Hails & Fails – June 13th 2025
In a busy news week that saw The Brit Awards reveal they were moving out of London for the first time to a new home at Manchester’s Co-Op Live Arena; Zoe Ball announced a TV comeback on a three-generational maths series featuring her dad Johnny Ball and son Woody Cook; and Welsh songstress Charlotte Church reveal she has launched an eco-school in Wales, there was still plenty of room for some amazing PR campaigns.
Designer outlet, and Brazen client, Cheshire Oaks celebrated its 30th birthday with the help of girl group Sugababes, actress Sydney Sweeney launched a soap made from her own bathwater for Dr. Squatch, and fellow Brazen client Sudocrem® cleaned up in the coverage stakes with a campaign that really got under the skin of the nation. It was a pretty terrible week for chocolate bar Twix though, after their ad was banned for encouraging unsafe driving.
HAILS
Cheshire Oaks Turns 30 in Style - With Sugababes, Celeb DJs & One Epic Party
Brazen threw a 30th birthday bash to end all birthday bashes for Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet – and it seriously popped off. With Kimberly Wyatt and Howard Donald on the decks and Sugababes dropping in as surprise headliners, the 3,000-strong crowd partied all night like it was 1995.
The buzz didn’t stop there – we racked up over 20 pieces of press coverage, 37 influencer hits and more than 1 million impressions (and counting). Safe to say, turning 30 has never looked so good.
Sydney Sweeney’s Bathwater Soap Sells Out in Seconds - Fans Lose Their Lather
Hollywood actress Sydney Sweeney just took internet thirst to the next level – literally – by bottling it into soap.
Teaming up with soap brand Dr. Squatch, she’s launched “Bathwater Bliss,” a pine-scented bar made with real sand, bark extract, and yes, water from her actual bath.
After her steamy bathtub ad for the brand went viral, fans joked about wanting her bathwater – so she gave it to them. Only 5,000 bars were made, and they sold out in seconds, with one even hitting $2,000 on eBay. As Sydney put it: “Weird in the best way.”
Sudocrem® Lifts the Lid on Skin Struggles with Bold ‘Uncovered’ Campaign
Brazen client Sudocrem®’s bold Uncovered campaign has made serious waves, racking up 178 pieces of media coverage – including 10 national media hits – as well as sparking a raw, honest conversation about the emotional toll of living with skin conditions.
Fronted by 10 real people sharing their unfiltered stories, the campaign launched with a striking photo and video exhibition to celebrate skin in all its forms and powerful news stories revealing the emotional toll on those who suffer from skin conditions.
The numbers speak volumes and Sudocrem®’s Skin Study showed that skin flare-ups often lead to anxiety, loneliness, and even mirror avoidance.
FAIL
Twix Ad Crashes Out: TV Spot Banned for Glorifying Dangerous Driving
A Twix TV ad has been banned for promoting dangerous driving. The cinematic spot showed a high-speed car chase ending in a crash, with two identical caramel-coloured cars stacked like the chocolate bar – prompting a flurry of complaints to the watchdog.
Despite Mars-Wrigley defending it as a surreal, over-the-top fantasy, the ASA ruled the ad “must not appear again” in its current form, saying it glamorised unsafe driving and risked breaching the Highway Code.
