5 PR lessons we can learn from Timothee Chalamet

There’s a lot creatives can learn from the actor who recently depicted Bob Dylan, says Lucy Mae Turner, creative at Ogilvy UK.

First, a confession, and one that will confound and enrage the majority of my ex-boyfriends: I finally care about Bob Dylan. For his effortless style, his iconic back catalogue, for the deep and meaningful lyricism? No – because of Timothee Chalamet.

His recent red carpet appearances for “A Complete Unknown” – a film I previously had zero interest in seeing – have been a masterclass in attention-seeking, stepping easily outside the regular showbiz and fashion round-ups and straight into real news. They might even get him the Oscar. How’s that for a KPI?

What on earth does this have to do with PR, I hear you cry? The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind, as well as being neatly summarised below.

Any brands wondering why they’re not hitting the headlines quite the way they’d like could stand to take a page or two from the Timmy C playbook and five key points in particular.

Explore unexpected partnerships

We’ll start – where else? – with the Lime bike. And here, context is key. It’s the classic hi-lo, the $7 dollar dress with the $300 dollar shoes, public transport edition.

When you’re considering a brand partnership, there’ll likely be an obvious choice: the stretch limousine. Look for the Lime bike – an easy way to tap into talkability before you even start your ride.

Try a new look

Timothee is no fashion wallflower, sitting alongside the likes of Leto and Styles when it comes to standing out on the red carpet. But this press tour has proven how much he knows the power of turning out a look – and it’s not just surface level.

We live in a visual world where a picture is worth hundreds of thousands of words.

On any one night, a multitude of very handsome men step out in a stylish outfit in a bid to publicise whatever they might be working that day. We can only look at so many black suits… just like we can only see so many Love Island-led, Mocha Mousse aesthetics, Real Housewives of Clapton-coded, cost-of-living crisis-core, Rylan-related pub takeovers.

So, take a visual risk! Rejig your packaging, your brand look and feel, and maybe even your logo. Just don’t mention Jaguar…

It doesn’t even really need to look good, just different, which leads us to our next tips.

Get a little weird

People love Uggs, Crocs and Stanley cups – people are weird. And they’re not necessarily moved by the most perfect-looking outputs.

Case in point, when Timothee Chalamet turned up to the New York premiere of A Complete Unknown in a blue beanie hat and ash blonde fringe, picture editors up and down the country rejoiced.

Timmy’s homage to 2003 Dylan was a pure distillation of messing with perfection for fantastic results. Oh, you love his hair? His style? Now he’s pairing a skinny scarf with a bad dye job, and, somehow, we love it even more – because it’s a little weird, and that’s fun.

Many brands have braved weird at this point, and most (when done well) have reaped the publicity benefits.

It’s time we agreed that weird is actually the most normal way to work.

Celebrity endorsements

A slightly more traditional tip here, but why mess with a classic? Keeping up with Kylie Jenner has ensured all eyes are on Chalamet, and rightly so – who doesn’t love a bit of old-fashioned showbiz gossip?

Does she really love you? Who cares, everyone’s looking!

Have a laugh

A previous Chalamet-agnostic, I turned true convert when he showed up at his own lookalike contest. Why? Because it was really, really funny.

And if there is ever a choice, choose to have a sense of humour.

“Authenticity is key” is a PR cliché for a reason. Real people like other real people, doing real people stuff, and they couldn’t care less that it wasn’t in the brand guidelines.

So engage with that celeb who’s “not on brand”, tap into the viral moment that’s outside of typical TOV, get involved and have a laugh. Be the Timothee Chalamet at the Timothee Chalamet lookalike contest, not the guys in the brainstorm two weeks later wondering how they can piggyback on it after the fact.