Globespotting – April
PR Campaigns & Stunts
WALMART ‘YODEL KID’ GOES VIRAL
What?
Walmart’s young brand ambassador shoots to fame after yodeling video
Who and When?
The US retail giant capitalised on the brand exposure after a video of Mason Ramsey singing for its customers went viral on social media. The brand started a ‘yodel challenge’ and has even set up a gig for Mason at the store where the trend first started
Where?
The story literally went everywhere. Firstly via a social media meme, before being picked up by news channels worldwide following Mason’s story and rise to fame
Why?
The young yodeler, nicknamed the ‘Walmart Yodel Kid’, captured the heart of the nation and its quick-thinking PR team spotted an opportunity to embrace the young star, with a social media challenge. A perfect example of a retailer adding personality to its product and price comms. Mason has since released a single and performed at Coachella
IKEA’S ROBOT PR WARS
What?
A robot was programmed to put together a flat packed IKEA chair
Who and When?
Engineers from a university in Singapore used two robotic arms with grippers and forced sensors to test if they could solve every person’s nightmare of assembling flat packed furniture
Where?
It’s not clear whether IKEA commissioned the engineer to do this activity, or if it was a brilliant accident, either way it’s great coverage for all involved with the likes of The Guardian, The Independent, CNN and Wired all featuring the story
Why?
Whether it was a deliberate move or not, this was great PR for IKEA. Brands that embrace the growing trend for artificial intelligence are guaranteed to set tongues wagging and that’s just the case for IKEA
HOSTELWORLD’S UNLIKELY AMBASSADOR
What?
Hostelworld announces Mariah Carey as its new brand ambassador
Who and When?
The hostel chain signs up the pop princess for its new advertising campaign, fronting its video content ‘even divas are believers’ – if hostels are good enough for Mariah, the ultimate diva, they are good enough for you!
Where?
The announcement was picked up by national media including Mail Online, The Times, HELLO! and Cosmopolitan
Why?
Typically, influencer partnerships work best when there’s an authentic link to the brand, but in this case, the exact opposite won them column inches and global talkability. The signing was a genius move from the brand and showed Mariah making fun of herself – resulting in some hilarious, sharable content
DUREX NOT YOUR CUP OF TEA?
What?
Durex UK announces a new range of teas to increase libido
Who and When?
With the slogan ‘put some oooh in your brew’ Durex launched an April Fools’ day stunt, claiming its three tea flavours Lus-tea, Naugh-tee and Flir-tea would get pulses racing
Where?
Durex was up there with the most memorable April Fools’ stunts of 2018, securing a spot in April Fools’ roundups across the board and generating mass social media engagement, with many users responding with hilarious comebacks to the stunt
Why?
April Fools’ lends itself well to a playful brand like Durex and this is a great example of a simple stunt done well. The brand even took it to the next level in Singapore launching edible smoked chicken condoms… nom nom!
Trends
A RIGHT ROYAL AFFAIR!
April saw a royal frenzy with a new Prince or Princess on the way and the impending nuptials of Prince Harry and Meghan. The nation placed bets on the baby’s name and brands were quick to jump on the baby train, too, with Lidl promoting its 89p wipes, Amazon advertising baby surveillance, John Lewis pushing its pram, and Madame Tussauds brought the Queen’s wax figure to the hospital for a great picture story!
Long live the British public’s love affair with the Royal Family!
APRIL FOOLS’ STUNTS
April Fools’ Day brought another round of ridiculous stories and stunts. Of course the Daily Mail opted for a royal story, announcing Harry’s stag do was to feature yoga and yurts, Virgin Airlines announced it was introducing spin classes on board, Coca Cola capitalised on the avocado trend when it announced the vegetable was to be its new flavour and Brazen client, wilko launched a Paw-sonal Training range for pets,. Stories are getting more and more ridiculous each year, but with real news getting just as crazy, it’s harder to tell the fake news apart.
COACHELLA VIBES
Many of us spent the past two weekends green-eyed with envy at all the Coachella snaps bombarding Instagram feeds.
And Coachella is often the catalyst for a whole host of quirky, alternative looks for fashionistas to imitate.
With mega influencers such as Gigi Hadid, and Justin Bieber being regulars at the event, it’s no surprise it gets so much attention.
The global coverage that Coachella generates is nothing short of impressive with Vogue, Mail Online, Glamour and Evening Standard (to name a few) all featuring the event.
#PRFAIL
PUMA & JD ‘DRUG’ PARTY BACKLASH
What?
Sportswear giant Puma and retailer JD Sports hosted a party glamorising drug dealing and council estate poverty
Who and When?
The German casualwear brand hosted a ‘House of Hustle’ event in partnership with JD Sports in Soho, London. Guests were sent Puma shoe boxes full of fake £50 notes, “drug dealer” phones and business cards that instructed invitees to “turn on the trap line”
Where?
The event caused mass outrage, with a variety of titles such as Evening Standard, The Sun, Independent, The Guardian expressing their disappointment in the event
Why?
With the rising number of drug related murders in London, this was a poorly timed and misjudged way to engage its audience. What may have started out as a ‘cool’ idea, ended up making the brands look politically disengaged
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