AS AWARDS SEASON BEGINS, WE TAKE A PR LESSON FROM FILM AND TV’S BOLDEST STUNTS AND CAMPAIGNS
Awards season has always been about prestige, performance and sophistication. Red carpets, acceptance speeches and carefully managed campaigns all play their part, but in an increasingly crowded entertainment landscape, it’s often what happens before the nominations that truly defines a film’s journey.
As we head into the 2026 awards season, with the BAFTA Film Awards, Academy Awards and even the Emmys on the horizon, one thing is clear: standout PR campaigns are no longer optional. They are powerful tools that spark conversation about the film and the cast, create cultural moments that last long after the film has left theatres and crucially, if everyone is talking about your movie, well, that definitely puts bums on seats.
While many nominations are still to be announced, the conversation is already building around films such as Marty Supreme, The Drama, Peaky Blinders, Hamnet and One Battle After Another. Alongside performances expected from names like Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Leonardo DiCaprio and Jessie Buckley, it is the confidence and creativity of the PR campaigns that are shaping how these projects are perceived long before voting begins.
Great Film PR Campaigns Make You Feel Lucky
Netflix’s announcement of the Peaky Blinders film is a masterclass in PR scale and surprise. By renting a private suite at a packed NFL game and staging the film reveal mid-match, the brand placed ‘Tommy Shelby’ and his ‘crew’, directly into a live, cultural moment. Fans who expected football were suddenly sharing space with one of Britain’s most iconic characters. The stunt blurred entertainment, sport and spectacle, generating organic buzz that no press release could replicate.
This is the power of PR driven attention. When done right, this kind of stunt doesn’t feel like advertising. It feels like something you were lucky enough to witness.
Good PR is More About Tone and Medium Than Scale
A24 has built a reputation for trusting its audience, and the Marty Supreme campaign proves why that matters. From Timothée Chalamet appearing atop The Sphere in Las Vegas, to orange blimps circling cities and Ping Pong tournaments popping up across the US, the campaign leaned into absurdity with absolute confidence.
What made it work wasn’t just the scale, but the tone. These PR stunts were playful and aligned with both the film and Chalamet’s persona in it. Fake corporate Zoom calls, sold-out merch drops and surprise festival appearances all created a sense that audiences were in on the joke. Even the unexpected gesture of sending Susan Boyle a Marty Supreme jacket – prompting her delighted response that it “fits like a glove” extended that wink beyond the film world, blending nostalgia, sincerity and showmanship in a way that felt both self-aware and strangely sweet.
Marty Supreme didn’t wait to be nominated to feel important. It acted like a contender from day one. Brilliant!
For The Drama, A24 went in the opposite direction. No spectacle. No viral stunt. Just a printed engagement announcement in the Boston Globe for the films leads, Zendaya and Robert Pattinson. In a digital-first world, this analogue move felt quietly radical. Using physical print made the campaign human and intentional, it blurred fiction and reality. It also revealed just enough about the characters to intrigue without overexposing the story.
This is a reminder that great PR isn’t about volume. It’s about choosing the right medium to create impact. Sometimes restraint is the most powerful statement of all.
PR That Makes You Feel Like You’re in the Movie
Many of the most effective campaigns in recent years share one thing in common: immersion. Take Apple TV’s Severance which transformed Grand Central Station into a live office installation, with actors performing in real time behind glass walls. The stunt didn’t explain the show; it brought it to life. Viewers didn’t just see the campaign; they were a part of it.
From Wicked’s towering Sphere installation to Fallout’s post-apocalyptic activations, audiences respond when PR creates a world they can step into, even if only briefly.
There’s a lesson to be learned from good film PR, these moments work because they reflect the soul of the story. The eerie smiles used to promote Smile 2, the fictional tech device behind Black Mirror’s “Nubbin”, or the irreverent humour of Deadpool & Wolverine all succeeded because they felt true to the content. That’s the essence of a great PR campaign and a really good stunt.
Whilst, Awards may be decided by voters, attention is earned from the public. And in an industry built on storytelling, the smartest PR stunts are great stories told at scale.
By Pete Connell, Senior Account Director, entertainment publicity team lead.