The athletic apparel giants are both at a crossroads, and their campaign centerpieces play up soccer bona fides alongside the sport’s stars and other pop culture icons. On the list of the greatest rivalries in soccer that could play out at the World Cup, there are Argentina versus Brazil, England versus Germany, United States versus Mexico… and Nike versus Adidas.  The athletic apparel brands have both rolled out star-studded, cinematic videos ahead of the tournament, as well as collaborations and activations that speak in a deeper way to these brands’ identities, marketing methods and financial goals. And while both campaigns speak to the joy and freedom of play on the pitch, they demonstrate how each brand plays differently in marketing. The month-long tournament and the brands’ campaigns around it, arrive as the companies themselves continue on separate trajectories: Adidas’ record growth and Nike’s lagging turnaround. While Adidas notched another quarter of growth in Q1, with revenue up 7%, Nike’s revenues were flat year over year.  Each company hopes its World Cup marketing pays dividends both now and in the future.

The White House on Thursday called for a host of new technology laws -- including ones that would restrict data collection and targeted advertising. “There should be clear limits on the ability to collect, use, transfer, and maintain our personal data, including limits on targeted advertising,” the administration stated Thursday at a meeting regarding tech platforms. “We especially need strong protections for particularly sensitive data such as geolocation and health information, including information related to reproductive health.” The Biden-Harris administration also said it was seeking an overhaul of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which currently protects tech companies from a broad range of lawsuits over material posted by users.

Retail executives are concerned about supply chain shocks, inventory management and frontline worker morale ahead of the holiday shopping season. Seven in 10 (70%) of U.S. retail executives are worried that potential supply chain shocks could impact their ability to deliver against their holiday trading plan, according to Accenture’s U.S. Retail Executive Survey. All executive respondents were U.S. based and worked at VP level or above for retail companies with annual turnover more than $500 million. The same number (70%) of executives are worried about delivering online orders on time. And almost 64% are worried they won’t have enough stock this holiday season.