Brat & Gen Z Through the Lens of Integrated Marketing
Branding Behind Brat
This summer, the music industry was hit by three powerhouse artists with massively popular albums. Whether it be scrolling through your feed or encountering ads such as this Target commercial, you were bound to hear Sabrina Carpenter, Charli XCX, or Chappell Roan. While these three artists all ushered in hugely successful tours and record-breaking albums, one in particular has become a prime example of clever and effective branding.
Charli XCX released her sixth studio album, “Brat,” on June 7th, and with that came the world domination of “Brat Summer.” Brat Summer’s scope has widened in what it encompasses and what it means. In a few adjectives, “Brat” can be described as messy, party, fun, and authentic.
Brat Summer has become not just a testament to late-night partying, but also the ultimate example of effective integrated marketing communications. In its simplest definition, IMC is about presenting a consistent brand image through multiple channels and touchpoints. With “Brat,” Charli XCX and her marketing team created a strong, iconic brand image using a variety of mediums to connect with Gen Z.
The branding for this campaign was consistent and simple, using a jarring bright green that will forever be synonymous with this album, along with plain stretched text. This simple, no-fuss, borderline visually offensive branding made parodies and brand engagement even easier. Everyone from presidential candidate Kamala Harris to Duolingo has given their take on the brand through social media. A website, Brat Generator, which launched along with the album, made it even easier for fans to make their own memes copying the brand imagery.
Outcomes of Brat Campaign
What did this campaign do for the album? Aside from over 2 billion streams on Spotify and $22.5 million in media impact value, the campaign gave Gen Z a tangible experience to connect with. It’s no secret that Gen Z connects with authentic advertising. Studies done on Gen Z show that 92% of respondents indicated being authentic to oneself is extremely important. They are looking for real and honest content. The marketing communications surrounding “Brat” were so successful because the campaign fully understood its target audience. This is a messy and honest album. Everything from the uncomplicated and unconventional branding to the themes of hedonistic partying are all part of the charm. This is a product that has its finger on the pulse of what Gen Z wants to listen to.
Gen Z’s Relationship with Brat Summer
The strategy associated with the album rollout made it easy for Gen Z to interact with the content. Social media channels, out-of-home advertisements, and other mediums were used to make a truly comprehensive integrated marketing strategy. The campaign reached heights it likely could never have imagined when Gen Z, influencer culture, and social media communities took off with their brand.
Songs like “365” and “Apple” became hits thanks to TikTok and users creating viral dances. One user, @kelley.heyer, made a dance to the song “Apple.” Since then, there have been over 1.7 million videos posted to the song, including TikToks from countless influencers, celebrities, and Charli XCX herself.
Arguably, a large part of the marketing strategy became reactionary to the consumer-brand relationship. As the mythology and excitement for the album continued to grow and “Brat Summer” continued to trend, marketers fed into the idea even more. What it meant to be “Brat” only grew and expanded in different directions.
On X (formerly Twitter), Charli XCX continued to add to the branding and messaging of the album, including using the brand to endorse a presidential candidate by declaring “Kamala is brat,” which received 334k likes and 56 million views. Her farewell to brat summer got another 40.9 million views.
The campaign surrounding “Brat” began with a simple, consistent integrated marketing strategy. Those behind the strategy kept consistent with their imagery and used a variety of different mediums to get their message and branding across. Their success in consistent branding is evident in how iconic the product and mythology surrounding the album have become. “Brat” became less about the music and more about a lifestyle and a state of mind. This is a truly inspirational example for advertisers and marketers, to see how if integrated marketing strategies are implemented correctly, the campaign can take off and turn into something much larger and much more inspiring than advertising.
So the next time you’re bumping ‘365’ or at the club and ‘Von dutch’ is on, try to remember the comprehensive targeted marketing strategy that made this album truly iconic.
About Aiden
Aiden is a senior majoring in Advertising and Public Relations with a minor in Marketing. This is his second semester with GrandPR. He is also a member of the National Student Advertising Competition Team. Aiden spent his summer with Deksia as an Account Management Intern. Post graduation, he hopes to work for an agency in Chicago.