Globespotting – May
PR Campaigns & Stunts
TAKEAWAY TRAUMA
What?
#TakeawayTrauma is recognised as a genuine condition relating to the stress caused when ordering a takeaway
Who and When?
Brazen client Chicago Town teamed up with The University Of Wolverhampton to monitor the effects of the takeaway ordering process, from late deliveries to incorrect orders – proving that ordering online can cause a significant increase in stress levels
Where?
The story received blanket coverage and generated tonnes of talkability. Coverage prominently featured on BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire Show, page 3 of The Sun, The Mail Online, The Mirror and The Evening Standard
Why?
The best stories are based on a human truth and was truly relatable. Partnering with a university gave the story added clout, leaving every journalist wanting a pizza the action!
MARKLE & SPARKLE
What?
Royal Wedding fever took over the world in May, celebrating the wedding of Prince Harry & Meghan Markle in Windsor
Who and When?
With thousands of brands fighting for media attention and one-upping each other with wacky stunts and NPDs, Marks and Spencer came up trumps, temporarily rebranding as Markle & Sparkle
Where?
With most of the branding changes taking place online, M&S changed signage and held an event at its Windsor store, complete with Percy & Penny Pig in wedding attire! The story was picked up everywhere, including The Sun, Daily Mail, The Independent and Metro
Why?
Hijacking the news agenda is a quick win for brands to secure column inches, especially when there’s billions of eyes on the event, however this one stood out due to its simplicity
DEADPOOL TAKES OVER
What?
Leading up to the cinematic release of Deadpool 2, the superhero production company staged a takeover of other famous DVD covers
Who and When?
In a year packed full of superhero movies, you need to do something epic to stand out, and Deadpool did just that. Taking inspiration from the characters’ shameless self promotion, Deadpool staged a DVD takeover in US retailer Walmart, reimagining films such as Castaway & Fight Club with himself in the titular role
Where?
The stunt created a huge buzz on social, driving a massive amount of user generated content. It also generated online coverage in LADbible, Mashable and AdWeek
Why?
As always, user generated content is king and creating something that genuinely excites users is key to encouraging peer-to-peer content sharing. Huge success all round from driving talkablity to selling cinema tickets
MAY THE FOURTH BE WITH WITH YOU
What?
Heathrow Airport took things to a new level to celebrate May the fourth, a day widely celebrated by die-hard Star Wars fans
Who and When?
Holiday makers flying from Terminal 5 were in for a surprise as the departure boards had been altered to display humorous fake flights, announcing flights were departing to locations featured in Star Wars movies such as ‘Jakku’, ‘Kamino’ and ‘Hoth’
Where?
The stunt received blanket coverage and was picked up across national, broadcast and regional media including Daily Express, Sky, ITV, Mail Online, Daily Star and The Sun
Why?
Playing on the well known quote, ‘May the Force be with you’, the stunt by Heathrow Airport was a simple and effective way to jump on the back of a topical day
GREGORY & GREGORY
What?
Bakery chain Greggs went undercover at the UK’s biggest food festival, Foodie Festival in Syon Park in Brentford
Who and When?
Greggs surprised visitors by serving up their new summer menu at a gourmet festival under the name ‘Gregory & Gregory’, only to be told they were actually eating food from national chain more known for its pasties and sausage rolls
Where?
This campaign was picked up across national and regional titles, including The Sun and Metro
Why?
This campaign was picked up across national and regional titles, including The Sun and Metro
Trends
MEGHAN MANIA
In all the excitement of the Royal Wedding this month, we saw everything from the weird to the wonderful when it came to celebrating the big day. If you wanted a Harry or Meghan swimsuit, you could get it! Or how about a limited edition gold ‘finger-lickin’ good KFC bucket?
And the Brazen team was no exception. From creating the first modern art portrait of the couple in dirty carpet for cleaning and laundry brand Dr. Beckmann, to spotting ‘Harry and Meghan’ shopping in wilko’s Wimbledon store in the run up to the big day.
ONE LOVE MANCHESTER
One year on from the Manchester arena bombings, people all over the world came together to remember and show solidarity for the 22 victims.
And in a poignant move, all cranes across Manchester and London stopped and turned to face the arena in a tribute during the minute’s silence to mark the anniversary.
LOVE ISLAND
The fourth season of Love Island is back and as the show is set to make an even bigger and better return due to the popularity last year, this year’s singletons have already been announced.
We suspect the nation will once again be hooked and our eyes will be peeled to the screens to see which couple takes the crown.
Who will be whose type on paper? Will they put all their eggs in one basket? And who will be mugged off? We can’t wait!
#PRFAIL
YOU’RE OFF THE RAILS
What?
Rail firm Thameslink received backlash this month after it compared its poor rail service to ‘Poundland chocolate’
Who and When?
Poundland spotted the rail firm’s apologetic tweet to a disgruntled passenger, likening its service more to Poundland chocolate than Ferrero Rocher. The discounter’s CEO soon put Thameslink in its place with a curse but clever reply
Where?
The tweet has been picked up far and wide, including Daily Telegraph, The Guardian, The Independent, Sky News and ITV News, prompting Thameslink to apologise and remove the tweet
Why?
Thameslink fell short of funny with its aggressive insult and Poundland used it to win public favour. CEO, Cooke, stated that it served 8m shoppers last week and has a “pretty good idea about what great customer service is”, cleverly signing off #Proudland
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