Globespotting – March

PR Campaigns & Stunts

A WORLD OF THRONES

What?

HBO built hype ahead of the final season of Game of Thrones by hiding 6 Iron Thrones around the world for die-hard fans to find

Who and When?

Stars of the show launched the initiative via Facebook videos pushing fans to a microsite featuring time-lapses hinting at locations from forests to icy tundras

Where?

The story appeared across national titles including the Daily Mail, Metro & Daily Express, in addition to online sources including Digital Spy

Why?

A truly global initiative that creates a sense of mystery & plays on the fact fans love to speculate and hypothesise about the show’s outcomes

WHY NOT GRAB A CHEEKY NANDOS?

What?

Nandos appealed to the Peri-Peri lovers of London and Manchester by offering FREE meals unlocked only by pulling down a billboard located in a secret place

Who and When?

Nando’s hid billboards featuring giant gift cards offering FREE food across Manchester and London. All visitors had to do to was pull them down to unlock the ultimate Peri-Peri platter of chicken

Where?

Story appeared across the nationals and LadBible, driving conversation and fame for the much-loved chicken restaurant

Why?

A great example of a how a brand can build talkability and create a bit of cheeky competition with its finger-lickin’ rivals

SINK OR SWIM

What?

A pair of young UK synchronised swimmers performed their World Championship routine in a pool filled with plastic waste to draw attention to ocean pollution

Who and When?

The challenge was hosted by The Big Bang Fair, a convention showcasing how talented young people are using science & technology to change the world

Where?

The story appeared across a wide variety of titles including BBC News, ITV News, Mail Online, The Metro and Huffpost

Why?

A striking visual story with an equally striking environmental message, made even more poignant by the maturity of its two young stars

WIND IN THE WEEDS

What?

Wildlife Trust created a video where they recreated a destroyed version of the enchanting woods from childhood classic Wind In The Willows

Who and When?

The two minute trailer starring David Attenborough and Stephen Fry reimagines the woods and the real threats the environment is under from plastics to global warming

Where?

This heartfelt story was shared by LadBible and had blanket coverage in the nationals

Why?

Another emotive campaign that hit home for both eco-conscious and mainstream consumers

TRENDS

BREXIT PANIC

Brexit is driving us all bonkers, and the world of PR is no exception. Paddy Power enlisted Eric Cantona to reside over a ‘Brexit bunker’, saving Brits from conversation around Brexit.

Loo roll brand Hakle donated 1.4k loo rolls to a school as a Brexit stockpile after they were rejected from their initial intended recipient – the Queen.

Travelodge took a more serious approach, seeking parents returning to work to fill post-Brexit staffing gaps.

FLIPPIN’ HECK

Southeastern Trains spread the Pancake Day love by renaming St Pancras station on announcement boards, fuelling a wave of tweets from amused passengers.

The stunt gained coverage in London’s Time Out and across local regional titles including Kent Online.

Alongside the cheeky pun, the train operator also gifted customers packs of pancake batter to take home, as part of its Random Acts of Kindness Day campaign.

MUM’S THE WORD

Brands pulled out all the stops to impress mums this Mother’s Day.

Asda appointed slam poet Daniel Piper as a writer in residence to help Brits craft heartfelt Mothers’ Day card messages, after finding that 47% of Brits suffer from ‘Card Writers Block’.

Meanwhiile, Brazen client, Showcase Cinemas revealed the nation’s top movie mums and Open Table hosted pregnancy cravings inspired afternoon tea menus for mums-to-be.

#PRFAIL

CADBURY DIGS ITSELF INTO A HOLE

What?

Cadbury’s latest campaign reached a sticky end as attempts to create a nationwide treasure hunt led to a backlash from British historians

Who and When?

Historic England was quick to point out that the #FreddoTreasures campaign encouraging kids to hunt for historic buried treasure encourages illegal looting

Where?

The story was covered by national press & specialist titles including The Guardian, BBC News, The Independent, CNBC, Ad Age & The Drum

Why?

Cadbury bit off more than it could chew and proved that not everything is sweet like chocolate

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