Globespotting- February
PR Campaigns & Stunts
SAVING FROSTY – IT’S SNOW JOKE
What?
Brazen’s Chill Factore team saved 6ft snowman, Frosty, from turning to slush when they rescued him from a garden in Altrincham to take up residence on the icy slopes at Chill Factore
Who and When?
In the midst of February’s cold snap, the team spotted a reactive opportunity to launch its Save Our Snowman campaign – permanently rehoming the snowmen of families across the north west
Where?
The coverage rolled in across print, online and broadcast, including Metro Online, The Times, MEN and BBC North West Tonight
Why?
Newsjacking isn’t easy – you’ve gotta have (snow) balls of steel, be quick off the mark and a little black book of contacts
NIKE JUST DOES IT AGAIN!
What?
Nike shares a new perspective on female athletes, narrated by tennis champion, Serena Williams, in a follow-up to last year’s controversial ad starring American football player Colin Kaepernick
Who and When?
The spot titled “Dream Crazier” attempts to reclaim labels such as ‘crazy’ which are often used in negative context; specifically when it comes to women in sport
Where?
With the world’s eyes watching, it was premiered during the Academy Award ad break and the rest is history… If you didn’t see it, you must be crazy 😉
Why?
Emotive, purposeful and timely – landing just ahead of International Women’s Day and the unveiling of Nike’s 14 national kits for this summer’s Women’s World Cup
EXITS ARE HERE, HERE AND HERE
What?
Turkish Airlines introduces its new Lego inflight safety video
Who and When?
‘Directed’ by Lego Batman, the campaign ran alongside the release of the film and built on the extraordinary popularity of the original
Where?
The 267 second sequel, the result of 979 hours of production that included 24,000 Lego mini-figures was a global success and voted PR Week’s campaign of the month
Why?
After last year’s success, which topped the viral charts with 20 million views in just one month, the sequel was a no brainer and perfectly timed with the release of the movie. Racking up over 1.7m YouTube, we predict it won’t be the last we see of this collab
STIRLING’S WINTER SUN TRAP
What?
Boots created a pop-up sun-trap in Stirling, ‘giving the public bright relief from the cold’, after a study found the city’s residents were the most Vitamin D deprived in the UK.
Who and When?
Pharmacy giant Boots, teamed up with The University of Manchester to conduct a study into the country’s Vitamin D deficiencies. The activity aimed to highlight the importance of vitamin D, particularly in winter where, let’s face it, sunshine isn’t
Where?
The research findings, projection map, pop-up ‘ultimate sun-trap’ and time-lapse video caught the eyes of a number of national titles in both England and Scotland including, Independent, Express, Mirror and Sun as well as creating talking points on Talk Radio
Why?
Rooted in insight, this was a timely, neat, cross-channel campaign that got people talking
Trends
VALENTINE’S DAY
Valentine’s Day each year dominates our newsfeeds and daily reads. This year, Cupid’s arrow went next level with brands going bigger and bolder than ever before. Conversation was dominated by novelty foods from M&S’ ‘Love Sausage’ to Aunt Bessie’s heart shaped Yorkshire Puddings. Less gimmicky campaigns stood out from the white noise including domestic charity Refuge, which released a typical love poem when read from start to end, but when reversed tells the story faced by a victim of abuse.
WEIRD (BRITISH) WEATHER
What do you call it when it snows one week, but is the hottest day on record the next? February in Britain!
It’s fair to say the weather has been very t(r)opical, serving up a good PR opportunity for brands. Whether it’s us saving snowmen or a surprising sales uplift story of suncream and clothes pegs as Brits made the most of the good weather. Are you even British if you don’t get excited when you can peg your washing out?
AND THE AWARD GOES TO…
Conversations and news columns this month included award season winners and losers, but some dominated screen time more than others. Olivia Colman proved you can go from appearing in an AA advert to winning ‘Best Actress’, Lady Gaga became the first person in history to win an Oscar, Grammy, Bafta and Golden Globe in one year and Freddie Mercury was as relevant this February as he was in the 90s, with Bohemian Rhapsody collecting numerous gongs. For Brazen client Showcase Cinemas, we told the story of the UK’s biggest Bohemian Rhapsody fan and Queen enthusiast, Annie, who has viewed the film over 80 times! No, it’s not just a fantasy…
#PRFAIL
BOOHOO BACK-PEDALS ON WOOL BAAN
What?
Boohoo receives praise from PETA after announcing it was to no longer sell wool products… only to change its mind hours later and retract the statement
Who and When?
On 15th February, the online fashion retailer announced a ban on wool as of A/W19 following pressure from animal rights organisation, PETA, and hit headlines again the following day for retracting the statement
Where?
Media were skeptical of the move in the first instance, even suggesting the original announcement was a PR stunt as the brand didn’t sell wool products in the first place. Further criticism followed after the brand backtracked, including Mail Online, Independent and Metro as well as news sites HuffPost and Sky News
Why?
The brand appeared disingenuous and dishonest – a bad move in today’s climate and especially so given its target millennial audience are some of the most eco-conscious consumers of all…
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