Is Milani’s Depp vs Heard TikTok video the most tasteless PR stunt ever?

It’s hard to look away from the Johnny Depp vs Amber Heard case. It satisfies pretty much every facet of our desire for car crash reality TV, with the heady combination of A-list celebrity, courtroom drama and bizarre twists. So it’s perhaps unsurprising that when cosmetics company Milani saw the opportunity to play a supporting role in the saga, it leapt at the chance.

After Heard’s lawyer held up a palette that looked very similar to the brand’s All In One Correcting Kit to cover up the full colour spectrum of bruises she suffered during her relationship with Depp, Milani responded by pointing out that this product was not actually in circulation over the years of the alleged abuse.

When I say responded, I’m not referring to a letter written to the judge or lawyers, but to a TikTok video complete with cartoonish music and emojis that was posted on the social media platform and has since racked up over five million views and one million likes.

If true, Milani may be a point worth making, but the almost gleeful enthusiasm with which the brand jumped into the conversation and revelled in the attention looked more like a tasteless PR move than the genuine pursuit of justice. Milani has excitedly engaged with fans in the comments of the video, posting cry-laughing emojis, kisses, and even referencing Legally Blonde to suggest its legal prowess. Depp, it seems, is not just being defended in a court of law, but in a satellite social media court of opinion that Milani is using as a tacky marketing opportunity.

I’m not even going to try to weigh in on who’s telling the truth here (I’ll leave that to Fairfax county court), but what we need to remember is that at the heart of this case is an abusive relationship. Some of the evidence that has come out of this case has been truly chilling – Depp ​​was asked about a text that read “Let’s drown her before we burn her!!! I will f*** her burnt corpse afterwards to make sure she is dead”, while his lawyer has accused Heard of severing Depp’s finger with a vodka bottle.

Maybe getting involved was a savvy move for Milani. Clearly, many disagree with my discomfort (at least 1 million, if TikTok is anything to go by), but there’s something deeply distasteful about a make-up brand profiting from a case centred on domestic violence.

Whether this exposure turned into views, likes or even sales, this is perhaps one marketing opportunity Milani should have let slide.

Yours,

Annabel Grossman

Associate editor