In June 2006 The Devil Wears Prada hit cinemas, defining a generation’s sense of style and their view of the fashion industry. Now, nearly 20 years later, Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep will reprise their roles as Andy Sachs and Miranda Priestly in the sequel, The Devil Wears Prada 2.

But as Emily Charlton says in the original, “You have some very large shoes to fill. I hope you know that.” So, what is The Devil Wears Prada 2 doing that’s so special? I’ll tell you: It’s allowing the audience to imagine themselves in the universe that is ‘Runway’.

The Devil Wears Prada and Vogue, a match made in heaven

When you think of The Devil Wears Prada, it’s likely you think of the fashion industry, the glamorous outfits and the New York City setting. The marketing campaign for the sequel follows this perfectly, choosing and curating brand partnerships that will feel like an extension of the movie rather than just putting logos everywhere.

It’s a tactic that mirrors films like Barbie or Wicked, where the campaign focuses less on the logos and more on the cultural impact each and every collaboration will have. Barbie had Barbie’s Malibu DreamHouse on AirBNB, Wicked had its own inspired collection with Ariana Grande’s cosmetics brand R.E.M, and The Devil Wears Prada 2… has its partnership with Vogue.

Ahead of the sequel’s release, Vogue published an article titled ‘Meryl Streep and Anna Wintour on Power, Fashion, and Acting the Part.’ The two talk about the original movie, the sequel, and other things fashion. 

The Devil Wears Prada and Vogue are famously interlinked, with Anna Wintour being the rumored reason why designers were scared to appear in the original. She’s since cleared the air, but you still can’t think of the franchise without thinking of Vogue in some way or another.

Therefore this collaboration was absolutely perfect, feeling less like promotion for the sequel and more like a tie-in to canon. It also generated a lot of word-of-mouth publicity, building anticipation and conversation ahead of the premiere.

More than just product placement

But it doesn’t stop there. The Devil Wears Prada 2 also collaborated with Starbucks, announcing a secret menu that included the main cast’s daily coffee orders. Not only that, they also created, printed and distributed limited edition copies of ‘Runway’ at their Empire State Building location. 

Once again, the partnership goes beyond merchandise and product placement in the movie. It takes inspiration from Andy’s coffee run in the original film, cleverly bringing a part of the film’s world into ours for audiences to interact with.

Result

Overall, The Devil Wears Prada 2’s marketing campaign combined a series of partnerships that fit together to re-establish the aesthetics of the franchise. They took brand deals that made sense and crafted activations that allowed audiences to interact with the movie outside of your typical trailer and billboard, giving the overall campaign a more organic feel. This sort of modern era movie marketing makes brand partnerships more than just logos, it makes them a part of the world the movie is building. 

So, what do the numbers say? Well, the film has currently made $239 million USD at the global box office on a $100 million budget, marking the highest opening weekend for both Meryl Streep and Emily Blunt on an international and domestic scale. I think that’s enough said.