Welcome to Two Hits & A Miss!
I'm Ryan Fratzke, Partner and Executive Strategist at Fratzke.
Each week, I look at what some of the world's biggest brands are doing in marketing, business strategy, AI, and customer experience.
I'll share two moves I think they got right and one that might have missed the mark, along with what we can learn from each about building stronger brands, connecting with customers, and driving growth.
Let's jump into this week's picks.
Hit #1: Starbucks Gets Human
Starbucks’ new Perfect Harmony campaign began with artist Geoff McFetridge drawing on Starbucks cups with Sharpies. Those illustrations became the foundation for the campaign’s animation.
Starbucks isn’t alone. Levi’s and e.l.f. are also embracing handmade characters and sets in their stop-motion holiday campaigns.
I love this move.
AI has opened up some incredible possibilities for brands. But when everyone can produce more content, producing more content stops being much of a differentiator.
Giving people something worth paying attention to becomes the bigger creative challenge.
For Starbucks, I like that the cups are part of the process. It connects the artwork to a familiar part of the customer experience. The thing you hold while drinking your coffee becomes the canvas for the campaign.
And the handmade approach feels right for a coffeehouse. You’re inviting people to meet a friend, take a break, and spend a little time.
A campaign built around human creativity supports that promise.
Sources
- The Wall Street Journal, "Starbucks Revives Its Holiday Album and Hand-Drawn Ads for Coffeehouse Comeback" (November 4, 2026)
- Levi Strauss & Co., "Let's Get Fuzzy" holiday campaign (November 2, 2026)
Hit #2: Disney Gets Social
Disney is giving fans another way to spend money on the characters they already love. This time, they don’t even have to leave TikTok.
From November 4 through November 10, Disney is running its first TikTok Shop Super Brand Day, bringing together Disney Store and more than 20 participating brands. Creators are showing off products through TikTok LIVE, with two items available before they reach Disney’s website.
Think QVC, but on your phone and with Disney merchandise.
The concept has been around for years on Douyin, TikTok’s Chinese sister app. Disney Store has also been on TikTok Shop since last November.
With that being said I feel like this can be a win-win for both companies.
I can see a fan tuning in for an exclusive release and making their first TikTok purchase along the way. They showed up for Disney, and now they’ve tried a different way to shop.
That’s what makes this a Hit for me. Disney could help introduce live shopping to more people in the U.S. by giving them something they already care about.
The part I’d watch next is whether fans come back. Did they enjoy shopping this way, or did they just want to get that one item early?
Sources
- Disney Parks Blog, "Everything You Need to Know About the First TikTok Shop Super Brand Day Featuring Disney" (October 29, 2026)
- Reuters via Investing.com, "Alibaba's e-commerce empire under threat from Douyin, Pinduoduo"
The Miss: Reddit Tests Customer Trust
Apparently, there's still some space on the internet that hasn't been turned into an ad.
Reddit would like to help with that.
On November 3, the company announced that it's testing ads directly within its search results with a select group of advertisers. A search for a home office setup, for example, could bring up ads for desks, monitors, or office chairs.
Now, from an advertiser's perspective, I get it. Someone asking which desk to buy is a pretty good person to show a desk ad to.
But think about why that person might be searching Reddit in the first place.
You know how sometimes you'll search Google for something and add “Reddit” to the end? You're looking for someone who actually bought the product and can tell you what it's like to use it.
Maybe the desk looked great on the website, but it wobbles every time you type. That's the kind of thing you want to know before spending your money.
I think Reddit has something valuable there, and I'd be careful about adding more sales pitches to that experience.
To be fair, this is still a test. Reddit says it will evaluate how people respond, so we don't yet know what the impact will be.
But I'm not convinced this is where I'd be putting the effort. I'd rather see Reddit make it easier to find the useful conversations, especially for someone trying to decide what to buy.
I understand the opportunity to make more money from search. I just think Reddit needs to be careful that it doesn't make people work harder to find the answers they came for.
Sources
- Reddit, "We Are Testing Ad Placements in Reddit Search Pages" (November 3, 2026)
- Reddit, example search ad placements
That's a wrap on this week's Two Hits & A Miss!
Thanks for reading. I hope these stories gave you a few ideas to consider as you think about your own business and growth strategy.
At Fratzke, we partner with business leaders to build stronger brands, create better customer experiences, and spark meaningful growth.
You can learn more about what we do at fratzkemedia.com.
See you next week!
Ryan Fratzke
Partner & Executive Strategist
Fratzke
