The Super Bowl? More Like the "Advertising Bowl"
On February 09, 2025, households around the world will be tuning in to watch the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs battle for the coveted Vince Lombardi Trophy in Super Bowl 59.
The Super Bowl is the biggest stage for not just athletes but for advertisers. Last year, 123.4 million viewers watched the Super Bowl, making it one of the most-watched television broadcasts ever (NFL). Brands spend months (and lots of money) to produce and market clever, star-studded commercials—Super Bowl LIX will be no different.
Super Bowl commercials are an important cornerstone of American popular culture. Apple announced its Macintosh personal computer in an ad inspired by George Orwell’s 1984; Michael Bublé teamed up with Bubly for a fun sketch about name mispronunciations; even the most outlandish of commercials, Mountain Dew’s “Puppy Monkey Baby,” had viewers repeating its catchy jingle months after the commercial’s launch.
Social Media & Super Bowl Advertising
With the rise of social media and influencer marketing, brands can now strategically connect with audiences beyond the television on the night of the big game. Social media acts as an amplifier in three ways: it boosts brand engagement & awareness, increases the reach and impact of brand campaigns, and presents unique opportunities for social listening and trendspotting.
Nerds generated brand awareness and buzz for their Super Bowl ad campaign by sharing teasers of their commercial featuring TikTok star, Addison Rae. Watch below to see how Nerds tapped into nostalgia and influencer marketing to attract candy lovers of all ages.
@addisonre Guess who I’m coaching…?! 🪩🕺🕺🎶🍬 tune in to find out!! @Nerds Candy 2.11 #ad
♬ original sound - Addison Rae
Brands featured during the commercial break spend, on average, $7 million for a single, 30-second ad spot on television. For brands with a smaller advertising budget, social media opens up the playing field. Everyone now has the opportunity to participate in the global conversation, while reaching both new and existing audiences. Brands with “social-first” marketing strategies are expected to reap the most benefits.
How We Play A Role
With our creative marketing solutions, brands can be part of the Super Bowl conversation using interactive ad formats across social media platforms.
Video Editing - Lay's & Doritos Game Day Contest
In a previous blog post published to our page, we shared that about 89% of consumers want to see more videos from brands they love (Hubspot). Video continues to evolve as an impactful marketing medium for companies—especially when it incorporates motion graphics.
Videos promoting sweepstakes, giveaways, and other exclusive promotional events can boost audience growth rate/participation, drive sales, and encourage user-generated content (UGC) across social media platforms.
As part of their Super Bowl 2025 campaigns, Lay’s and Doritos ran two sweepstakes on X. Users who interacted with the posts and trigger hashtags (i.e., #OnlyLays, #DoritosCrash) were eligible for cash prizes that were announced on Super Bowl Sunday. Our team of skilled video editors put together two short promotional graphics videos for Lay’s and Doritos to bring awareness to these giveaways. These videos used animation and text elements to showcase the clients’ products along with simple instructions for entry. Contest participants then received one of our videos revealing their fate!
Custom Likes & Hashmojis - DraftKings, Pepsi, & Doritos
Hashtag campaigns are a popular way for brands to generate buzz and drive post engagement. For example, according to a report by Captiv8, the hashtag #SuperBowlLVII accumulated more than 225 million views on TikTok in 2023.
Custom likes and hashmojis are custom visuals brands attach to a limited-edition hashtag campaign on X. Custom likes replace the standard heart animation (triggered when a user ‘likes’ a post) with the branded animation, while hashmojis are static emojis featured at the end of a hashtag.
For the upcoming Super Bowl, we created a custom like and hashmoji for DraftKings to promote Super Bowl parlays and sports betting. With the hashtag #LetDKCook, X users could trigger the animation and design on their posts.
As an exclusive design partner for X (formerly known as Twitter), our team partnered with Pepsi in 2022 to promote the Super Bowl LVI Halftime show featuring Mary J. Blige, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, and Eminem. Any user engaging with the hashtag #PepsiHalftime on the day of Super Bowl LVI triggered our custom animation—the Pepsi logo inside of a music record!

In 2023, our designers and animators also created a custom like and hashmoji for Doritos’ “Triangle Scheme” Super Bowl LVII campaign. Our design was even featured in the Super Bowl commercial. It was truly amazing to witness how many X users engaged with our branded likes throughout the game!

Augmented Reality (AR) - KIA Robo Dog
In recent years, brands have turned to Snapchat for immersive, personalized ad campaigns perfect for the night of “the big game.” According to Snapchat, Super Bowl campaigns that contain a lens result in 1.5x increased ad awareness. Through unique activations such as “Super Bowl Winner Prediction” lenses, the #TouchdownCelebration challenge, and custom Cameo stickers, Snapchatters and their favorite brands can connect with one another.
TikTok has also become a destination for advertisers to reach Generation Z Super Bowl watchers. Brands are tapping into influencers and celebrities when delivering creative and disruptive short-form advertisements. The Addison Rae, Nerds collaboration on TikTok linked earlier in this article is a perfect example.
“Advertisers that are doing it well know that watching football isn’t just on the TV—it’s with the memes, social conversations, and opinions in real time through TikTok” – Shayne Millington, McCann New York
KIA introduced Robo Dog to the world in their 2022 Super Bowl commercial for their new electric EV6 vehicle. Bare Tree Media was thrilled and honored to have created a 3D model and TikTok AR experience to accompany KIA’s #fullycharged campaign.
Our TikTok integration invited users of the app to dance with Robo Dog, an electrically-charged dog, to Total Eclipse of the Heart by Bonnie Tyler. This effect was launched a week before the Super Bowl in conjunction with a 60-second Super Bowl advertisement and a “dogmented reality” experience. The dogmented reality experience simulates pet adoption virtually and entices users to consider adopting an animal in need from their local shelter.
@melissabecraft #ad Kia has given to the PetFinder Foundation to help find forever homes for dogs. I’m showing my support by doing the #RoboDog #turnaround
Looking Ahead to Super Bowl LIX
Social media has and will continue to perform well in conjunction with traditional Super Bowl advertising. Ultimately, the most important play in your marketing playbook is sharing quality content that is on-brand, attention-grabbing, and influencer-driven. As we look ahead to Super Bowl LIX this Sunday, expect to see:
- Interactive content: AR lenses and gamified content will continue to skyrocket in popularity. Other interactive content such as custom likes, hashmojis, and social media challenges require engagement and participation by a viewer.
- Influencer-first campaigns: brands will partner with micro and macro influencers with highly-engaged audiences across social media platforms—particularly, TikTok and Instagram.
With the right combination of experience, skill, and guidance, your brand can use design, animation, motion graphics, and AR to better engage and captivate the attention of your customers. To learn more about how we can be a part of your Super Bowl marketing, contact us at info@baretreemedia.com or visit our website.
Interested in something unique for your brand? Reach out to our team!
Bare Tree Media is a full-service creative studio and digital publisher creating super slick, mobile-facing content! We would love to bring your brand’s ideas to life through digital animation and AR. Check out our Animation & Video page to see motion graphic experiences we’ve created for brands.
2025 Newsletter
Hello 2025! In this issue of our quarterly newsletter, we would like to share some company updates and creative highlights from Q4 2024. As always, we would like to thank our business partners for their endless support and flexibility. Cheers to another great and successful year! We love creating for you.
New Partnerships
This November we announced a partnership with Soundwave Digital. Through this partnership, we will be expanding our offerings to include media planning and programmatic buying. We are excited to work alongside Soundwave Digital to meet our clients’ advertising and marketing needs. Visit our blog page to learn more about this partnership.

Team Spotlight
We had two wonderful Animation & Illustration Sprouts join our team. Meet our interns, Anthony & Laura.
Our internship and co-op opportunities give aspiring creatives an opportunity to collaborate 1-on-1 with a small team on client projects. Anthony and Laura worked closely with our creative team to create a variety of digital experiences for brands such as The Smurfs, Strawberry Shortcake, and Betty Boop.
Meet Anthony:
Anthony is a talented animator, designer, and storyteller. Polished and whimsical—we are so grateful to Anthony for sharing his complex, thoughtful design POV with us.

“My favorite part about working at Bare Tree Media is the people. Everyone here is incredibly approachable, reliable, and supportive. I was incredibly nervous given that this was my first time doing any sort of remote work, but once I realized that the team was all in it together, I understood exactly why everyone at BTM seems so happy!”
We pride ourselves on providing our interns with a space to create freely and push boundaries. While at Bare Tree, Anthony & Laura worked on a number of personal projects.
“While I found fun in every project I worked on, I’d definitely go with the First Day of Fall social media post. I was looking forward to it for the majority of my time working here. My speciality is 2D, hand-drawn animation, so it was a welcome return to what I love doing the most. Plus, I love compositing animation.”
Check out Anthony’s “First Day of Fall” post on our Instagram page!
Meet Laura:
Laura is a talented illustrator from the Greater Boston area. She would describe her design style as playful and bold with a handmade quality.

“Each project I have worked on came with their own set of challenges from which I was able to grow. Working on digital sticker packs was very enjoyable for me. It was a lot of fun working with seasonal designs (i.e., Betty Boop: Merry & Bright) and creating assets to accompany the main images.”
Laura also created an Election Day post for our social media channels and her own personal sticker pack entitled “Bagel Buddies.”

“For my PSP, I was inspired by daily life…bagels are always in my kitchen! Throughout this project I liked having the ability to experiment with different techniques and learn new animation skills. I’m happy to have been able to bring my own concept to life!”
To start the storyboarding process, Laura thought about various bagel puns. Once her expression sheet was completed, she sketched out imagery for each bagel and refined the illustrations based on feedback she received from our creative team. Adding another level of interaction and engagement, Laura animated her stickers in After Effects.
“This experience [working at Bare Tree Media] has provided me with an enjoyable work environment and has inspired me to continue growing my skills in animation and graphic design. My growth would not have been possible without members of the team being so willing to help me learn and giving me constructive feedback.”
Laura’s sticker pack will be on the Apple and Samsung Galaxy stores soon!
#TEAMWIMPY
We’ve been working with author Jeff Kinney and Wimpy Kid, INC. for 5+ years to bring fans of the best-selling book series unique digital offerings. As previously announced, our team will now create mobile messaging stickers and phone themes to help promote “Diary of a Wimpy Kid.” To learn more about the partnership, check out our blog page.
Our Social Media Coordinator, Emily, worked with the Wimpy Kid, INC. social media team to create a reel to promote DOAWK’s first sticker pack: “Team Wimpy.” This reel featured our stickers in action on iMessage and included iconic moments, quotes, and characters from the series. This collaboration amassed over 4,000 likes and 100,000 views on Instagram.
“Team Wimpy” is now available on the Apple & Samsung Galaxy stores.
Our team attended the “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Hot Mess Tour” kickoff event in Plainville, MA. We love supporting our local partners. A reel Jackie created was shown at the pre-show! We’re so happy audience members got to experience our DOAWK digital offerings.
The Wild Robot
Our team had the opportunity to create rotoscope stickers for NBC Universal’s newest movie, “The Wild Robot.” These GIFs effectively capture the essence of the movie and promote it in a visually engaging and shareable way. We loved seeing Instagram users utilize our stickers on promotional posts and stories.
In October, our team watched the movie together. Great work, NBC Universal—it was a tearjerker!
Keep Calm & Tweet On
Our animators have been hard at work creating custom likes and branded hashtags for brands. These limited-time campaigns increase engagement for brands looking to market events and promotions on X. Check out some of our favorites below:
World Gold Council

Netflix: Paul .v. Tyson

Mountain Dew: Baja Blast

DraftKings

Traveling Around Town
Bob Ferrari (CEO) and Jackie Karnoff (Creative Manager) flew to Los Angeles to meet with our West Coast clients. We love catching up and brainstorming with our partners in person! Follow us on social media to receive updates about our new partnerships.

We also attended the annual Ad Club Media Innovation Day in Boston, MA. By auctioning off our creative services, we were able to support the local advertising community and Ad Club’s first-generation scholarship/internship program. Find our takeaways from the event on our blog page.
Motion Graphics Meet Marketing: Enhancing Brand Storytelling
To survive in the modern digital landscape, brands need to cut through the noise and capture the limited (very limited) attention of their audiences.
“Content is King”—the phrase followed by marketers around the world. However, most social media feeds are inundated with articles, advertisements, and social posts. While content is important, quality (over quantity) is king.
Incorporating motion graphics into marketing materials are a powerful way for brands to enhance their content strategies and reach potential customers. As a motion graphics studio, we may be a little biased, but our experiences creating super-slick promotional videos for brands (i.e., Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Interwell Health) have shown us first-hand the power of motion in marketing.
So why motion graphics? Read more below to find out.
What are Motion Graphics?
Motion design animates 2D/3D graphics using software to create a visual narrative. The technique emerged in the mid-20th century and is credited for transforming graphic design. Common examples include TV opening credits, digital adverts, news broadcasts, and explainer videos.
A Rise in Video Content
The number of digital video viewers worldwide is currently 3.3 billion (HubSpot). According to an article published by HubSpot, about 89% of consumers want to see more videos from brands they love. With video accessible on every major social media network, audiences use short-form videos (~60 seconds) to learn more about a brand, product, or service. Video marketing increases brand visibility and engagement as consumers are 52% more likely to share video content than any other type of content.
Aside from increasing engagement, motion graphics can benefit brands in three ways:
- Simplify a concept, product, or service
- Easily shareable
- Efficient & cost-effective
Explainer Videos & Motion Graphics
According to HubSpot, the most common videos that incorporate motion graphics are presentations (65%), ads (57%), and explainers (47%).
Explainer videos convey concepts, products, and services in a quick, clear, and concise way. Motion graphics used in these videos capture attention more easily than text. For example, Hank Green’s YouTube series “Crash Course” utilizes motion graphics to break down educational concepts in an entertaining, digestible way for students. The series has over 161.M subscribers on YouTube and is used in classrooms throughout the country.
Furthermore, explainer videos can introduce people to new-to-market products and services that may contain complicated features. Customers can make better-informed purchasing decisions, and in turn, conversion rates may increase. The onboarding experience for customers becomes more efficient, which can reduce customer support costs.
Motion Graphics & Virality
Motion design, like most video content, is inherently shareable. Marketers utilize video to generate organic growth across social media platforms. Videos containing motion graphics are more likely to go viral because they are visually engaging and perceived as higher quality by viewers.
In this 30 second advertisement, Porsche takes viewers through the evolution of the automobile and how their vehicles are integral to the automotive industry. Brands like Porsche use motion graphics not just to sell a product but to invoke a feeling and share an aspirational lifestyle.
Efficiency & Cost-Effectiveness
While engagement is important, the success of a marketing campaign is measured against return on investment (ROI). Traditional, live-action film shoots are expensive and carry greater risk than animated video. Because motion designers work in programs with highly-flexible capabilities, adjusting animations is a fairly simple, low-cost process.
Future of Motion Graphics
Video content will continue to evolve to fit new consumer needs, platforms, and trends. It is important to note that social media algorithms largely control what’s shown on a given platform. Short-form, motion graphic and explainer videos may be capturing the attention of millions now but algorithm shifts may change what kind of content becomes popular in the future.
How We Play a Role
Our experienced designers, animators, and editors work with brands to leverage motion graphics in their marketing and advertising campaigns. We’ve created campaigns for IFAW, BetMGM, and Samsung.
- To promote the new messaging stickers and Samsung Themes we created for “Diary of a Wimpy Kid,” we teamed up with WimpyKid Inc. in 2024 to create a digital offerings promotional video. The “Hot Mess” book tour kicked off in October and our video was featured before the show at every stop and on their social media account.
- At Bare Tree Media, we love using our design and animation skills to raise awareness for important causes. We collaborated with the Healthy Ocean Coalition (HOC) to create an animated explainer video that outlined the importance of protecting our oceans, mitigating climate change, and improving access and distribution to nature around the United States.
Interested in something unique for your brand? Reach out to our team!
Bare Tree Media is a full-service creative studio and digital publisher creating super slick, mobile-facing content! We would love to bring your brand’s ideas to life through digital animation and AR. Check out our Animation & Video page to see motion graphic experiences we’ve created for brands.
The Power of Profile Frames
Short-form social media platform, TikTok, is unveiling new ways for brands to entertain and engage their audiences. To increase advertiser investment and enhance users’ in-app ad experiences, TikTok has introduced several interactive ad formats to the platform. According to TechCrunch (2021), the company promised these changes would make advertising more user-friendly, interactive, and creative.
This blog post will cover TikTok’s newest digital offering: TikTok profile frames. Read more to learn about how our team can help your brand use frames to enhance your ad experience.
Early Interactive Add-Ons
At an online conference in 2021, TikTok launched “super likes.” When a user likes an advertisement, surprise visual elements and icons will appear on the screen. Brands also have the option to add an optional custom pop-up window that will take viewers to the ad landing page after the “super like” display finishes playing.
TikTok has continued to deliver on their promise: they now offer standard add-ons such as stickers, download cards, and countdowns. Premium ad options such as shake surprises, pop-out showcases, and other interactive ad formats are also available to brands. Standard add-ons drive clicks and conversions, while premium add-ons build community and brand awareness.
What are TikTok Profile Frames?
Move over super likes—we’re saying hello to TikTok profile frames! TikTok profile frames are exclusive, limited-time displays featured on a user’s profile. As part of an ad campaign, brands can publish custom designs that wrap around, or “frame,” a user’s profile photo. Users can unlock these frames by completing interactive tasks or engaging with an advertisement.
Rising pop star Sabrina Carpenter partnered with TikTok to unveil an in-app experience to promote her “Short n’ Sweet” album. The #ShortnSweet in-app experience invited Sabrina Carpenter fans to participate in five interactive tasks in order to unlock an exclusive profile frame. This frame allows fans to showcase their love for the star and to signal to other TikTokers that they are members of Carpenter’s fanbase, “the Carpenters.”

Source: TikTok
Gladiator II: A Case Study
Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II, the sequel to Gladiator I, is an epic historical action film. The movie premiered in theaters November 22, 2024. The team at Paramount Pictures asked us to create a TikTok profile frame to promote the release of the movie.
We created three different designs for Paramount Pictures. Paramount provided Jackie (Creative Manager) and Chihiro (Senior Animator) with detailed design guidelines, references, and assets from the movie to work with.
Our team created mockups of the designs overlaying them over a TikTok profile template, so our clients would have a visual understanding of what the final product would look like in the application.
To unlock our frames, TikTok users had to post a video containing a Gladiator II green screen and the hashtag #GladiatorII.
Benefits to Brands
- Enhance brand visibility: when users apply branded profile frames, they are sharing content that reflects the brand’s identity. Users become brand ambassadors and organically promote the brand to their followers.
- Drive engagement: customizable, limited-edition elements invite interaction. When users personalize their profiles with branded TikTok frames, they are engaging with a brand in a creative way.
- Encourage virality: unique and visually appealing content generates conversation. A well-designed profile frame can be an important element in making a brand’s marketing campaign go viral.
How We Play a Role
The battle for attention is nothing new; however, TikTok profile frames and other interactive ad formats are essential for stopping the scroll and cutting through the noise. Users benefit by enjoying experiences that reflect their interests and encourage personal self-expression, while businesses benefit from increased visibility and engagement.
With the right combination of experience, skill, and guidance, your brand can use TikTok profile frames to captivate the attention of your audience. To learn more about how we can be a part of your next marketing campaign, contact us at info@baretreemedia.com or visit our website.
Interested in something unique for your brand? Reach out to our team!
Bare Tree Media is a full-service creative studio and digital publisher creating super slick, mobile-facing content! As an official Branded Effect Partner for TikTok, we would love to bring your brand’s ideas to life on TikTok using our design and AR expertise.
BTM x Soundwave Digital Partnership Announced
Boston, MA – October 31, 2024 — Bare Tree Media is pleased to announce its expansion into media planning and programmatic buying under a partnership with Soundwave Digital. Advertisers across entertainment, sports, and CPG sectors have consistently chosen Bare Tree Media as their creative studio of choice because of the company’s reputation for high quality creative design, video editing, animation, and augmented reality services.
“Leveraging Soundwave Digital’s proprietary technology, Amplifi™, we will continue to create great content plus now have the ability plan, buy, optimize and report across various media channels such as CTV, Online Video, Social, Display, Native, Audio, Digital Out of Home and more.” — Bob Ferrari, president of Bare Tree Media
For many years, Bare Tree Media has been servicing valued clients across a number of industries. With this partnership, the creative studio can now work with clients across the full life cycle of creation, execution, and optimization for dynamic campaigns and successful brand initiatives. Leveraging their team’s existing capabilities, Bare Tree Media will work alongside Soundwave digital to revolutionize the media buying experience for brands.
“Soundwave excels by combining managed services, in-house expertise and AI technology, to fine-tune advertising strategies and maximize the impact of marketing efforts. We are very excited to bring on Bare Tree Media as an agency partner given their exceptional creative abilities and vast network of clients.” — Neil Kuchins, Chief Revenue Officer & co-founder of Soundwave Digital
Keep an eye out on Instagram, X, Facebook, and LinkedIn for exciting projects related to this new venture.
About Bare Tree Media
As a pioneer in the digital creative and technology sector, Bare Tree Media enables brands to reach, engage, and entertain consumers through the creation and digital publishing of branded emojis, messaging stickers, GIFs, digital collectibles, metaverse virtual goods, and augmented reality experiences within popular messaging platforms. Interested brands can learn more at www.baretreemedia.com or contact Bare Tree Media at info@baretreemedia.com.
About Soundwave Digital
Soundwave Digital provides programmatic advertising, amplified by in-house, A.I. powered audience modeling and advanced automation. The company creates strategies that employ easy, automated media buying optimized for a brand’s specific business needs. Soundwave Digital works with a variety of entertainment and sporting brands including, but not limited to, the Baltimore Orioles, the UCLA Bruins, MGM Resorts, and Vizio.
The Ad Club Media Innovation Day: Highlights & Takeaways
As one of the leading animation studios and illustration studios in Boston, our team was invited by The Ad Club to attend Media Innovation Day 2024. This event brings digital media’s “brightest minds and industry leaders” together to “explore the latest trends, technologies, and creative strategies” that are shaping how we interact with media (The Ad Club).
Read below to learn more about Bob Ferrari (President) & Jackie Karnoff’s (Creative Manager) experience.
Keynote Speech: A Culture of Innovation
The event started strong with Gogi Gupta’s presentation on company culture, which emphasized the importance of fostering a strong, values-driven environment that prioritizes innovation and agility. As the founder of Gupta Media, he shared insights into how creating a positive and collaborative culture not only strengthens internal teams but also leads to better outcomes for clients. Gupta also highlighted the significance of transparency and trust within an organization. He shared examples of how his company’s focus on communication and employee empowerment has been key to maintaining high levels of productivity and creativity—especially in an industry that is constantly evolving.

Intersections of AI & Media
A major focus was on the growing influence of artificial intelligence (AI) in media and marketing. AI is being used to enhance personalized advertising to streamlining creative production processes. Attendees discussed how AI tools, such as large language models (LLMs) and generative AI, are transforming search functionalities, media planning, and consumer engagement, especially in platforms like Google and TikTok.
Our company uses Machine Learning (ML), a subset of AI technology, when designing Augmented Reality (AR) effects for brands on TikTok & Snapchat. With our custom AR effects, brands can personalize digital marketing experiences for their target audiences. When combined with ML & AI, our AR effects become more personal; more realistic; more interactive.
3 C's - Creativity, Collaboration, and Community
Community-driven partnerships was another key trend we learned more about from Later’s Mikayla Caprio. Collaboration with content creators and influencers has shown to be a wildly successful way to create product awareness and engagement. Overall social media is where brands should be focusing their marketing efforts and spend.
In addition, there were a few case studies of recent marketing campaigns that featured cutting-edge omnichannel strategies that utilized new spaces to advertise in like Zillow, video games, and conventions with great success.
Interested in something unique for your brand?
Bid on our services at the Ad Club Media auction.
Bare Tree Media is a full-service creative studio and digital publisher creating super slick, mobile-facing content! We would love to help your brand reach its fans, build community, and increase digital sales revenue. Check out our IP Licensing & Digital Publishing pages to see our IPs, as well as branded experiences we’ve published for mobile platforms.
By auctioning off our creative services at The Ad Club’s Media Auction, we are able to support the local advertising community and Ad Club’s first-generation scholarship/internship program. Bidding ends October 4th—click below to bid before it’s too late!
Summer 2024 Newsletter
We are sad that summer is coming to an end and the days are getting shorter, but we are ready for Q4. In this issue of our quarterly newsletter, we are excited to recap all the creative content we made and shared throughout the summer. Our team members have been hard at work creating digital experiences for brands. As always, we would like to thank our business partners for their endless support and flexibility.
New Partnerships
This summer we announced an expanded partnership with Wimpy Kid, Inc. & Jeff Kinney, author of the international best selling children’s book series “Diary of a Wimpy Kid.” This collaboration marks Wimpy Kid’s first venture into digital licensing. In addition to emojis and AR effects, we will create mobile messaging stickers and phone themes. We’re excited to continue our 5+ year partnership with Wimpy Kid, Inc. and cannot wait to help promote the launch of “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Hot Mess.” Head to our blog page to learn more about the expanded partnership.

We also announced a licensing and global distribution partnership with Paul Frank. Fans—keep an eye out for new mobile themes, messaging stickers, and non-NFT digital collectibles that feature Julius the Monkey and friends. We are excited to help Paul Frank and Futurity Brands expand their brand beyond its existing physical apparel and accessories lines. For more information, check out our blog page.
Licensing Expo 2024
Bob Ferrari (CEO), Sonya Priest (Licensing Manager), and Jackie Karnoff (Creative Manager) hopped on a plane and flew to Las Vegas for the annual Licensing Expo, hosted by the Global Licensing Group. We loved meeting up with brand partners, attending keynote presentations, and securing some new licenses. Follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay up to date.
Team Spotlight
Meet our Animation & Illustration Sprout, Charlie! Charlie is a co-op student from Northeastern University. For the last couple of months, Charlie worked closely with our design, licensing, and animation teams to create a variety of digital experiences for our clients. Whether it was Samsung Themes, messaging sticker packs, or internal social posts, Charlie always brought his A(rtist)-game.
“My favorite part about working at Bare Tree Media is the wonderful people who I get to work with! Throughout my time here, I’ve felt so supported and encouraged to pursue new and innovative ideas. My co-workers’ personalities and work ethics are so inspiring, and I’ve learned so much from them about communication, flexibility, and creativity.” — Charlie Allan

Our co-op program gives students looking to pursue a career in the Arts & Digital Media an opportunity to develop their technical skills, push creative boundaries, and produce marketable work. While at Bare Tree, Charlie worked on a number of projects including a “Sustainability” social post, Blink Twice rotoscope stickers, and his own personal sticker pack, “Drunkey Monkey:”
“My favorite project I worked on was the “Sustainability” social post. I was given a lot of room to experiment and learn while working in After Effects, and I tried out character animation for the first time. I loved ideating, illustrating, and creating type treatments for my personal sticker pack too because I could see my sketches come to life and my graphic-eye improve throughout the process.” — Charlie Allan

“Drunkey Monkey” is available for Samsung and Apple devices and can also be found on GIPHY.
We would like to thank Charlie for all his hard work. We will miss his curiosity, positive energy, and creative spirit. The sky’s the limit—we cannot wait to see what the future holds for him!
Movie Magic
Blink and you’ll miss it…our design team created rotoscope stickers for summer’s newest psychological thriller Blink Twice. Find them on GIPHY and Instagram and share your excitement for the movie’s August 23rd premiere.
Congratulations to everyone on our team who worked on this project. The final product is fantastic!

Paris Games 2024
Our team and licensing partners were going for gold this summer! To celebrate the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, we decided to bring some Olympic spirit into the mobile messaging world.
Samsung Electronics selected our team to create the official Team France mobile theme, available exclusively on the Samsung Galaxy store. This was an incredible opportunity for us to showcase our design and digital publishing expertise with the world. We are thrilled to be associated with an event that inspires community, connection, and collaboration. Click the image below to download.
Digital Collectibles
This summer we released non-NFT digital card collections, stickers, and special edition items for 5+ of our licensed brands (not all listed):
- TMNT
- Paul Frank
- SpongeBob
- Bob Holt
- Tate Artists
Our Creative Manager, Jackie, designed 50+ cards for Betty Boop, and the final product was Boopin’ fantastic. Jackie was able to capture all of Betty’s different personas into a collection perfect for fans of the iconic character.
Paul Frank Ventures into Digital Licensing
Boston, MA – August 09, 2024 — Bare Tree Media, a digital publisher of licensed IPs worldwide, has announced a global digital licensing and distribution partnership with Paul Frank. The collaboration expands the Paul Frank brand beyond its existing physical apparel and accessories lines, venturing the brand into popular digital platforms managed by Bare Tree Media.
“Together with Bare Tree Media, we are excited for Paul Frank fans from around the world to have meaningful engagements with Julius and his friends. We are delighted to continue our long-time partnership with Bob and his team.” — Michael Puglisi, Brand Director of Global Licensing at Futurity Brands
Under this partnership, Bare Tree Media has leveraged its expertise in digital content creation and distribution to launch collections of digital content on Quidd, Apple app store, and Samsung Galaxy app store. From mobile themes, to messaging stickers, to non-NFT digital collectibles, there is a little something for every fan of Paul Frank.

“Our creative and licensing teams are excited about partnering with Futurity Brands—Paul Frank fits perfectly with the Gen-Z and Millennial audiences we serve through our global digital products and platform partnership. I personally know Paul Frank, and I’m honored to continue the 28-year legacy of such an iconic pop culture phenomena.” — Robert Ferrari, President of Bare Tree Media
Bare Tree Media recently designed and published Olympics-themed Paul Frank messaging stickers to Apple and Samsung. Each one captured the funky, fresh, and very French essence of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Content like this and more will be released throughout the upcoming year.
About Bare Tree Media
As a pioneer in the digital creative and technology sector, Bare Tree Media enables brands to reach, engage, and entertain consumers through the creation and digital publishing of branded emojis, messaging stickers, GIFs, digital collectibles, metaverse virtual goods, and augmented reality experiences within popular messaging platforms. Interested brands can learn more at www.baretreemedia.com or contact Bare Tree Media at info@baretreemedia.com.
About Paul Frank
Paul Frank was created in 1995 in Huntington Beach, CA by artist, cartoonist, & fashion designer Paul Frank. Known for its brightly-colored apparel and accessories, Paul Frank and its most recognized character, Julius the Monkey, bring joy to fans all over the world. Hong Kong-based licensing company Futurity Brands now manages the beloved brand.
From Booths to Brands: Licensing Expo 2024
Bare Tree Media is the leading digital licensee for IPs such as The Smurfs, Betty Boop, and Care Bears. We offer brands a variety of digital solutions including, but not limited to, mobile messaging stickers, mobile phone themes, smartwatch faces, virtual goods within online worlds and the metaverse, and digital collectibles.
In case you missed it, our team flew out to Las Vegas, Nevada to attend Licensing Expo’s annual licensing trade show. This event hosts more than “10,000 professional attendees involved within the consumer product licensing industry” and connects the world’s most “influential entertainment, character, art, and corporate brand owners” with consumer goods licensees (Licensing Expo).
Bob Ferrari (President) & Sonya Priest (Licensing Coordinator) sat down to recap their experience at the 2024 Licensing Expo.

Why the Licensing Expo?
BF: The Licensing Expo is Bare Tree Media’s most important trade show of the year. This event provides us the opportunity to meet with our licensors outside of Zoom boardrooms for face-to-face meetings and social events. In addition to meeting with our partners, we also network and explore new business partnerships. Most of the licensing industry centers around physical merchandise—apparel, accessories, and home goods. We love showing brands how our digital offerings allow them to more effectively reach and engage their audiences.
Who did you chat with?
SP: We have a large IP portfolio primarily composed of media and entertainment brands. Each year, our brand partnerships list grows, giving us more opportunities to meet, network, and connect at the Licensing Expo. Some of our current licensors include:
- Paramount: Spongebob Square Pants, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Rugrats, Garfield, Avatar, Mean Girls, I Love Lucy, and Star Trek
- Cloudco: Care Bears and Madballs
- CPLG: Strawberry Shortcake and Teletubbies
- Paul Frank
- The Smurfs
- Betty Boop
We also work with numerous independent artists managed by Tate Licensing. We had many productive discussions with our licensors and are looking forward to announcing some exciting new projects.
What did you learn, if anything, from the expo?
SP: Beyond the networking opportunities and client meetings, the Licensing Expo holds many presentations, panels, and workshops. We received resources and guidance on navigating style guides and saw case studies for specific brand launches. We also attended the “Video Games: Driving Billions to Play” panel and “Paris Hilton and 11:11 Media: Building a Global Brand Across Culture, Content, and Commerce” keynote presentation. These presentations discussed trends within the licensing industry and how licensees can better engage kids and family franchises. We work with a lot of brands that have cross-generational appeal, so these discussions were really informative.
What about the future of marketing excites you?
BF: I am excited licensors are embracing digital as a key category for the future plans of their IPs. Our team is always focused on innovation, and we will present ideas that drive both digital sales and marketing initiatives.
How We Play a Role?
BF: We are positioned perfectly to help brands navigate the future of commerce through “Phygital” opportunities, the merging of physical and digital opportunities. In 2024, we will be offering AR experiences on Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat to engage fans and link them to a site for purchasing our branded digital products. We are also exploring tech to link the purchase of a physical product at retail to a digital replica GIF to own. Exciting times ahead for our company and licensed IP owners.
Is there anything else you'd like to add?
SP: The Licensing Expo is always a great week, and I am sad it’s over! Bob, however, will be attending the Brand Licensing Expo in Europe this September.
Interested in something unique for your brand? Reach out to our team!
Bare Tree Media is a full-service creative studio and digital publisher creating super slick, mobile-facing content! We would love to help your brand reach its fans, build community, and increase digital sales revenue. Check out our IP Licensing & Digital Publishing pages to see our IPs, as well as branded experiences we’ve published for mobile platforms.
"Diary of a Wimpy Kid" Ventures into Digital Licensing
Boston, MA – May 23, 2024 — Bare Tree Media, a digital publisher of licensed IPs worldwide, has announced its partnership with Wimpy Kid, known for the international best-selling “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” book series. This collaboration marks Wimpy Kid’s first venture into digital licensing and promises to bring innovative interpretations of the brand to popular platforms worldwide.
“We are excited for our continued partnership with Bare Tree Media to expand the reach of our characters and stories in the digital sphere. This collaboration will allow fans to further connect with ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid’ and interactively express themselves across digital platforms around the world.” — Jeff Kinney, author of “Diary of a Wimpy Kid”
For many years, Bare Tree Media and Wimpy Kid have enjoyed a digital marketing partnership where Bare Tree Media created “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” emojis for the brand’s official GIPHY channel. Under this new expansion, Bare Tree Media will leverage its expertise in digital content creation to develop engaging collections of mobile messaging stickers, mobile themes, and smartwatch faces for Apple and Samsung devices. Fans can look forward to engaging with a diverse range of digital assets that feature characters and catchphrases in line with “Wimpy Kid” humor.

“Our passionate designers and licensing team are huge fans of [author] Jeff Kinney and his ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid’ books. This passion will fuel our design and publishing teams’ creativity when offering fans engaging mobile content to share and customize their devices. Given we are both Massachusetts-based companies, we are excited for our respective teams to have the opportunity to meet often to plan and execute digital marketing and sales strategies.” — Robert Ferrari, president of Bare Tree Media
Content will begin releasing this summer, with continued updates throughout the year, including alongside the upcoming release of “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Hot Mess” in October.
About Bare Tree Media
As a pioneer in the digital creative and technology sector, Bare Tree Media enables brands to reach, engage, and entertain consumers through the creation and digital publishing of branded emojis, messaging stickers, GIFs, digital collectibles, metaverse virtual goods, and augmented reality experiences within popular messaging platforms. Interested brands can learn more at www.baretreemedia.com or contact Bare Tree Media at info@baretreemedia.com.
About “Diary of a Wimpy Kid”
More than 290 million copies of the books in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series have been sold globally. Published in 2007, the first book was an instant bestseller on the New York Times bestseller list since its publication. Kinney published the eighteenth installment in the series, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: No Brainer on October 24, 2023.
About the Author
Jeff Kinney is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and a six-time Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Award winner for Favorite Book for his Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. Jeff has been named one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People in the World. He is also the creator of Poptropica, which was named one of Time’s 50 Best Websites. He spent his childhood in the Washington, D.C., area and moved to New England in 1995. Jeff lives with his wife and two sons in Massachusetts, where they own a bookstore, An Unlikely Story. For more about Wimpy Kid visit wimpykid.com.