Simone's Session Notes

Ping Pong balls. Designer sneakers. Windbreakers. Sweatpants.

All stamped with the beaming grin of the unmistakable logo of Marty Supreme. 

This week, the 2025 film received a staggering nine Oscar nominations, surprising many audiences who felt the movie had appeared almost overnight. But from an entertainment public relations perspective, that was the point of the Marty Supreme campaign. 

Its campaign rejected the traditional promotion style in favor of something riskier.

Curiosity.

Taking the Path Least Travelled

As film awards season approaches, film campaigns don’t primarily focus on promoting to wide audiences. Their priority relies on attracting the attention of critics and awards committees, who determine who gets nominated for awards.

But in the sea of mass-scale budget movies compared to the productions of the popular indie movie production company A24, how does a movie make itself heard?

By screaming. 

Marty Supreme was hungry for presence. The PR team for this film wasn’t attempting to explain the plot to their audience to evoke action; in fact, the plot was irrelevant, save for the ping pong balls. The goal was to pervade the cultural consciousness quickly enough that the audience–and awards committee–couldn’t escape it.

The goal was to make them wonder, “Why is this movie everywhere?”

Making Marty Supreme Impossible to Escape

Beyond the traditional press interviews and talk show appearances, the campaign relied on loud, unconventional tactics specifically designed to disrupt and seduce curiosity out of everyday spaces. 

How did the PR team do this? 

• Strategic casting decisions and cameos that fueled intrigue
• An orange blimp emblazoned with the Marty Supreme logo that went viral for its absurdity
• Marty Supreme jackets, worn by A-list celebrities and internet influencers, and transforming the walking advertisements into status symbols
• A surprise world premiere generating immediate press coverage
• Pop-up shops and exhibitions that blurred the lines between advertising, PR, and retail
• Short-form viral videos optimized for bewilderment rather than traditional promotion
• A leaked Zoom video skit that inflated the outrageous advertising concepts

Selling Confusion as Opposed to Plot

To learn what Marty Supreme was actually about, audienced had to indulge in the campaign’s call to action.

One would have to Google the movie to find out that it is set in the 1950s and based on the life of a real man, Marty Reisman. The campaign’s goal was to force itself into the Internet’s collective inside joke.

This movie is everywhere, but it’s about a New Yorker in the 1950s set to an 1980s soundtrack?

The campaign tactics were minimally related to the movie, but that was the point. To entice curiosity, and make people ask:

• What’s so good about this Marty Supreme? 
• Why are they mythologizing this movie? 
• What makes this movie warrant this much marketing?

However, before the film was screened for the first time, the campaign for this movie already resonated with audiences and awards panels. 

Using Influencer Culture to Spark Engagement

The Marty Supreme campaign didn’t solely rely on spectacle to entice viewership.

According to Jacob Gallagher in his New York Times article, the Marty Supreme pop-up shop was a chaotic scene. “The line to buy “Marty” merch snaked back for over two blocks,” he wrote, “slowly funneling the throng to purchase $250 wind-breakers and $95 sweatpants bearing the title of a movie that most, if not all of them, will not see until it is released on Christmas Day.”  Additionally, the event functioned less like a standard pop-up shop experience but rather a cultural moment. According to Gallagher, people were screaming while waiting in line. Timothée Chalamet, the lead actor, appeared briefly, and barricades were set up attempting to keep the event in order. 

Attendees said that they learned about the merchandise online; according to Gallagher, they saw people like Misty Copeland, Kylie Jenner, and Kid Cudi in the clothes as well. It seemed every high-ranking person had a Marty Supreme garment.

Additionally, cameos in the movie like Kevin O’Leary, Fran Drescher and Tracy McGrady invited fans of every circle to enhance their interest in the film everyone is talking about.

Marty Supreme also marked the first major acting role for Grammy-winning rapper Tyler, the Creator. Known for being a fashion influencer as well with his line Golf le Fleur, Tyler, the Creator’s involvement ties the pop-up shop and movie promotion in a cohesive brand strategy.

Reputation and Creating a Long-Term Perception

Timothée Chalamet is the focal point behind the campaign. 

Starring as the lead for the film as the character Marty Mauser, Chalamet has a goal that he is not willing to let go of. He wants an Oscar, and he has been vocal about it from the beginning of the campaign. That confidence he has in his performance has aided in becoming a feature of the press campaign.

He said in a recent interview that his performance as Marty Mauser was “probably [his] best performance,” and that it was “some top-level s—.” This has been what he has been saying for the entire press campaign.

Despite the movie only coming out on Christmas Day, Chalamet earned his third Best Actor Oscar nomination. Chalamet employed his reputation to promote himself as an Oscar candidate. Using this language and confidence has made people intrigued, especially since the Oscar nominations.

What Marty Supreme Means for Entertainment PR

The campaign for Marty Supreme was clearly successful. So, what lessons does this movie promotion cycle provide for entertainment PR?

Marty Supreme demonstrates that modern entertainment PR has evolved from traditional rollout strategy; it has paved the way for a new strategic plan of movie promotion: cultural immersion. 

Because of Marty Supreme, future promotional campaigns may rely on:

• Fashion tie-ins as vehicles for interest
• Actors integrating their personal brand narrative into film promotion
• Balancing awareness, engagement and leveraging reputation

Today’s media landscape fights for audience attention, and Marty Supreme won.