Charli XCX's lo-fi collab with Nothing Headphones resulted in high returns, with the $199 set selling out throughout the U.K. and Western Europe in 48 hours.
Aidan Zamiri for Nothing
For an ad campaign to become a marketing blockbuster, it takes more than just a pretty face hawking miracle creams, luxury SUVs, or top-shelf spirits.
CMOs are following the movie publicity playbook by hiring Hollywood-founded agencies and eschewing traditional ad buys in favor of social media virality and user-generated content.
Ryan Reynolds' latest culture-jacking marketing master class arrived with Astronomer's crisis PR campaign that capitalized on the tech company's spotlight post-“Coldplay couple.”
For a B2B enterprise platform, that's marketing magic.
Related Stories
TV "Fan Service Is Death": 'Euphoria' Creator Sam Levinson on "Social Media Mobs," Addiction Battles and Nick Reiner Tragedy Movies
'Toy Story 5' Review: Joan Cusack's Cowgirl Jessie Takes the Lead to Impart a Sweet Lesson About the Rewards of Physical Play Over Screen Time
For its inaugural 2026 list of the best star-driven marketing campaigns, THR rounds up the viral launches, collaborations, and ads that cut through the noise, drove the cultural conversation, and got the world talking — and buying.
Simone Ashley, Kendall Jenner x Han Wen, Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) L’ORÉAL PARIS Agency: Maximum Effort
For its 2026 Academy Awards commercial (also produced by Ryan Reynolds’ Maximum Effort), L’Oréal Paris paid homage to The Devil Wears Prada 2 by tapping sequel star Ashley (who plays Amari, the new assistant to Meryl Streep’s Miranda Priestly) and Jenner (this list’s most frequent frontwoman) to play out a scene inspired by the iconic fashion film.
Mistaking the supermodel and L’Oreal Paris ambassador as a job candidate for an assistant role at Runway magazine, Jenner is admonished to “look presentable” and is handed the brand’s Colour Riche lipstick and Telescopic Lift mascara.
The ad reached the Oscars’ 17.9 million live viewers, with an astronomical 7 billion impressions generated across social.
Frequently asked questions
How successful was Kendall Jenner's L'Oréal Paris campaign?
The campaign reached 17.9 million live viewers at the Oscars and generated about 7 billion social‑media impressions, marking it as a major marketing success.
What other celebrity marketing campaigns are trending in 2026?
Trending 2026 campaigns include Charli XCX’s Nothing Headphones collaboration, which sold out in 48 hours, Ryan Reynolds’ Astronomer PR stunt, and Simone Ashley’s L'Oréal Paris Oscars ad.
How do brands create viral marketing campaigns?
Brands combine social‑media virality, user‑generated content, and Hollywood‑style storytelling—exemplified by L'Oréal Paris’ Oscar ad that leveraged a Devil Wears Prada‑inspired narrative.
What makes a celebrity brand collaboration successful?
Success comes from cultural relevance, strategic storytelling (like the Devil Wears Prada‑inspired L'Oréal ad), and rapid social‑media engagement that drives visibility and sales.
