Hails & Fails – Dec 23rd 2020
Today we look back on our favourite Hails & Fails of 2020…and celebrate how, despite the pandemic, PR managed to hijack the news agenda. There were incredible PR campaigns from Vogue UK, Mattel and Burger King, which all rightly won fame with headline-grabbing PR campaigns this year. Then there’s the big fail of the year – with the wooden spoon going to Culture Secretary Oliver Downden…
HAILS
Vogue make key workers their cover stars
Three front-line key workers from London starred on the cover of British Vogue at the height of the UK’s COVID-19 summer.
A train driver, a midwife and a supermarket worker all featured on July’s front page. Photographer Jamie Hawkesworth captured the trio of women for a 20-page portfolio for the fashion magazine. Vogue’s editor-in-chief Edward Enninful said. “They represent the millions of people in the UK who, at the height of the pandemic, put on their uniforms and went to help. This moment in history required something extra special, a moment of thanks to the new front line.” Brilliant timing and a campaign that gave a powerful nod to 2020’s real superheroes and won fame everywhere.
Mattel created a set of healthcare heroes action figures
In May, Mattel launched a figurine collection of hero health workers designed to support workers on the frontline in the fight against COVID-19
The special edition charity line of collectible action figures celebrates doctors, nurses and delivery drivers.
Proceeds from the toy were donated to #FirstRespondersFirst, a charity initiative created to support first responder healthcare workers. The campaign got coverge everywhere and, more importantly, showed how much the whole country valued our key NHS staff.
Burger King Shows Some Love to The Little Guys
While restaurants around the country struggled for survival in the lockdown, Burger King warmed hearts with a unique campaign on social media. The burger brand launched a new campaign urging people to continue to go out to at other smaller restaurants. They even opened up their Instagram account so that struggling restaurants could post photos of their signature dishes with the hashtag #WhopperAndFriends and Burger King shared them on its Instagram channel. They rightly won huge kudos and huge media hits to boot.
FAILS
Fatima climbdown and lockdown red faces in Westminster
Culture Secretary Oliver Downden was forced into an embarrassing lockdown climb-down and apology after placing a shockingly out-of-touch advert in October suggesting a ballerina, struggling for work during lockdown, should retrain for a job in ‘cyber’ – prompting a widespread and angry backlash among people in the arts. What on earth was he thinking? Brilliantly though, it triggered a series of hilarious memes online.
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