Hails & Fails – April 26th 2024
It was a nail-biting week for Manchester United fans after they conceded three late goals against Coventry City in Sunday evening’s FA Cup semi-final – with the Reds scraping through to the final after a penalty shoot-out. It was a clean sheet for these guys though!
A London marathon runner raised money for a good cause, Spotify raised money for nature conservation and Kendall Jenner’s tequila brand Drink818 raised glasses with a collab. While US fast food chain Chick-fil-A raised eyebrows…
HAILS
Run, run wine
A London Marathon runner made headlines by tasting a different glass of wine each mile of the race.
Tom Gilbey, a professional wine seller, stopped to drink 25 glasses of wine during the 26.2-mile route while also guessing the country of origin, producer, and year. And he still reached the finish line in less than five hours!
Mr Gilbey has raised over £15,000 for the Sobell House Hospice Charity in Oxfordshire… and counting.
Sign us up for 2025!
Jess Redfearn – Midweight Creative: “While not a brand per se, I think Tom’s idea can inspire creatives everywhere to have fun! With tight deadlines and client pressure, it’s easy to forget, but taking silly seriously is what this industry is all about”
Making soundwaves
Birds chirping, waves crashing, leaves blowing. There’s no denying that nature has a sound – with research proving it benefits our mental health and wellbeing.
So, to celebrate this Earth Day, Spotify has recognised Nature as an official artist – giving it artistic credit to earn royalties to go towards conservation!
Music streaming turned into meaningful climate action? This is what you call creative problem-solving. Love!
Joe Loughran – Account Executive: “It’s no easy feat creating a unique environmental campaign to stand out from the crowd, but Spotify have done just that! Such a fun and creative campaign that has unsurprisingly gained mass media attention. Nature for Glastonbury 2025 headliner anyone?”
Espresso marketing
Social media star Kendall Jenner did what she does best, break the internet, by joining forces with fellow media personality Emma Chamberlain in a brand collaboration that hit 5.5 million views in its first 13 hours online.
Jenner, owner of tequila brand 818, and Chamberlain, owner of coffee business Chamberlain Coffee, have brought their brands together to create their own tequila-based Espresso Martini.
Viral is light work for the Jenner’s.
Sophie Reuben – Influencer Account Director: “This brand partnership is a stroke of marketing genius. Full of authenticity, creating a visually stunning and emotionally resonant experience. By emphasising shared values of quality, creativity, and connection, they’re not just selling products but creating a community. Through teaser campaigns and exclusive content, they’re cultivating a community around their brands, demonstrating the transformative power of effective branding and storytelling”
FAILS
Chick-Fail-A
Chick-fil-A’s HR department caused their fans to boycott the brand this week when the brand asked a TikToker to stop posting videos for “breaching employee social media guidelines”.
Superfan and Chick-fil-A employee @mirithesiren was posting reviews of her employee meal every day, often gaining up to 3.4 million views and likes.
But the TikTok star was forced to announce they’d be no more content upon the company’s request.
Spotting the opportunity, Chick-fil-A competitor Shake Shack swooped in – offering to pay Miri for her content – with Chick-fil-A customers boycotting the brand in anger.
Rachael Milligan – Associate Director & Group Head: “I understand the HR position in this case, a rule after all is a rule. However, the PR department not wanting to ‘collab at this time’ and not considering changing Miri’s contract to work around this has lived rent free in my head this week – one to be remembered as a ‘Chick-Fail-A”
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