Coca-Cola's AI-powered José Mourinho campaign could shift celebrity partnerships

June 05, 2026 Presented by Instead of featuring José Mourinho, the incoming manager of the Real Madrid soccer team, Coca-Cola’s new series will be hosted by Mourinho’s AI clone. The digital twin is powered by a human war room, with representatives from Mourinho’s camp to ensure brand safety. Meanwhile, others involved in the campaign watch matches, script post-match reactions, run them through brand and talent approvals and then use AI to deliver pre-approved commentary in Mourinho’s likeness. Advertisement TOP STORY The Sports Marketing Playbook Coca-Cola's AI-powered José Mourinho campaign could signal a shift in celebrity partnerships Instead of featuring José Mourinho, the incoming manager of the Real Madrid soccer team, the series will be hosted by Mourinho’s AI clone. OTHER THINGS TO KNOW When AI operates in a unified system, business gains aren’t theoretical. After implementing a single operational layer — which didn’t involve a better creative tool or smarter bidder — one travel advertiser saw incremental bookings rise 34%. Partner insights from Clinch. According to VIOOH’s latest State of the Nation 2026 report, 91% of U.S. respondents say pDOOH has already been planned as part of wider digital and programmatic activity. Partner insights from VIOOH. Advertisers don’t plan CTV in isolation; they plan TV more broadly across fragmented, converging viewing experiences. Brands care about incremental reach, effective frequency, consistent storytelling and outcomes they can explain with confidence. Partner insights from Nexxen. A MESSAGE FROM BASIS Why unified, AI-driven advertising is becoming essential Today’s fragmented media landscape isn’t doing modern advertisers any favors, as siloed channel strategies create blind spots and affect results. Basis is helping marketers overcome this with Compass, an agentic AI solution that accelerates planning and activation across all channels, from the open web to walled gardens. And its SmartBid AI optimization technology analyzes dozens of live performance signals to make continuous, goal-aligned adjustments throughout campaigns, so advertisers see stronger results. Read more MARKETING The Programmatic Marketer By the numbers: Liftoff’s IPO tests ad tech’s mettle on the public markets The Blackstone-backed mobile app performance engine is drawing comparisons with standout performer AppLovin. The Creator Economy YouTube’s AI remix push exposes a looming reckoning for the creator economy  YouTube’s Gemini Omni integration has highlighted some of the major problems generative AI poses in the creator economy. PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM PIANO Why publishers are investing in content that earns citations, not rankings Being cited in an AI Overview drives 35% more organic clicks and 91% more paid clicks than appearing in search results without a citation. AI Revenue Generation ‘One of our core areas’: Ahead of global agency review, Coca-Cola’s CFO focuses on data matching While it’s hardly a fresh observation, it is a timely one. Coca-Cola is about to kick off a global agency review covering media, data and tech,. A MESSAGE FROM DIGIDAY AWARDS Uber Advertising, the NFL, WPP Media and Mazda are among the finalists of the 2026 Digiday Media Buying and Planning Awards The Digiday Media Buying and Planning Awards recognize companies, campaigns and technology that have been most successful in the modern media landscape. Advertisement MEDIA & PLATFORMS The Programmatic Marketer By the numbers: Liftoff’s IPO tests ad tech’s mettle on the public markets The Blackstone-backed mobile app performance engine is drawing comparisons with standout performer AppLovin. PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM CONTENTFUL How AI is impacting content marketing According to a new survey from Contentful and Benchmarker, AI hasn’t replaced content outsourcing, but it is used most heavily in ideation, writing and editing. FROM DIGIDAY+ Member exclusive Future of Marketing Briefing: How agencies are betting on entertainment to survive Some agencies are done making ads. Now they want to make hits. Written by Jim Cooper and Sara Jerde Were you forwarded this email? Sign up to get it daily. Advertise | Digiday+ | Events | Awards Update your email | Unsubscribe | Privacy policy