Friday 13 March 2026: PR & Marketing News Round‑Up | Stunts, Celebs & Culture Hacks
Visible PR is back with this week’s Friday PR & Marketing News Round-Up. From Oatly flipping a courtroom milk ban into cheeky “illegal” merch drops, to Poppi hijacking Pret queues with DJ-fueled FOMO, there’s a lot to unpack.
We’re looking at who’s turning legal moments into cultural wins, which brands are leveraging celeb charm and camera-roll hacks to spark UGC fire, and the NPD launches blending music, scarcity and star power to own the conversation. It’s all about work that doesn’t just launch a product, it’s about hijacking footfall, weaponising constraints and handing fans the share keys.
Let’s see what stories have driven the agenda in PR & marketing this week…
Oatly Turns “Illegal” Oat Milk Into Its Boldest Merch Drop Yet
Oatly has lost a UK Supreme Court battle over its “Post Milk Generation” trademark, with judges ruling that using the word “milk” in connection with oat-based food and drink breaches protected dairy labelling rules. As a consequence, the phrase is banned on food and drink here, but it can still legally be used on non-food items such as clothing and tote bags, so the brand started to give away “illegal” merch printed with the now‑banned language to dramatise the decision and rally its community.
Why it matters for PR & Marketing: It’s smart damage control turned into a conversation, switching the narrative up. Instead of sulking about the ruling, Oatly reframes it as proof the dairy lobby is scared, casts itself as the scrappy underdog, and gives the media a juicy visual hook in the “illegal merch” moment. It also shows the power of building a brand platform that isn’t stuck on pack - when your idea lives in culture, you can lose on a carton and still win in the chat.
McDonald's Turns Fans’ Camera Rolls Into a Campaign
McDonald’s UK has launched a campaign called “Camera Rolls” built on a simple behavioural insight that the final stop on a night out is often food. The campaign uses real screenshots from fan camera rolls to tell the story of evenings that start with friends, events or parties and end with late-night food. The work launched around the 2026 BRIT Awards and encourages people to share their own camera roll moments through social platforms.
Why it matters for PR & Marketing: This is a strong example of a campaign built from real behaviour rather than a manufactured idea. By using genuine user images, the brand leans into authenticity and turns everyday rituals into creative content. It also demonstrates how brands can identify patterns in consumer behaviour and turn them into scalable storytelling platforms. The campaign highlights how audience participation and user-generated content can extend the life of an idea well beyond its initial launch.
Coca-Cola Launches “Jump” Anthem for the 2026 World Cup
Coca-Cola has released a new anthem for the FIFA World Cup 2026 by reimagining Van Halen’s iconic song “Jump.” The track features a global line-up of artists including J Balvin, Amber Mark, Steve Vai and Travis Barker, blending rock heritage with modern pop and Latin influences. The release forms part of Coca-Cola’s wider “All the Feels” campaign celebrating the emotional rollercoaster of football fandom. An animated music video and global activations support the launch as the tournament approaches.
Why it matters for PR & Marketing: Music continues to be one of the most powerful ways for brands to connect with global audiences around major sporting events. By reworking a classic song with a modern cast of artists, Coca-Cola bridges nostalgia and contemporary culture in a way that travels across generations. The approach also reinforces the brand’s decades-long association with the World Cup, strengthening continuity while refreshing the creative. For marketers, it highlights how entertainment and brand partnerships can transform a sponsorship into a cultural moment.
Gillian Anderson just made compliments the hottest M&S fashion accessory
After sharing Canva’s recent appointment of The GC, we felt this also deserved a place in this week’s newsletter. Gillian Anderson is owning effortless cool as M&S’s “Chief Compliments Officer” in their new “Love That” fashion campaign. The advert leans into M&S research that most people say compliments make them happy, yet rarely receive them, and that they’re most often praised for their clothes, positioning the campaign as a joyful push to make compliments part of daily life rather than just another fashion spot.
Why it matters for PR & Marketing: M&S flips celeb casting into cultural conversation with Gillian’s cross-gen pull, X Files nostalgia meets Sex Ed edge, making stuffy retail feel fun and fresh. The quirky title, the LinkedIn bio stunt and shareable “love” hook prove low-lift ideas with big charm can ignite earned buzz, turning clothes into conversation without overcomplicating the sell.
Popular US soda brand Poppi lands in the UK
Poppi is smashing into the UK with “Pret a Poppi”, a two-week shop takeover blitz across select Pret A Manger spots in London, Manchester, Newcastle and Edinburgh, timed perfectly for their Tesco nationwide rollout. Full stores get a neon Poppi rebrand, live DJs pumping “future of soda” energy, free sampling 10am-5pm, first-100 merch drops from 2pm, and a “Pret for a year” prize to hook the queue.
Why it matters for PR & Marketing: The brand is hijacking Pret’s footfall with scarcity (merch, prizes), sensory buzz (DJs, samples) and TikTok-ready visuals that scream shareable FOMO for the Gen Z community. It’s a low-lift culture drop that flips a retail listing into a vibe, proving experiential hijacks beat boring shelf space every time.
Final Thoughts
This week’s stories prove brands are killing it by flipping constraints into cultural moments, whether it’s Oatly offering up “illegal” merch to troll dairy rules, Poppi hijacking Pret queues with DJ-fueled FOMO drops, M&S crowning Gillian Anderson compliment queen, McD’s turning Big Macs into camera-roll bait, or Coke priming World Cup fever with a global jump-along banger. Each one grabs a product moment, cranks the shareability with cheeky stunts or celeb heat, and hands fans the content keys for free.
Want to see more from your PR & comms in 2026? Get in touch with the Visible PR team for a chat! hello@visiblepr.co.uk