Friday 11 September 2026: PR & Marketing Round-Up | Making Brands More Human
Welcome back to this week's PR & Marketing News Round-Up from Visible PR.
Brands have more ways than ever to create content, reach audiences and put themselves in front of consumers. But sometimes, the work that cuts through is the work that feels the most human. This week’s stories show brands using humour, personality, physical experiences and real-time reactions to make their marketing more distinctive, but also highlights the value of human judgement - particularly at a time when AI is making it easier to produce content at scale.
Let’s see what stories caught our attention this week…
Birra Moretti lets Stanley Tucci enjoy life instead of making the ad
Birra Moretti has taken a playful approach to the celebrity ambassador format, with Stanley Tucci technically starring in its latest campaign without actually appearing in the advert itself. Building on Moretti's ‘Enjoy Life's Simple Pleasures’ platform, rather than having Tucci deliver the usual celebrity endorsement, the campaign imagines him ignoring the production team because he’s too busy enjoying a long lunch with friends in Italy. Ciao Stanley!
Why it matters for PR & Marketing: Celebrity partnerships can easily become predictable, particularly when the celebrity is simply inserted into an existing brand message. Moretti has found a way to make Tucci's absence the joke, while still reinforcing the brand's central proposition. This is a good example of using a familiar format, but then finding a simple creative twist that makes it feel fresh.
McDonald's opens a butcher's shop in Shoreditch
McDonald's is taking its burgers out of the restaurant and into a very different setting with ‘The Counter’, a temporary butcher's shop on Shoreditch High Street. The pop-up will showcase the British and Irish beef used in McDonald's burgers, with free masterclasses giving visitors the chance to make their own patties and take them home. McDonald's experts and butchers will also be on hand to talk customers through how its burgers are made.
Why it matters for PR & Marketing: Rather than simply making a claim about its ingredients, McDonald's has created an experience around it. The butcher's shop format gives people a reason to engage with the story in person, while the unusual setting gives the campaign plenty of potential for earned media and social content. We love ideas like this, and it’s a useful reminder that even a familiar product can create interest when the brand changes the environment around it.
Diane Morgan brings her deadpan humour to the Isle of Wight
Ferry line Red Funnel has recruited Diane Morgan for a new campaign designed to showcase the Isle of Wight's more unusual attractions and quirks. The BAFTA and Emmy-nominated actor and writer travels around the island, reacting to everything from dinosaur fossils and red squirrels to blue wine and garlic ice cream in her trademark deadpan style. The campaign deliberately moves away from the traditional tourism formula of scenic shots and feel-good soundtracks, instead using humour to give the destination a distinctive personality.
Why it matters for PR & Marketing: The campaign understands that differentiation is not always about having something nobody else has. The Isle of Wight already has plenty of distinctive characteristics, and Red Funnel has simply found a recognisable voice through which to present them. Diane Morgan's TV personality gives the campaign a consistent tone that audiences can identify immediately.
Dolly Parton's sister calls out AI-generated content
Following Dolly Parton's passing, her sister Stella has criticised the wave of AI-generated songs, images and videos appearing online, describing the volume of material as insensitive and asking people to show greater compassion and respect. Her comments highlight a growing issue around AI-generated content, particularly when it involves public figures and emotionally sensitive moments. Stella has thanked genuine fans for their support while expressing concern about the amount of synthetic and misleading content being shared in Dolly's name.
Why it matters for PR & Marketing: For brands, the conversation goes beyond whether AI-generated content looks convincing, but raises questions about judgement, authenticity and when using a technology is appropriate. As these nascent tools become easier to use, the human decision about what should be created, and why, becomes increasingly important.
Stella Artois and Häagen-Dazs turn OOH into a public flirtation
A Häagen-Dazs billboard in Toronto has sparked an unexpected exchange with Stella Artois, turning two separate pieces of outdoor advertising into a playful conversation between the brands. Häagen-Dazs' campaign invited people to ‘grab a pint’, playing on the double meaning of a pint of ice cream and a pint of beer. Stella spotted an available billboard next to it and responded with ‘Are you asking us out?’ The exchange continued with Häagen-Dazs responding via a mobile OOH truck. The initial Stella response went live less than a week after the opportunity was spotted, and the brands had not planned the interaction together.
Why it matters for PR & Marketing: Timing and quick thinking are the real winners of this campaign, which demonstrates what can happen when brands leave room for spontaneity. Stella didn’t need to manufacture a partnership or wait for a formal collaboration, but simply recognised an opportunity in the real world and responded at pace. For marketers, it’s a good case for giving creative teams the freedom and speed to act when an opportunity like this presents itself.
Final Thoughts
Making brands feel human doesn’t necessarily mean making them informal or humorous, but about giving audiences something they can recognise, respond to or connect with. That might come through a distinctive personality, a physical experience, a well-timed reaction or simply the judgement to know when a piece of content is better left unmade. In each case, the human decision behind the marketing is what gives the work its character.
As AI continues to make content creation faster and more accessible, that human input becomes even more valuable. The brands that stand out may not be those producing the most content, but those with the clearest sense of who they are, what they want to say and finding the perfect time to say it.
Ready to make your brand impossible to ignore? Visible creates impactful PR campaigns that get people talking. Let’s talk:hello@visiblepr.co.uk