Newsjacking
Brands answer a big news moment with their own version within days.
- Difficulty
- Needs editing skills
- Video length
- 5–10 s
- Brand cases
- 31, 10 with video
- Markets
- Australia, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, Global, Canada, Greece, Czech Republic, Taiwan, Russia, United States
- Sources checked
- Nov 2026
What the format is
Something everyone is talking about happens: a product reveal, a sports moment, a viral stunt. Within one to three days, brands post their own take, putting their product into the famous scene or joking about it in their own voice. Apple’s first foldable iPhone in September 2026 and the Tesla Roadster ramp flip a month later each set off a wave of these. The format only works while the news is still fresh.
Beat by beat
- 1The news cue0–1 s
- 2The brand swaps in1–3 s
- 3The twist3–6 s
- 4Quick sign-off6–8 s
- 1. 0–1 s
The news cue
Recreate the frame, sound or caption everyone saw, so the reference lands at once.
- 2. 1–3 s
The brand swaps in
The product or the brand’s world takes the place of the original star.
- 3. 3–6 s
The twist
The joke only this brand can make: about its product, its history or its rival.
- 4. 6–8 s
Quick sign-off
Product and handle in a clean frame. Post it while the news is still trending.
Why it works
- It borrows attention that already exists: people are searching for and sharing the news, and the brand rides that peak.
- A quick, sharp reply shows the brand is paying attention and has a sense of humour, which a planned campaign can’t show.
- It is cheap and fast to make, often a still or a short edit, and it lands next to other brands’ versions, which invites comparison and shares.
How brands shot it
31 cases, 10 with the original video. The videos come from the brands’ own accounts or their agencies and play in the platform’s player.
Samsung
Vertical reel of a Galaxy Z Fold8 being opened in someone's hands under the on-screen line "how life sounds when your screen doesn't break when opening your phone", a jab at iPhone Duo screens failing on unfolding. Caption: "sounds like ✨durability✨".
- Video
- Instagram, posted by @samsungau (brand account)
Trade pressRead the source: 9to5Google
Samsung
Vertical reel: a Galaxy Z Fold8 is folded and unfolded on a desk under the line "Feeling a lil fomo rn"; after six folds its screen suddenly looks broken, and the crack turns out to be just a wallpaper. Caption: "Feeling a little FOMO seeing all this talk about durability… oops, we've just been busy folding and getting on with our day 🤭".
- Video
- Instagram, posted by @samsungmalaysia (brand account)
Trade pressRead the source: Notebookcheck
Samsung
Arabic-language vertical reel: an open Galaxy Z Fold8 shows an iPhone Duo-style crack (a line down the fold with a bright horizontal streak), which is then revealed to be only a wallpaper. Caption, in our translation: "Far from other people's problems 😉 We've been ahead for 7 years 😁".
- Video
- Instagram, posted by @samsungsaudi (brand account)
Trade pressRead the source: 9to5Google
Chocolate Finance
A 9-second AI-generated clip in which a sports car leaps, flips and lands above a busy Hong Kong street, ending on "No Hoops." The joke, as the brand's social lead told Marketing-Interactive: everyone's Roadster jumps over something, but with Chocolate Finance's spare-cash product there is nothing to jump through: no minimum spend, no tiers, no lock-ins.
- Video
- YouTube, posted by ChocolateFinanceHK (brand account)
Trade pressRead the source: Marketing-Interactive
BEUTEA Malaysia
The tea-drink brand gives its own takeaway cup the Roadster treatment: the cup starts at the foot of a lit curved ramp, speeds down a road runway, takes off, flies briefly and lands smoothly. The caption keeps it short: "Real life, baby. BEUTEA, Beyond Tea."
- Video
- Instagram, posted by @beutea.msia (brand account)
Trade pressRead the source: Marketing-Interactive
Carsome Malaysia
The used-car platform posts an animated clip of a yellow Carsome-branded hatchback with thrusters trying its own runway take-off ("Eh! Eh! Kereta terbang?"). The Malay caption jokes that the editor is away at a Hot Wheels show so the admin did their best, then admits Carsome has no flying cars yet but plenty of cars for the commute or a weekend drive.
- Video
- Instagram, posted by @carsomemalaysia (brand account)
Trade pressRead the source: Marketing-Interactive
Razer
Razer moves the stunt to the desk: a white Razer gaming mouse with thrusters underneath lifts off in a cloud of smoke and attempts the same airborne trick. Caption: "Razer Project McFly V2?? 👀"
- Video
- Instagram, posted by @razer (brand account)
Trade pressRead the source: Marketing-Interactive
Hot FM
The Malaysian radio station shows a red car racing up a tall curved ramp in a city square and taking off on its own thrusters, with on-screen text asking "Malaysia pun dah ada kereta terbang?" (Malaysia has a flying car too?). The caption shrugs off the viral Roadster: the station says it already saw one fly at Dataran.
- Video
- Instagram, posted by @hotfm976 (brand account)
Trade pressRead the source: Marketing-Interactive
KitKat
A vertical reel shows a KitKat bar presented like a new device on an Apple Store-style display stand, bent along its middle groove, with the caption "Every KitKat already folds down the middle 😉". The frame carries an "AI generated" label.
- Video
- Instagram, posted by @kitkat (brand account)
Trade pressRead the source: The Marketing Birds
Motorola
A vertical reel that opens on the line "new in their hands. iconic in ours." over a hand holding a closed razr flip phone. The caption needles Apple's late arrival to foldables: "Some are just discovering it. We've been making it even better. Just wait for our next move. 👀 #Razr".
- Video
- Instagram, posted by @motorola (brand account)
Trade pressRead the source: Social Samosa
Samsung
A three-image Instagram carousel for the Galaxy Z Fold8. Ordinary photos (a child with a dog, a girl with a doughnut, a spiral staircase) are split by a fold line with a bright horizontal streak, mimicking the iPhone Duo's reported inner-screen failure, with the lines "Folding is nothing new to us", "Folding. We know a thing or eight." and "Switch to Galaxy Z Fold8." Samsung also put the creative on mobile billboards in Toronto and Vancouver (MobileSyrup, iPhone in Canada).
- Post
- Instagram, posted by @samsungcanada (brand account)
Trade pressRead the source: MacRumors
Norwegian
The airline posts a photo of one of its jets climbing with rocket-style thrusters firing under the fuselage (labelled AI-modified). Caption: "Oops, admin forgot we can already fly. But ours has toilets."
- Post
- Instagram, posted by @flynorwegian (brand account)
Trade pressRead the source: Marketing-Interactive
Hot Wheels
A still of a green Hot Wheels car riding a curved orange track, branded 'Challenge Accepted' and captioned 'We've been doing this since 1968'. The brand claims Tesla's ramp stunt as an old Hot Wheels trick.
- Post
- Instagram, posted by @hotwheelsofficial (brand account)
Trade pressRead the source: DesignRush
Watsons Malaysia
A generated image of a Watsons store on top of a Tesla-style curved ramp, with cars queuing up the ramp and the top ones driving upside down under the store. The Malay caption asks followers whether they would be up for a drive-through like this for Watsons click-and-collect.
- Post
- Instagram, posted by @watsonsmy (brand account)
Trade pressRead the source: Marketing-Interactive
AXE
A two-image carousel. The first slide promises to reveal the secret behind the world's first flying car, and the second shows AXE Black cans strapped under the car as its thrusters. The caption calls it the first flying, and the best-smelling, car in the world.
- Post
- Instagram, posted by @axe (brand account)
Trade pressRead the source: DesignRush
Toblerone
A still image of a Toblerone bar under the question 'Do flying cars stop at duty free?', which plays on the chocolate's place in airport shops. The caption reads 'However you fly, remember to bring one back.'
- Post
- Instagram, posted by @toblerone (brand account)
Trade pressRead the source: DesignRush
MINI
An archive black-and-white photo of a classic Mini with all four wheels in the air, captioned 'Flying solo since 1959. Nice to have company, @teslamotors.' A rival carmaker uses the moment to point to its own rally heritage.
- Post
- Instagram, posted by @mini (brand account)
Trade pressRead the source: DesignRush
Volvo
Volvo goes the other way: a still of a Volvo SUV standing on a rocky road with the line 'Down to Earth. Since 1927.' The caption says it has kept all four wheels on the ground since 1927, which plays on the brand's safety image.
- Post
- Instagram, posted by @volvocars (brand account)
Trade pressRead the source: DesignRush
Burger King
In place of the Roadster, a flame-grilled patty flips mid-air above a smoking grill, with the line 'Flipping into smokes since 1954'. The caption says flying patties have existed since 1954, so Tesla took its time.
- Made by
- McCann Greece
- Post
- Instagram, posted by @burgerking.greece (brand account)
Trade pressRead the source: DesignRush
McDonald's
350K+ likesA still image of cars climbing a giant curved ramp and driving upside down into an inverted McDonald's drive-thru, topped with 'coming soon i guess'. The Czech caption 'je to na hlavu' means both 'it's crazy' and 'it's on its head', and asks what to call it.
- Result
- The post passed 350,000 likes on Instagram. According to DesignRush.
- Post
- Instagram, posted by @mcdonalds.cz (brand account)
Trade pressRead the source: DesignRush
IKEA
LILLABO wooden toy cars queue at a grey BROKGLIM towel bent into the Roadster's curved ramp, with one car already riding it, under the line 'Safe, affordable.' and the set's price. The caption says the cars are safety-tested and suit children, and repeats Tesla's own 'Real life, baby.'
- Post
- Instagram, posted by @ikea_taiwan (brand account)
Trade pressRead the source: Creative Bloq
ASUS
A still headed "Welcome to the DUO club" shows two dual-screen ASUS laptops (the press identifies them as the Zenbook Duo), with the caption "Been a member since 2019. Glad you could join. 🍎": ASUS claims the Duo name first.
- Post
- Instagram, posted by @asus (brand account)
Trade pressRead the source: The Marketing Birds
Ozon
A five-second Threads clip shows an Ozon-branded delivery van lifting off a dark stage on jets of smoke under blue light beams, echoing the Roadster demo. The caption reads "When the navigator found a route with no traffic jams"; Kommersant describes it as Ozon advertising "jet-powered" delivery.
- Post
- Threads
Trade pressRead the source: Коммерсантъ
Пятёрочка
A still image of a silver Tesla-style sports car hovering on jets of smoke in front of a Pyaterochka store at night, captioned "Going to Pyaterochka for bread": the rocket supercar used for an ordinary grocery run.
- Post
- Threads
Trade pressRead the source: Sostav
ВкусВилл
A 15-second round Telegram video shows a sandwich hovering in smoke and red light, like the Roadster on its test stand. The follow-up caption calls it "a sandwich that never falls butter-side down" and asks followers whether they would buy one.
- Post
- Telegram
Trade pressRead the source: Sostav
Duolingo
Duolingo's owl, whose name is Duo, appears as a giant green behind filling the inner screen of an opened foldable under the headline "This is Duo.", captioned "they named a phone after me and made it bend over 😭". Follow-ups included "iPhone Duo: $1999 / Duo on your iPhone: free" and, quoting Samsung's #Solidarity post, "when an ugly stranger calls you twin 😂😭 No Brand 🙅♂️✋".
- Post
- X
Trade pressRead the source: ContentGrip
Samsung
A text-only post from Samsung Mobile US during Apple's keynote: "Let us know when you're done reheating our leftovers 😉", casting the iPhone Duo as a rerun of Samsung's own foldables. It was part of a live thread that also included "So far, so same. #ItsTimeToSwitch" and "I'm so sorry, @DuoLingo. They copied us too #Solidarity".
- Post
- X
Trade pressRead the source: Social Samosa
Ryanair
Quoting a rumour account's clip of the foldable, Ryanair wrote "if a phone can bend, then your knees can too", a jab at its own famously tight legroom. It was posted hours before the keynote.
- Post
- X
Trade pressRead the source: Social Samosa
Burger King
A photo of an opened foldable phone whose screen shows a single chicken nugget bent along the hinge, captioned "needed to view my nugget this way".
- Post
- X
Trade pressRead the source: The Marketing Birds
Самокат
An apple cut into two halves laid open side by side under the headline "Яблочная раскладушка" ("apple flip phone"), with the caption "А чего столько шума? У нас давно такая раскладушка есть." ("Why all the fuss? We've had this flip one for ages").
- Post
- Telegram
Trade pressRead the source: AdIndex
Авиасейлс
A photo of an old white Samsung "Duos" flip phone captioned "слушай купи айфон раскладушку на авиабилет в саратов не хватает" (roughly "hey, buy the iPhone flip phone, there isn't enough for a plane ticket to Saratov"). AdIndex shows a separate Aviasales post on X: "ого крыло боинга можно купить по цене айфона" ("wow, a Boeing wing costs the same as an iPhone").
- Post
- Telegram
Trade pressRead the source: AdIndex
Where it took off
During the Super Bowl XLVII blackout in February 2013, Oreo tweeted a dimly lit cookie with the line "You can still dunk in the dark". Digiday's oral history credits the post to Oreo, agency 360i and Kraft and cites more than 15,000 retweets; CNN (republished by WTVR) reported the team approved and posted it within minutes of the outage. After the Cybertruck's windows broke during Tesla's reveal in November 2019, Lego, Pepsi, Denny's and Dubai Police posted their own versions on Twitter, CNBC reported. Lego's single grey brick on wheels, captioned "Guaranteed shatterproof", was retweeted more than 21,000 times (CNBC), and Dezeen notes it also ran on Facebook and Instagram.
Make it yours
- Food & drink
A burger does the famous flip off a ramp and lands back in its box: “we’ve been sticking the landing for years.”
- Retail
A parcel takes the ramp and lands on a doorstep: “our delivery flies too.”
- Auto
A family hatchback lines up for the ramp, then parks instead: “some of us just need to get to school.”
Make your version
Type your product and get a storyboard of this format, with one prompt per beat, ready for a video generator.
A generator can make the shots; getting the idea right is on you
Storyboard
- 1. 0–1 s
The news cue
Open on the scene from the news everyone is talking about: a test track with a curved ramp, framed like the original footage.
- 2. 1–3 s
The brand swaps in
your product takes the place of the original star and lines up for the famous move.
- 3. 3–6 s
The twist
The twist: your product does the move in a way only this brand would, with one clear, readable joke.
- 4. 6–8 s
Quick sign-off
End on a clean shot of your product, with space for a short caption.
The whole video in one prompt
Enter your email to open the full prompt. We’ll also send you the weekly brief; unsubscribe any time.
The prompt also works in Kling, Veo, Seedance and other video generators.
Before you generate
- Upload a photo of your real product to the generator (image to video), so the packaging, logo and label stay right.
- Make a still frame first and animate only the one you like: video costs more.
- Label the result as AI-generated where the platform asks for it, and say it is CGI if it could pass for a real stunt.
- This is your own take on the format, not a copy of a brand’s ad. Leave out other brands’ logos, people and music.
How to produce it
Speed matters more than polish: aim to post within 24–72 hours, so agree on who approves it before news breaks. A still image or a short edit is enough, and a video generator can stage the scene. Don’t use the other company’s logo or footage, and stay away from tragedies and sensitive news.
Seen a brand use this?
Send us the link. If it checks out, it goes into the library with credit to you.
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