Hails & Fails – Feb 5th 2021
January is behind us (thank goodness for that) and it looks like there’s a glimmer of hope that lockdown won’t last all year. As a result, we’re all feeling more hopeful in February and PR is playing its part in turning those frowns upside down with some fantastic campaigns hitting home this week. Dr Alex George has shown us that reality TV fame can be used to make a real difference, there’s also a hilarious initiative from Chuckle Brother Paul Elliot plus Barilla penne-trated mass media with a pasta Spotify playlist. Not so good a week for Ryanair, who have been ordered to remove an ‘irresponsible’ advert…
HAILS
Dr Alex appointed young mental health ambassador
Alex George, the TV doctor who found fame as a contestant on Love Island, has been appointed by Boris Johnson as a youth mental health ambassador to advise the government.
The A&E doctor’s younger brother took his own life last year and he has been campaigning for better mental health provision ever since. The Government said George would use both his personal and professional experience to help shape policy on improving support for young people in schools, colleges and universities. Unlike most of his Love Island peers who cash in on their fame, Alex is committed to doing something that benefits society. So refreshing – and tonnes of coverage to boot!
Chuckle Brother hilariously flogs '2 metre you' Covid masks using iconic phrase
Chuckle Brothers star Paul Elliot is selling coronavirus face masks with a picture of himself and late brother Barry on them and a hilarious play on their famous catchphrase.
Paul, 73, who battled coronavirus himself last March, is using Etsy to sell the black masks carrying the slogan “2 Metres U”, a funny play on their famous catchphrase, “To me, to you,” which the pair said frequently in their act together until Barry died back in 2018.
Almost three years later and Paul is showing no signs of letting his brother Barry’s memory die – selling thousands of the masks plus mugs and other items bearing the icon. The media loved the story this week too.
Barilla has created Spotify playlists to help cook pasta perfectly
Pasta maker Barilla has teamed up with Spotify to make sure their customers always get their pasta perfectly cooked. They’ve curated a number of playlists that pair up with different types of pasta. So once your water pot is boiling, just add the pasta into the water, press play on the corresponding playlist, and when the playlist is finished your pasta should be cooked to perfection.
The playlist options include different genres of music like pop, hip-hop, and indie – all covered by Italian artists of course. It’s brilliant and has won tonnes of media coverage this week. Rigatoni Bennett anyone?
FAILS
Ryanair ordered to remove 'irresponsible' Jab and Go advert
Ryanair has been censured by the Advertising Standards Authority and told to remove an advert showing misleading claims about coronavirus vaccinations.
The ASA said it had received 2,370 complaints about the ‘irresponsible’ advert, making it the third most complained about ever.
The ad encouraged consumers to book Easter and summer holidays with Ryanair after getting their coronavirus vaccinations, suggesting that people could “jab and go”. Cue a flood of complaints complaints that “jab and go” implied most of the UK population would be able to travel unaffected by coronavirus regulations by summer 2021. Ouch!
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