Good morning. Today, Mastercard, PepsiCo and Nissan aren’t renewing their NYC Pride sponsorships for 2025; Live Nation sells naming rights to its music festivals; and Ryan Coogler taps film nerds to help make his latest movie a smash.

Mastercard is joining PepsiCo, Nissan, Citi and PwC among New York City Pride sponsors that aren’t returning this year, Patrick Coffee reports.

Most are still participating in Pride activities in some way, and Mastercard said it will participate in the annual Pride march as well as other events. Two-thirds of NYC Pride sponsors have also re-upped for 2025.

The pullback by some and delays by others, however, are the latest signs of a chillier climate for corporate Pride sponsorships.

In New York, factors include a change in sponsor packages to exclude certain events that were previously included.

More broadly, sponsors feel pressure from the Trump administration’s anti-DEI drive as well as economic uncertainty centered around tariffs, said Eve Keller, co-president of United States Association of Prides.

“It’s multilayered, and it’s all happening at the same time,” said Keller.

7-Eleven has signed a deal to become the naming-rights sponsor of Live Nation’s pop-punk and emo festival When We Were Young, to be rechristened this year as “When We Were Young Presented by 7-Eleven,” Katie Deighton writes.

The brand will set up a “hangout” area at the Las Vegas event, handing out free Slurpee drinks in a space decorated to channel “early 2000s emo energy,” and see its name in lights on the renamed 7-Eleven Stage.

Live Nation said the pact marks the first time it has sold the naming rights of a U.S. festival, following its success with the likes of Coca-Cola Flow Fest in Mexico and Rockstar Energy Presents Reading Festival in the U.K.

“It’s our equivalent to naming an arena or a stadium,” said Russell Wallach, Live Nation’s global president of media and sponsorship.

Film nerds are helping to power Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” at the box office, where it has been No. 1 two weeks running, John Jurgensen reports.

Coogler and Warner Bros. released “Sinners” in five different formats, tapping into the kind of collector mentality that drives Taylor Swift fans to buy several editions of the same album.

In the versions playing in IMAX theaters, for example, the proportions of the picture on screen change during key scenes.

Coogler primed people for such cinematic bells and whistles with a 10-minute tutorial posted online (and sponsored by Kodak) about aspect ratios and film stock.

Domino’s said cost-saving moves and growth initiatives such as new menu items will help counteract macroeconomic challenges. [WSJ] 

The University of North Carolina is encouraging its student athletes to become social-media stars with the help of an alumna’s influencer marketing agency. [NYT]

Puma is trying to reposition its brand with a surge in marketing spending, a global ad campaign themed “Go Wild” and the reintroduction of a sneaker called the Speedcat. [Glossy]

Abercrombie & Fitch continued its retail revival project with a new 6,000-square-foot store in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. [Fashion United]

McDonald’s gave its location in a Hong Kong subway station, by one count the busiest restaurant in Asia, a millennial-gray redesign. [Fast Company]

Warner Music Group sued dessert chain Crumbl for allegedly using unauthorized music by artists including Taylor Swift and Beyoncé on TikTok. [Restaurant Business]

Where does streaming TV sit with advertisers as the annual upfronts approach? [Ad Age]