As we near the close of 2024, BITE is wrapping up the top 10 moments of the past year and sharing what learnings marketers can take with them into the new year. In at number 2 is the infamous Brat summer.

If you spent any time at all on the internet this year, and even if you didn’t, you will already know about Brat summer. In what can be described as a cultural takeover, the marketing for the musician Charli XCX’s 2024 album, ‘Brat’, became infamous in 2024. Its neon green lowercase font and overall attitude became synonymous with Gen Z and culture. It even reached the US election, with Charli XCX posting on X (formerly Twitter): “Kamala IS brat".

Brat marketing was everywhere, extending well beyond just the album itself. From the ‘brat wall’, which gave clues about new releases, to the brat generator that allowed users to create their own copy in the iconic font, to the viral ‘Apple’ song dance - the run up to the album launch was core to summer 2024.

So iconic a trend, the word ‘Brat’ was chosen by Collins Dictionary as its word of the year. Defined in the context of the trend as “characterised by a confident, independent, and hedonistic attitude”. In September of this year, Billboard estimated that Charli XCX had earned around $9.62 million off the back of Brat summer, proving the worth of authentic branding and the economic potential of social media trends.

Recognisable branding

On the 11th of October, Charli XCX released ‘Brat and it’s Completely Different But Also Still Brat’, a remix album which had been speculated by fans and teased by the singer. The new album release was an indicator of just how recognisable the branding had become.

Taking the iconic branding of the original ‘Brat’, the new album flipped the script - literally putting text backwards for the cover art and associated teasers. Around the world, backwards names of musical artists started popping up on billboards. From Ariana Grande to BB Trickz, The 1975 and Bon Iver, the collaborators on the new tracklist were revealed.

Pictures of the out of home images were taken and posted to social media, allowing fans to predict which artist would be on which song. The billboards which said so little relied on ‘brat’s undeniable presence in the cultural zeitgeist, including an awareness of the upcoming remix album. So recognisable and iconic was the branding that black text on a green background cut through. The billboards and new album launch continued the success of ‘Brat summer’, marking the start of what some called ‘Brat fall’. 

Authentic connection

Retaining the hype over the course of the year, style-icon Charli XCX collaborated with multiple fashion brands, including H&M, Acne Studios, and Valentino Beauty. Known for her fashion-forward image and ‘messy in a beautiful way’ aesthetic, the collaborations all made sense for her image and audience. 

Most notably, her image as the face of H&M’s A/W 2024 collection successfully built hype. She unofficially kicked off London Fashion Week with a free concert, set up by H&M. The tickets were available for consumers to win, opening up the world of Brat to fans by removing economic factors. The free concerts didn’t stop there. In November, Revolut partnered with the artist to put on a show at Outernet, London. Again, fans had the chance to win tickets. A move which gave back to the fandom whilst boosting the number of users for the brand itself. 
These experiential activations and collaborations helped strengthen the bond between artist and fandom, by allowing Charli to reach even more fans without them having to buy tickets to her shows. At the same time, a simple but effective method of connecting with fans was driven by social media. Charli’s social media accounts always appear authentic and not contrived. From short videos of impromptu moments, like with her fiance, to posting her Spotify wrapped on Instagram stories. The cultural firepower of Brat is rooted in the fact that the superstar appears like one of us. This image helps her to resonate with her audience. Brat is a powerful example of how bands can engage in trends, demonstrating and understanding of culture, but also create culture themselves.