The 2025 Oscars are over and done with, but the lessons from this year’s press tours may go on forever. Off last year’s barn-burner “Barbenheimer” season, several new strategies and venues emerged through which stars and filmmakers can promote their movies. No longer is a viral late-night appearance enough to stand out — our modern press cycle now consists of dogs on Instagram, unexpected podcast appearances, and winning over fans of SEC football. Taking home an Oscar is one honor, but which strategies proved the most winning in this season’s awards circuit? Here’s what popped and what flopped on the campaign trails.
POP: Getting your dog(s) in the mix
Demi Moore’s long-haired Chihuahua, Pilaf, took center stage at Cannes and wherever the Substance star went this season. For Moore’s somewhat successful awards campaign (she took home the Golden Globe, Critics Choice, and SAG awards for Best Actress), Pilaf was a near-constant reminder not to take things too seriously. As meaningful as Moore’s comeback arc was to her career, being flanked by a little dog with its tongue out all the time felt like a grounding presence. She was happy to be back in Hollywood — and this time she was doing it her way with Pilaf in tow. Though Pilaf might have been the only mononymic pet of this year’s awards, Ariana Grande’s and Mikey Madison’s pups went along for the ride, and four-time Oscar winner Sean Baker had to stop home to walk his dog before hitting up the after-parties. Even Adrien Brody made it to the animal shelter this year!
KEEP IT GOING: Every actor should have a pet, ideally one that can fit into a clutch at an awards show, so don’t think it has to begin and end with little dogs. A cat could work — maybe even a snake or a rat. The sky’s the limit, and so are the cute pet names.
FLOP: Going on podcasts
Brady Corbet told Marc Maron he had no money. Ariana Grande Zoomed into a Wicked-themed podcast. Jesse Eisenberg went on SmartLess to explain why he wasn’t on social media (more on that below). Podcasts are popular and do make their creators a lot of money, but just like Kamala Harris’s appearance on Call Her Daddy in the fall, this is not the be-all, end-all of a media campaign. Did those podcast appearances get people to the movies? We’ll never know for sure, but they didn’t seem to do much one way or another in getting people awards. Next time, skip the pod circuit and get a cute little dog instead.
BETTER LUCK NEXT YEAR: Commit to the vocal rest and skip the long-winded interviews. People just want to see you hang out with puppies or eat hot wings anyway.
FLOP: Posting on social media
BETTER LUCK NEXT YEAR: Delete your account!
POP: Not posting on social media
Sean Baker has a locked Twitter account. Brady Corbet has a private Instagram. Mikey Madison is offline. Kieran Culkin is offline (but his wife, Jazz Charton, isn’t). In an age when we know far too much about celebrities and few of them have better boundaries with their phones than we do, the best media strategy is simply to log off from October until March. No post is worth losing an Oscar over!
KEEP IT GOING: Delete your account!!!
POP: Posing shirtless on the cover of New York Magazine
Congratulations, Adrien Brody!!
KEEP IT GOING: If any celeb wants to appear on the cover of this magazine at any time to show off their abs, don’t hesitate to reach out.
FLOP: Stan armies getting involved
The stan armies for Ariana Grande, Fernanda Torres, and Selena Gomez wreaked havoc, escalating what was already a stressful awards season into an all-out bloodbath between stars trying to keep their heads above water. There’s no need for people on Twitter or TikTok to do the work of awards PR specialists unless they’re getting paid the big bucks. Save that kind of energy for the Grammys.
BETTER LUCK NEXT YEAR: If the stans are going to get involved, they ought to have a common enemy to take down, rather than fight with one another. American politics could stand to learn a lesson here too.
POP: Showing up where you’re least expected
One of the highlights of this year’s awards season was seeing people where they usually aren’t: Timothée Chalamet’s College GameDay picks, Ralph Fiennes celebrating New Year’s Eve with Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper, Isabella Rossellini getting her master’s degree from Hunter College, Flow director Gints Zilbalodis going to In-N-Out as a tribute to Paul Giamatti. Podcasting may not be the answer, but popping up outside the conventional Hollywood circuit to indulge in something fun, bizarre, and oddly personal made for the best surprises this awards season. Did any of these people take home trophies? No, but they made the press campaigns feel less tedious and seemed to actually enjoy themselves in the process.
KEEP IT GOING: Some other places we’d like to see nominees pop up next year: cheering on figure skaters at the Winter Olympics in Milan, playing Elden Ring Nightreign against one another on Twitch, or even podcasting with this year’s host, Conan O’Brien.
POP: Movies are political — let’s not pretend otherwise
A few pundits noted this was not an especially political Oscars race with few winners saying something onstage about the current moment. While none of the winners invoked Donald Trump or the election specifically (which is interesting, considering The Apprentice had a handful of nominations so you know he was watching), this awards race was plenty political — blatantly addressing the lack of support (financial or otherwise) for the arts, advocating against the use of AI, acknowledging the liberties of sex workers, making desperate pleas to end the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, and defending the rights of immigrants. These issues came up time and again over the past few months because they’re baked into the fabric of the films nominated. Many of this season’s frequent nominees were articulate and direct about the ways those in the film industry can better support one another during uncertain times. People who carried a message all season got up onstage, hammering home what matters most. Going to the movies can be a political act: Just look at this year’s winners.
KEEP IT GOING: An individual movie can’t fix what’s wrong with the world, but filmmakers can and should continue to advocate for the betterment of art and, in turn, the world.