This blog breaks down the marketing magic behind brat : how Charli turned chaos into a campaign, redefined authenticity in the influencer era, and built a brand so powerful it even reached Capitol Hill.

You’ll learn what made marketing brat effective, and what you can take from it into your own creative or marketing work.

Who is Charli XCX?

“This is the total opposite of an overnight success story.”

Charli XCX is a British singer, songwriter, and DJ who’s been in the electronic-pop scene for over a decade.

The singer had considered herself an underground artist, djing nightclubs, wondering if she’d make it mainstream. However, in 2024, Charli stopped being the industry’s best-kept secret and became a pop star with the release of her album, brat

Why did it take a decade for Charli to rise to the level of a true pop star? Let’s dive into the identity of brat and what made it a success. 

Brat Album Identity 

Charli’s decision to claim the word brat as her album’s name is a bold move. Charli defines being a brat as embracing the mess: making mistakes, partying through heartbreak, and still looking hot while doing it.

Using an adjective to title the album allows fans to identify with the word. Describing yourself as a brat represents the themes, attitudes, and aesthetics that the album represents.  

The neon green color choice is purposefully obnoxious, making the album’s identity memorable and instantly recognizable. 

“The color itself is not nice to look at. Isn't that the point? To get people talking?”

The color and the album title paid off with marketing brat.

Unlike her previous albums, Charli removed her face entirely from the cover. Instead of look at me, she gave us look at this attitude.

And it worked. The identity of brat became instantly memeable and deeply marketable. 

A Soundtrack to Slay and Spiral

• Party highs: “360,” “Club Classics,” “365” — for nights that feel like a 10-hour afterparty in Berlin.
• Party comedowns: “Everything is romantic,” “I think about it all the time” — crying in the Uber home with glitter still on your cheeks.
• Existential spirals: “Sympathy is a knife,” “Girl, so confusing,” “Rewind” — when you’re doom-scrolling and stuck inside your thoughts.

Marketing Brat

When Zane Lowe asked himself who he thought could run the music industry, he name-dropped Charli. Not just because she makes great music, but because she gets the game.

“I talk about music in terms of marketing and campaigns more than music sometimes. It’s the part I’ve always been interested in even more than music.”

The brat wall (aka: the era-defining Instagram backdrop).

Charli’s team erected a massive neon green wall in NYC covered in brat-coded lyrics, song titles, and chaotic one-liners. It was essentially Tumblr in physical form, cryptic, emotional, and very screenshotable.

It wasn’t just a wall. It was a portal into the brat universe. In the middle of Manhattan, the city of hustle, ambition, and overwork, Charli said, “What if we made marketing brat deeply unserious… and deeply effective?”

Timing is everything, and Charli dropped brat in June, just in time for Brat Girl Summer™.

It is no accident that Charli decided to release brat in the summertime. The symbolism that summertime represents aligns with the themes in the album. 

“Brat summer” became a cultural phenomenon. 

“It's 2024, and we’re all ready for a brat summer. The location? A grungy club, of course. The color palette? A sickening slime green. That smell in the air? Probably Marlboro lights, fries, and sweat”.

And suddenly, everyone was living like it was “365” every night.

Okay, we get it - green was everywhere last summer, and Charli took over the music scene. Brat was Charli’s big break, and now she's a mega pop star. But brat took over more than the music scene and pop culture. 

Just how effective was marketing brat?

Politics, But Make It Brat

Perhaps the most surreal moment in the brat marketing timeline? Kamala Harris making her presidential campaign header brat-themed.

It was confusing, iconic, and peak internet. Suddenly, brat was more than an album — it was a mindset. And apparently, also... a bipartisan issue?

An Aesthetic Shift: Rise of the Tumblr Girl

For years, Instagram rewarded clean, curated perfection. But brat flipped that on its head. Charli said no thanks to dewy skin and matching loungewear, and yes to club pics, bad flash photography, and confessional captions.

“I’ve never felt traditionally pretty enough, or like I was doing or saying the right things.”

When marketing brat, Charli recognized she’s not the only one feeling the picture-perfect Instagram fatigue. 

She became a trend setter by defining brat’s style of its own. This wasn’t just music, it was a full aesthetic revolution.

“It can be so, like, trashy. Just, like, a pack of cigs, and, like, a strappy white top. With no bra. That's, like, kind of all you need.”

The singer was able to make brat relatable. Embracing the ‘brat’ aesthetic is attainable for anyone, and totally unlike the mainstream aesthetic the “it” girls have been following for the past decade.

Clean girl? Never heard of her.

Authenticity & Brand Partnerships

Often, when we see sponsored content, we are quick to scroll right past it. Why? The content feels forced. 

In June 2025, Charli partnered with Aperol Spritz Official. She shared a summer-themed reel on her Instagram with clips of her enjoying the beverage. #drinkresponsibly

Charli’s genius lies in knowing what doesn’t feel like marketing, like sipping Aperol Spritz in a reel that looks like it was filmed on your friend’s iPhone during golden hour. 

This ad is authentic to the star’s brand. The star really is “livin’ that life.” 

“This is so awesome because I’ve not sacrificed any part of myself to appeal to more people.”

Conclusion: What Brat Teaches Us About Pop, Culture, and Ourselves

Charli’s message inspired a broader cultural phenomenon. From campaigns, to politics, to fashion and lifestyle, marketing brat became a world of its own.

So, what can we learn from the brat rollout?

1. Identity drives everything.

From the neon green visuals to the unapologetic album name, brat had a clear identity. It wasn’t just a sound — it was a feeling, a look, a mindset. A strong, ownable aesthetic made it instantly recognizable and easy to meme, share, and live in.

2. Be a Trend Setter

Charli saw the return of Tumblr-core and raw, imperfect internet culture, and leaned in hard. She didn’t follow trends; she revived them with a fresh twist that made brat feel both nostalgic and ahead of its time.

3. Make marketing feel like culture, not content.

From the brat wall to Instagram reels with Aperol Spritz, Charli’s team created moments that felt natural to the way her audience already communicated.

4. Authenticity over polish.

Brat reminded us that being messy, emotional, and “too much” can be powerful. People connected because it felt real, not curated, not filtered, not focus-grouped. And that kind of authenticity is what breaks through in a scroll-heavy world.

In a pop landscape full of perfection, brat made room for the beautifully chaotic. Charli XCX proved that the smartest strategy might just be saying what you really feel, in neon green, with the volume all the way up.

So throw on your old corded headphones, smudge your eyeliner, blast “Von Dutch Remix,” and remember: the future of marketing might just be a little bratty.

✍️ Written by Victoria Woltman