Why Hugh Jackman Isn’t a Jerk; Baby Yoda is Back: Tuesday's First Things First

Welcome to First Things First, Adweek’s daily resource for marketers. We’ll be publishing the content to First Things First on Adweek.com each morning (like this post), but if you prefer that it come straight to your inbox, you can sign up for the email here. Why Isn’t Hugh Jackman a Total Asshole? Ryan Reynolds’ New Ad Shares the Secret The multi-talented Hugh Jackman, who is not only an actor but a humanitarian and Goodwill Ambassador, is well known for his optimism and pleasantness. But fans will see a whole new side of him in a new ad for the coffee brand he founded, Laughing Man, which donates 100% of Jackman’s profits to support fair trade farmers. Continuing his latest series of ad stunts over the past two weeks, Ryan Reynolds narrates as a grumpy Jackman wakes up to an angry, grumbling morning before it’s revealed that the coffee is also the secret to his positive attitude. Watch: The ad is the latest collaboration between Reynolds and Jackman and their ongoing faux feud. More Than 5,600 Attendees—So Far—Sign Up for Brandweek 2020 Adweek’s biggest event of the year, Brandweek, is already bigger than ever. Although the event couldn’t travel to Miami as planned, it was reimagined as a virtual event with main stage presentations, curated masterclasses, wellness sessions and Taste of Brandweek, which gives attendees the chance to try out products including cereal, tequila and pet products while learning about the brands’ strategies. Catch highlights from the event: Yesterday, attendees were also treated to an exclusive performance by musical artist Victory Boyd. More Brandweek excellence: After a summer of negative attention and Covid-related complications, Everlane CEO Michael Preysman discussed the development of company culture and how the employee experience is just as important as the customer experience. “We truly believe that anything is e.l.f.-ing possible." Learn from Kory Marchisotto how e.l.f. Cosmetics has managed to capture that “lightning in a bottle” that many brands find elusive.Former Hilton CMO Kellyn Smith Kenny, Anheuser-Busch CMO Marcel Marcondes and Equinox CMO Seth Solomons led a Masterclass on leading through crisis. Discover four key takeaways. If you missed the first days of Brandweek but you want to get in on the action, it's not too late! Take 50% off the full ticket price with code 3DAYSBW to join three more days of inspiration, advice and experiences. Baby Yoda Is Front and Center in The Mandalorian Season 2 Trailer Season 2 of The Mandalorian is on the horizon, and the hype has begun, especially among fans of The Child, a.k.a. Baby Yoda. In the latest trailer, released yesterday, the character is front and center, and it’s revealed that the season will follow the title character’s task to return The Child to “its own kind.” The release of season 2 in October is strategically timed to the renewal of Disney+ subscriptions for its earliest adopters. This is the way: Can buzz around the show keep people coming back to Disney+ for more? Apple Increasingly Frustrates Helena Bonham Carter by Showing Just How Much a Watch Can Do Apple announced its new Apple Watch Series 6 yesterday with a sweepingly epic video challenging viewers to dream of the possibilities of devices of the future—only to have the narrator (Helena Bonham Carter) be increasingly disappointed to learn that the future is already here. The ad, which touts the device’s health monitoring devices, pays homage to and pokes a bit of fun at AT&T’s prophetic “You Will” ads. An ambitious ad: The video was helmed by veteran commercial and film director Craig Gillespie. The Latest Job Moves News: In a major leadership shift, Omnicom Media Group appointed Ralph Pardo as CEO of Hearts & Science and Catherine Sullivan as CEO of PHD.Mazda North American Operations promoted interim chief marketing officer Brad Audet to serve in the top marketer role permanently. More of Today’s Top News & Highlights Luxury With Free 1-Day Shipping? Amazon Sets Its Sights on Upscale RetailWill TikTok’s New Ownership Influence Brand Relationships?CBS All Access Will Rebrand as Paramount+ Next YearTranslation Teams Up With Nielsen to Measure Cultural ImpactThe Ad Industry Extends an Olive Branch to Apple Opinion | We Need Optimism in These Troubled Times "As leaders, we build optimism by supporting and inspiring our workforces … We set a powerful, positive example from the top." Mastercard’s chief marketing and communications officer and president Raja Rajamannar (who also spoke at Brandweek yesterday) discusses how marketing is an exercise in optimism and why we need it most when it seems out of reach. More of the Latest: Red Lobster and PepsiCo Launch ‘the Dew Garita,’ the Unofficial Official Cocktail of 2020As Entrepreneurship Booms, Squarespace’s Bold Ads Urge Aspiring Founders to Aim HighBowing to Covid, Macy’s Reimagines the Thanksgiving ParadeWhile Other Airlines Stay Quiet, Southwest Goes Big on AdsDickies Goes International to Showcase More Talented Craftspeople