Hails & Fails – August 20th 2021
The weather might not be a riot right now but there’s a few PR campaigns which have added some much needed sunshine to our 9-5 this week. The North Wales town of Wrexham put smiles on faces everywhere with its own Hollywood sign, McDonald’s gave us all free McFlurries and Joe Lycett won a plastic pledge for his TV walk-off. It wasn’t the best of weeks for Buckingham Palace though, after it was accused of being a “rip off” by a number of paying visitors on TripAdvisor
HAILS
Wrexham’s mystery Hollywood-style sign
A huge Hollywood-style sign has ‘mysteriously’ appeared above Wrexham in what has to be the best PR stunt of the week.
Most think it is down to showbiz stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, who recently bought Wrexham football club.
Officially, the Hollywood pair have denied being responsible but, the iconic white letters which now loom over Wrexham’s A483 main road are straight out of the Hollywood playbook.
So, while it might not have the Griffith Observatory, Walk of Fame or Beverley Hills Hotel, Wrexham does proudly boast the Xplore Science Centre, Overton Arcade and The Horse and Jockey. Worthy of its own Hollywood Hills style sign, right?
As you can imagine – the story has won coverage everywhere. So, hats off to whoever was responsible (*cough* Ryan Reynolds)…
McDonald’s celebrates the McFlurry’s coming of age
McDonald’s is giving away FREE McFlurries to celebrate the iconic dessert’s 21st birthday.
To celebrate 21 years since the McFlurry was first launched, the fast food giant is handing out the treat for free to passers by at The Builder’s Yard along London’s South Bank.
You can get your hands on one from 11am to 6:30pm every day until Sunday. So you can bag one over the weekend if you’re planning to take a trip to the capital.
Media have been licking their lips over the giveaway all week.
Joe Lycett’s TV walk-off wins plastic pledge
Comedian Joe Lycett has convinced drinks company Yop to change their bottles following his Steph’s Packed Lunch walk-off stunt.
Last month, the stand-up comedian made headlines after he appeared to storm out of the Channel 4 chat show.
During his appearance, Lycett mentioned that he had given up bringing single-use white plastic into his home as it was harder to recycle.
But after presenter Steph McGovern pointed out an empty bottle of Yop, which is made of the substance, angry Lycett was seen removing his microphone and storming off the screen.
Lycett later confirmed that the moment had been planned to make a point about recycling, calling on Yop to stop using white PET plastic. This week the comic updated fans once more as he celebrated the news that Yop had committed to changing from white to clear plastic in 2022. Cue media coverage everywhere!
FAILS
Buckingham Palace gets terrible TripAdvisor Reviews
Buckingham Palace visitors have warned other tourists not to visit the Queen’s official residence and have flooded TripAdvisor with terrible reviews.
Buck House’s gardens opened to the public for the first time on 8 July with the promise that visitors would get a chance to picnic on the lawns and explore the gardens, giving visitors the “beauty and calm of this walled oasis” and a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to picnic on the lawn”.
That’s not how many saw it when they reviewed their trip for TripAdvisor, unfortunately. Guests said large parts of the gardens were off-limits and complained of overpriced tickets and food and long queues.
Many took to TripAdvisor describing their visit as “disappointing” and “underwhelming”, and suggesting that tourists visit other parks in London for free. The media was quick to seize on the story this week.
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