Welcome back. Today, TikTok’s remix-and-riff culture combines with social-media consumer advocacy to create a headache for brands; the “Wicked” conclusion is music to movie-industry ears; and one of Taco Bell’s biggest brand assets stays in the (test) kitchen.

A new TikTok trend is riling up consumer advocates by accusing brands of “ghosting” users on free products they promised, Megan Graham reports.

“Why didn’t you follow through on giving Anna a car???” one TikToker among thousands commented on a Honda video after seeing a "ghosted" post. “And to think I was about to purchase a Honda,” said another.

But their passionate campaigns have one problem: The “accusations” are mostly jokes, just riffs on a viral video by a med student who said Revlon left her hanging after pledging to replace a lost lip oil. Millions of views piled up as brands like Prada Beauty, Paula’s Choice and NYX and offered to step in.

Other users quickly echoed her language (and Taylor Swift soundtrack) to claim that brands including Oatly, Southwest, Tesla, Louis Vuitton, BMW, Domino’s, Toyota, E.l.f. and Ninja had “ghosted” them too. But not everyone caught the reference.

Even brands that never ghosted anybody should know that people will watch to see how they react, said Casey Savio Samuels, a strategy executive at marketing and tech agency Monks. “And that very much is going to shape—in the future—what they think of that brand,” she said.

“Wicked: For Good” gave movie theaters a smash-hit opening that Hollywood hopes will start a strong end to a weak year, Ben Fritz writes.

The second part of Universal Pictures’ adaptation of the long-running Broadway musical opened to an estimated $226 million globally and $150 million in the U.S and Canada, one of the biggest domestic openings of the year. (Advance screenings kicked in $30.8 million.)

The new movie’s marketing campaign, like the first, pulled out all the stops.

Stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande did fewer press interviews for the sequel but more events, including five global premieres and a two-hour “Wicked” special on Universal siblings NBC and Peacock.

The sequel didn’t get a Super Bowl ad like its predecessor, but it had more partnerships with companies including Amazon, Dunkin’ and Airbnb.

Related: The entertainment business now relies on kids dragging their parents to theaters, making PG movies the king of the box office. [WSJ]

In the hypercompetitive world of fast food, where chains need a steady supply of new menu items to keep customers coming back, brand-savvy product developers are the secret sauce, Heather Haddon reports.

This year, Taco Bell and Chief Innovation Officer Liz Matthews, for example, are on track to release around two dozen new menu items like a Flamin’ Hot Grilled Cheese Burrito and Cheesy Street Chalupas, double last year’s total.

Many new offerings are limited-time offers, but some become staples. Matthews helped develop Doritos Locos Tacos, which debuted in 2012 after two years of trial and error. They delivered hundreds of millions in sales in the first year and helped Taco Bell reverse a sales slump.

The work is never done. Matthews worked on Taco Bell’s 2004 introduction of Baja Blast, a Mountain Dew variant that became a top seller. This month, as an LTO in some stores, Taco Bell is selling Baja Blast Pie, a neon green Key lime pie it says can be “a Friendsgiving flex.”

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Inside Marriott’s disastrous bet on Sonder. [WSJ] 

For all the hand-wringing over tariffs and a wobbling economy, shoppers are spending where they perceive value. [WSJ] 

Marketing looms large in the comeback effort at Molson Coors. [Ad Age]

Movie posters promoting “Rental Family” resemble traditional Japanese art, but with Brendan Fraser in the scene. [Creative Bloq]

Hollywood is frantically guessing how to campaign for the first Oscar recognizing achievement in casting. [Variety] 

Intuit will keep naming rights to Intuit Dome during the L.A. Olympics as part of a new sponsorship deal. [Adweek]

Inside the strange and lonely test run of a new cruise ship. [WSJ] 

Bon Iver and Pantone teamed up on a color they called “fABLE Salmon,” after the band’s album “SABLE, fABLE.” [Pitchfork]