I, like every other 20-something-year-old girl who grew up on rom-coms, moved at the opposite of a “glacial pace” this weekend to score a seat for the premiere of The Devil Wears Prada 2. And while I’ll keep the movie commentary to a minimum (I thought IT WAS FAB!!!), I would like to discuss the marketing strategy surrounding the film.

Movie marketing has evolved into an industry of its own, expanding far beyond box office sales to include partnerships, products, and cultural moments. Just take a look at Barbie or Wicked. I think what makes The Devil Wears Prada unique, however, is the expansive demographic the movie and its promotion catered to.

But let’s get more specific about what made this campaign stand out.

Most brands fail because they either over-index on nostalgia, making their marketing feel cheap, or over-protect their luxury to the point that it feels inaccessible.

The Devil Wears Prada 2? It did both, and intentionally.

Nostalgia Marketing? For Spring? Groundbreaking.

The Devil Wears Prada 2 utilized nostalgia but in an elevated way, NOT in a recycled way.

The sequel didn’t just reference The Devil Wears Prada, but it recreated and reestablished its cultural authority—small, insider-coded moments, such as the cerulean sweater, rewarded true fans.

Most brands fail because they rely on obvious callbacks (“remember this?” energy) and completely miss out on details that feel earned, not forced.

Take the Vogue issue featuring Meryl Streep and Anna Wintour. It blends fiction (Miranda Priestly) with reality (Wintour), making it feel like the story never ended by positioning the film inside current fashion culture.

On top of this, the cast’s modern luxury press tour fashion felt like Miranda, Andy, Nigel, and Emily today, not in 2006.

This evolved the aesthetic instead of copying it, keeping the brand relevant to current fashion standards. It also honors the original without being stuck in it, making the sequel feel like a true evolution instead of a time capsule.

When done correctly, a nostalgia marketing strategy makes the past feel like it’s still shaping the present.

You don’t deserve them, I mean you buy views, for Chrissake!

The public relations professional in me loves it when a campaign generates earned media, and this campaign was built to be talked about.

Let’s start with Meryl Streep wearing a cerulean sweater on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. It worked so well because it was not announced or explained, making it feel like an insider signal.

And what did these insiders do? Take it right to social media, amplifying dialogue around the movie.

The promotion was truly so successful because every touchpoint had discussion value, while most brands lose out because they optimize for visibility instead of conversation.

The truth is, if your campaign can’t start conversations, it’s just expensive content.

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The Devil Wears Prada… and Target

Ok, well, not exactly, although Target did collaborate with Disney on a small casual wear line that honors the film.

In all seriousness, the cast’s high-fashion press tour looks (which were incredible btw!!!), reinforced exclusivity. While its partnerships with mass brands (Diet Coke, Starbucks) made it culturally omnipresent.

Together, this created aspiration without alienation. Typically, brands flatten their positioning, trying to “appeal to everyone,” or they protect luxury so hard they lose cultural relevance.

Now, while I know this is where some people felt the movie marketing took a “tacky” turn, I disagree.

I’ll acknowledge that if another franchise advertised this way, I too probably would’ve found it tasteless, but that’s my whole point of this article.

The Devil Wears Prada 2 campaign didn’t balance luxury and accessibility; it weaponized the contrast, allowing its target audience to encapsulate all different types of consumers.

A million girls WOULD kill for this job

Lastly, I think The Devil Wears Prada franchise (is it a franchise now???) has always done an excellent job at nailing a multi-generational appeal, which is subtle but important.

Millennials were easily able to identify with the nostalgia as well as the career identity themes presented in both the film and marketing.

On the other hand, many Gen Z (including me, obvi!!!) were influenced early on by the film’s themes of discovery and aspiration for journalism, fashion, and media careers.

The best part, in my opinion, is that the sequel didn’t try to “Gen Z-ify” the brand; it let Gen Z interpret it themselves, the way millennials once got to.

Most brands miss this. They over-adapt messaging for younger audiences, which then feels inauthentic, or ignore them entirely.

Relevance isn’t about rewriting your brand but letting new audiences project onto it. And this, this is what determines a brand’s longevity and cultural impact.

Please go bore someone else with your questions

Most brands try to replicate this effect with throwbacks and collabs. And they miss the point.

Because this type of campaign wasn’t built on tactics, it was built on a world people already believed in.

People will walk away thinking the hype was about nostalgia or star power, but it wasn’t.

It was about continuing to build a cohesive world, with so much cultural relevance, that every touchpoint felt inevitable.

And that’s really where most brands fall short, even the second time around.

“That’s all.”