Trending PR Campaigns
Welcome to Barcelona’s B-Side
Desigual and Ottolinger created a satirical film about Barcelona’s tourism, theft and gentrification, featuring model Delilah Belle Hamlin navigating exaggerated city scenes. The deliberately provocative campaign earned coverage through local backlash, before Desigual apologised for trivialising residents’ real problems.
Why it worked: It weaponized a hyperlocal pain point (gentrification/theft) with a celebrity-led satire, triggering organized resident backlash that fueled news cycles.
The lesson: Consider provoking a vocal local stakeholder group with a bold, testable claim, then pre-prepare mea culpa materials and data to extend coverage.
Coverage over time
How this story spread across the media
| Publication | Headline | Date |
|---|---|---|
| marketingdirecto.com | Desigual enfurece a las redes con una campaña sobre Barcelona | Wednesday 2nd September, 2026 |
| abc.es | Críticas a Desigual por ironizar con la realidad de Barcelona en su nueva campaña: «Aquí todo el mundo quiere tu bolso» | Friday 4th September, 2026 |
| theolivepress.es | New Desigual advert sparks fury by mocking daily life in Barcelona | Monday 7th September, 2026 |