Hails & Fails – September 20th 2024
We blinked and it went from September 1st to the 20th, with mid-September practically being Christmas in PR land. But before we start blasting Last Christmas by George Michael, let’s take a moment to appreciate some great campaigns.
Campaign group The Dad Shift won headlines for dads everywhere who deserve better parental leave, campaign group Killed Women won headlines for women everywhere and IKEA did it again with some smart innovative thinking. While luxury department store Harrods found themselves in a scandal.
HAILS
The Dad Shift
One in three UK fathers take no paternity leave after the birth of their child, and one in two families where they do report struggling financially afterwards.
So, campaign group Dad Shift attached life-size model babies in slings to famous statues of men across London, to call on the Government to improve the options and address the importance of father-baby bonding.
Did you know that the UK has the worst paternity leave offer in Europe? With only two statutory weeks of leave paid at £184.03 a week.
Adam Moss – News & Creative Director: “This is so simple yet so powerful…cleverly drawing attention to the major struggle thousands of working dads across the country face when they become fathers – the lack of time they get to spend with their new baby. Paternity leave in the UK lags behind other European countries. So, if we hope for great British dads, we’ve simply got to give them the opportunity and time to become exactly that.”
Killed Here
Campaign group Killed Women created a series of black and blue plaques and fixed them to properties where women have been murdered by a man as part of a campaign to highlight “outdated and misogynistic” UK domestic homicide sentencing laws that see, on average, men who have killed women in the home serve 10 years fewer than those who have killed women outside of it.
Each plaque includes the woman’s name, lifespan and the words “Murder is murder, change the law” and “The same murder outside the home would get a decade more”.
Barnaby Kellaway – Account Director: “What an incredibly powerful and poignant campaign. This is an incredibly important message, conveyed in a quietly moving and emotional manner.”
Ikea Advertzzzzzzz
Ikea Sweden gave sleep deprived customers free roller blinds – with just one condition – they were OK for their windows to become billboards while they sleep!
The branded roller blinds double up as adverts for the Swedish brand as the sleepy customers get to enjoy a better night’s sleep.
So clever!
Tom Owen – Account Manager: “I love this because it takes a simple everyday object and gives it a playful spin!”
FAIL
Predator at Harrods
[trigger warning: sexual assault and rape]
Luxury London department store Harrods made headlines this week for allegations against the former boss Mohamed AI Fayed.
According to the BBC, more than 20 female ex-employees have come forward to say the billionaire, who died last year aged 94, sexually assaulted them – including rape.
A documentary and podcast called ‘Predator at Harrods’ has also gathered evidence to suggest that during Fayed’s ownership, Harrods not only failed to intervene, but also helped cover up abuse allegations.
Jess Redfearn – Midweight Creative: “The store’s current owners have sincerely apologised saying they are “utterly appalled” by the allegations and that his victims had been failed. But is apologising enough here? Only time will tell for the store…”
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