Hails & Fails – April 21st 2023
While Spring still refused to pop its head out from under a wintry blanket, there were some brilliant PR campaigns to warm the cockles this week.
Brazen client Greene King Brewery revived an ancient royal ale, the nation’s home of entertainment Butlin’s, also a Brazen client, offered Charles and Camilla’s everywhere a free break and supermarket Asda launched driverless home delivery.
It was not a great week for fashion brand PrettyLittleThing however, after their Eid Edit caused widespread outrage.
HAILS
ANCIENT ALE AUCTIONED FOR CORONATION
To celebrate the launch of their new Coronation Ale, Brazen client Greene King Brewery served up a slice of beer history, auctioning off ale originally brewed for the coronation of King Edward VIII in 1937.
Proceeds from the sale are to go to The Prince’s Trust, a charity set up by the current monarch in 1976.
The story secured stand-alone hits on Sky News, Daily Telegraph, Daily Express, Evening Standard and CNN, and was also featured in Bloomberg’s trending stories of the day. It also won a suite of sensational broadcast hits plus mass syndication from our friends across the pond, with requests from Fox News, CBS, Sky News AUS and beyond.
CHARLES & CAMILLA ARE OFF TO BUTLIN’S
Brazen client Butlin’s, the iconic entertainment brand, won coverage everywhere this week with a campaign that offered free holiday trips to anyone with a name fit for a king (or queen).
The nationwide Coronation campaign means that anyone who shares a name with Charles or Camilla is in with a chance of winning one of three, free, action-packed Butlin’s breaks. People with variants of the royal names – Charles, Charlie, Charley, Charli, Charl, Camilla, Cam, Kam, Kamilla, Cammie or Cameron – are also able to apply to win.
The story has won well over 100 pieces of coverage so far.
ASDA LAUNCHES DRIVERLESS HOME DELIVERY
Asda has launched a UK trial of autonomous grocery home delivery.
The supermarket has teamed up with tech company Wayve for a pilot project in west London.
Some 72,000 households are being used to test the service, which will use Wayve’s fleet of Jaguar I-Pace driverless vehicles.
It is the first time the technology is being incorporated into routine home deliveries.
It has driven coverage everywhere this week.
FAILS
PrettyLittleThing slammed for selling inappropriate Eid outfits
Fast fashion brand PrettyLittleThing has faced pointed criticism over inappropriate Eid outfits.
The fast-fashion brand released an ‘Eid edit’ online but has been widely criticised after the clothing was largely deemed unsuitable for the religious event.
Initially, its Eid collection included 273 items, but many have been removed after the backlash over some of the more revealing garments and social media fans have been unforgiving in their criticism this week.
Ouch!
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