Why Cruella is the Publicist You Need to Hire and I Aim to Be

Hear me out..

I know the traditional story of 'Cruella De Vil' is about a villain who tried to kill cute puppies for a coat. Not particularly aspirational or aligned to my values.

However...

I just had the pleasure of watching a private screening of the newly released Cruella staring Emma Stone at the Elizabeth Picture Theatre in Brisbane, Australia.

Just... WOW! (Totally worth the cinema trip, but you can stream it on Disney+!)

"She’s perfect parts exhibitionist, stunt PR and event planner and networker. She is literally the maverick in the fashion PR world no one asked for but everyone needs."

I haven’t left a cinema feeling more inspired or feeling more represented in the world than I did yesterday evening after seeing Cruella.

Set in London in the 70s, Cruella has a hard start but gets a job in the biggest fashion department store... as a cleaner. She then stunts her way into designing for one of the biggest names in fashion.

I won’t spoilt it but are you intrigued yet?

You’re probably thinking but Eve, you’re clearly telling me she’s a fashion designer, not a publicist.

You’re so wrong. Let me tell you why:

• She sits in her zone of genius (fashion design) and creates a persona (brand) for herself and a strategy to boot
• She utilises her contacts to help her increase her brand awareness, including contacting a journalist that she knew from primary school to cover her story (we’ve all been there)
• She sends out pitches on a regular basis
• She has sponsorship contracts and brand collaborations in play to execute her stunts
• She has a roster of suppliers at her fingertips from luxury boxes to sound engineers
• She has a cute doggy sidekick (yes you read right, this is one of the important factors to being a good publicist in my opinion)
• She literally tells the journalist where to stand to get the best shot for the paper (this one makes me laugh because it’s so true)
• Finally, she had one goal (to be the best in fashion) and was going to hijack and stunt her way to getting it. Her biggest competitor had been at the top for close to 20 years, the brand recall for her competitor was off the charts, and the empire was going to be so hard to topple, and yet, she wasn’t even phased.

Tell me that’s not PR! Tell me she’s not the publicist we should all be for ourselves and our clients.

If you’re a publicist or have ever worked in PR you know that we’re trained to be like dogs when it comes to sniffing out stories, chasing our KPIs and digging around for the next big idea to get our clients on the map.

I am going on almost seven years in PR and I’ve had the pleasure of working across some incredible industries. Despite this, my heart and soul always gravitates towards the fashion and beauty industry - traditionally one of the most competitive and ruthless industries to be a publicist in. Classic me really.

"Cruella didn’t play by the rules. She made them."

I’ve always loved a challenge and thrived in that kind of environment. It’s probably why I loved this depiction of Cruella so much.

She’s perfect parts exhibitionist, stunt PR and event planner and networker. She is literally the maverick in the fashion PR world no one asked for but everyone needs.

Most of my clients know my style of PR because I'm always pushing them to think about the experience. What’s in it for the people taking part? What’s the impact. This forms the why and also the goal.

We live in a world where generations are pushing every industry to be creative, be experiential and to just do things differently.

I’m so here for it and I know PR and the industry it’s evolving into is what I was put in this world to do, to be a participant in and also to lead.

Cruella didn’t play by the rules. She made them.

She didn’t care what people thought of her, as long as they were thinking about her.

She was happy to risk her brand and constantly be on the precipice of crisis to be an innovator in her genius and nothing was going to stop her.

Don’t get me wrong, I know this is scary and takes a lot of trust in someone to execute for you or to do for yourself. It’s also the investment of time and money in an environment where spending these things is against our instincts right now.

But I know when I say this, you all know it’s true.

Playing it safe will NEVER get you to number one.

When PR is done strategically and has an air of exhibitionism in every tactic you take, you CAN topple your biggest competitor. You can be the best in the world. You can open the doors you’ve always dreamed of opening.

It just takes being a bloody good publicist or having one by your side.

Cruella was the perfect blend of 60s music, fashion, creativity and hints at the traditional story line. I would highly recommend you go and watch it (in the cinema) and be inspired by Cruella, who really is the publicist I aspire to be for myself and my clients every day of my life.

Image Credit: Walt Disney Studio Animation. Cruella, 2021 starring Emma Stone.

About the Author

Eve Anderson is the Head of PR for a global marketing agency specialising in redefining influence for brands and elite experts. She has years of experience across Event Management, PR and Influencer strategy and implementation and specialised in consumer industry PR. She has worked on brands such as ghd hair Australia and New Zealand, Australian Skin Clinics and Mercedes-Bens Fashion Week Festivals.