Hails & Fails – Oct 23rd 2020
A baby named after a wifi brand, a celebrity portrait exhibition, sustainable supermarkets and Percy Pig’s pricing; from the sublime to the ridiculous, here’s this week’s hails and fails in the world of PR.
HAILS
Closed eyes to open minds
Mental health charity, Mind, created an online gallery featuring 250 celebrity portraits, including snaps of Holly Willoughby and Philip Schofield, Kate Moss and Dame Helen Mirren, with their eyes closed to increase awareness of Britain’s mental health crisis and to raise donations following a post-Covid shortfall. Thousands of people have already taken a moment to make a £3 donation and to share a selfie as part of the starry digital exhibition. A campaign that really caught the nation’s eye, securing blanket national coverage and huge social media shares.
ASDA goes greener
ASDA has this week launched its first sustainable store in Middleton, Leeds, complete with refill stations for rice and pasta and machines dispensing Persil and Radox – not to mention chutes for Coco Pops. ASDA hopes the store will encourage people to reduce, reuse and recycle – saving an estimated one million pieces of plastic from being used each year.
If successful, they could be rolled out nationwide, so expect to be pocket-tapping in a plastic-free supermarket very soon. Now, how do we get a cereal chute for our own home…
Please welcome to the world…baby WIFI?
Winning the award for the most Brazen bonkers story of the week, a couple have named their little girl after an internet service provider to get free WiFi for 18-years – as you do!
The parents spotted a Facebook advert from Swiss start-up company Twifi, offering free WiFi for 18 years to anyone who named their kid after the company. The couple now have a daughter named Twifia and a big saving on their broadband bill. A crackers idea we know, but one that got tongues wagging and netted global headlines for a start-up business!
FAILS
M&S in Percy Pig-dicament thanks to pricing
Outraged Ocado shoppers have highlighted that M&S groceries bought via the service are up to 40 per cent more expensive than instore. This isn’t the only pricing nightmare for the home of Percy Pig and his pals; the retailer has also launched a £1K Christmas hamper (featuring no mince pies!) as part of its festive pre-order menu. This is not just M&S Food, this is ridiculously priced food launched during the UK’s biggest ever recession. Talk about por(k) taste…
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