by their collective Latin cultures.

Every company wants to know how to broaden its audience, and few major brands have done it better than the NFL. For decades, the league has been a staple in the lives of American men. But under Ian Trombetta’s leadership, the NFL has expanded beyond this audience, strategically partnering with regional and massively known content creators to speak to younger, female and global audiences through events like YouTube’s Creator Flag Football game series. A sport once confined to the fall and early winter has also become a yearlong passion thanks to the NFL turning once mundane moments like draft picks, schedule releases and tunnel walkouts into full-blown events. The NFL’s embrace of social media and eventizing moments hasn’t just provided the league with more branding opportunities, it’s somehow made one of America’s favorite sports even bigger.

The alcohol industry has always been a major player in the world of branded content, but what set Diageo apart this past year was the experimental nature of its integrations. The brand truly ran the gambit, showcasing traditional placements like Johnnie Walker in “Hacks”; more extravagant deep dives like the visit to the Ketel One Vodka distillery in the Amsterdam episode of “Somebody Feed Phil” or the Captain Morgan collaboration on the business competition series “On Brand With Jimmy Fallon”; to wild real-life collaborations. Those included special 360 partnerships with HBO’s “The White Lotus,” Netflix’s “Squid Game” and Universal Picture’s “M3GAN 2.0,” which rebranded Captain Morgan as Captain M3GAN. These partnerships wouldn’t have been possible without Lindsay Wallner, who’s been with Diageo for over 10 years and has a proven track record when it comes to branded entertainment.

An executive with more than two decades of experience in the world of brand integrations, Meilani Weiss was behind several of the “F1” partnerships, securing deals with Geico, SharkNinja and Heineken for the movie. She also brought Heineken to both “Jurassic World: Rebirth,” “The Amateur” and “The Diplomat” Season 3. As the executive vice president of entertainment marketing for ACC Advisory, Weiss is key in streamlining the process of connecting brands to productions that can authentically showcase these products or services, and has experience with everything from consumer packaged goods and spirits to the automotive, healthcare and insurance industries. She regularly works with top brands to create impactful partnerships across film, television, streaming and music videos.

Some shows are the perfect fit for branded opportunities. That’s the case with “Emily in Paris,” Netflix’s beloved rom-com about a social media extraordinaire that partnered with L’Oreal for a Season 5 episode. In “The One Where Emily Goes to the Embassy,” Sylvie (Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu) pitches a campaign for L’Oreal’s Infallible Lipstick that heavily features Emily (Lily Collins). After that episode, L’Oreal took the collaboration a step further, naming Leroy-Beaulieu as the brand ambassador for its Age Perfect Collagen Expert line in France. This integration wouldn’t have been possible without Chief Digital and Marketing Officer Han Wen, who oversees the marketing efforts across L’Oreal USA’s portfolio of 37 brands.