Hails & Fails – January 13th 2023
Can someone turn off the rain, please? It might be wet, wet, wet but we’ve also seen a shower of amazing PR campaigns making headlines this week.
Cosmetics giant L’Oréal gave a helping hand to inclusivity, airline British Airways put us all in the holiday mood and Brazen client Showcase Cinemas went viral with a must-see horror-film activity. It was a terrible week for craft ale giants Brewdog though after “costly mistakes” landed them with a six-figure bill.
HAILS
L'Oréal launches motorised make-up applicator
L’Oréal has created a motorised make-up applicator for users who have issues with hand and arm mobility.
‘The future of beauty is inclusive’ a spokesman said as the brand launched its HAPTA device, the ‘the first handheld, ultra-precise computerised makeup applicator designed to advance the beauty needs of people’ with limited mobility.
The beauty brand says that 50 million people globally are estimated to live with limited fine motor skills, which can make applying make-up difficult.
It’s won coverage everywhere this week.
British Airways gets us in holiday mood with ‘out of office’ campaign
British Airways has posted a series of hilarious “out-of-office” emails in different locations around the UK to get us in the holiday mood this week.
Designed to remind us that our holidays are important, the brand’s “Take your holiday seriously” displays realistic out-of-office emails, such as “Hi there, I’m out of office atm. Replying to your email is on my list of things to do. Just below licking a jellyfish. India.”
The OOH and TV ad campaign comes as British Airways claims a 40-year study by the European Society of Cardiology reveals that not taking time off can shorten life expectancy.
And it has won widespread plaudits this week.
Showcase Cinemas goes viral with Megans everywhere
The much-anticipated horror movie M3GAN is out today and Brazen client Showcase Cinemas dominated the headlines in the run up to release this week.
The nationwide cinema chain offered free tickets to the movie to anyone in the UK called Megan, proving PR doesn’t have to be complicated to be successful.
Cue a scary 216 hits across national and regional media talking about the campaign and putting the cinema group front and centre in conversation about the movie.
FAILS
Brewdog landed with huge bill for ‘solid gold’ promotion
Brewdog had to pay out almost £500,000 to winners of its misleading “solid gold” beer can promotion.
Boss James Watt this week said he made “some costly mistakes” in the promotion, which offered people the chance to find a solid gold can hidden in cases. Winners complained after discovering they were gold-plated.
Brewdog has acknowledged it “falsely thought” the cans were made from solid gold and admitted it was a “silly mistake”.
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