Hails & Fails – August 12th 2022
The heatwave is back and there have been some seriously hot PR campaigns to welcome back the sunshine this week. Sky Arts hailed the influence of a rock god with a plectrum portrait, Brazen client York Dungeon remained firm on Dick Turpin and Iceland pledged to help 40,000 people through the cost-of-living crisis. It wasn’t a great week for Wetherspoons though, as they were blasted for mistakenly accusing a disabled man of being drunk.
HAILS
David Bowie hailed with plectrum portrait
David Bowie has been named Britain’s most influential artist of the last 50 years, with a unique piece of art commissioned to celebrate the news.
The musician topped the Sky Arts list of 50 influential artists, ahead of 12 Years A Slave Oscar-winning filmmaker Sir Steve McQueen and It’s A Sin writer Russell T Davies.
Sky Arts commissioned a portrait of the singer made entirely out of guitar plectrums to honour the achievement.
And it got coverage everywhere this week.
York Dungeon remains firm amid Dick Turpin name row
Brazen client The York Dungeon has refused to change the name of its new Dick Turpin ride after ‘woke’ complaints that the nickname was offensive and rude.
Richard ‘Dick’ Turpin was an infamous criminal who was executed in York in 1739.
The debate spilled onto social media this week with hundreds of people taking to Facebook to attack the ‘snowflakes’ who made the complaints.
Mark Mattinson, the general manager of the dungeon, owned by leisure giants Merlin Entertainments, said: “We were shocked to receive complaints to change his name but despite any potentially rude connotations, we’re here to say that Dick, is here to stay.”
And the media loved the solid reaction from the Dungeon with positive coverage in a host of titles including the Daily Mail, The Times, Daily Telegraph, LBC, Daily Star, Daily Express and The Sun.
Iceland to give pensioners £30 vouchers to help with cost of living
Iceland is giving away free £30 gift vouchers to pensioners in a bid to support the elderly living in poverty across the UK.
The supermarket has partnered with the Rothesay Foundation for its “Summer Cheer” campaign, which will run in 269 stores across 17 areas nationwide.
The qualifying areas have been identified as places with the highest number of pensioners living in poverty. These include Glasgow, Strathclyde, Manchester, Birmingham, Sheffield, Liverpool, Newport, Lambeth and Croydon.
The scheme will help approximately 40,000 people and “alleviate some of the pressure caused by the worsening cost-of-living crisis”, the supermarket said.
Bravo!
FAILS
Wetherspoons refuse to serve disabled man thinking he was drunk
Wetherspoons ended up in the headlines for all the wrong reasons this week after staff at a pub in Edinburgh refused to believe that a cerebral palsy sufferer was not drunk, despite being told about his condition.
Ross Wilson, 35, says he was humiliated after the bar manager did not believe him and instead called over the bouncer.
Ross went to the bar around 7.30pm to get a final drink before he caught the train home but was refused because the bar manager stated that Ross was drunk, despite his mum telling staff of his condition.
The story has received news coverage nationally this week. And the company has since apologised to the family.
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