Hails & Fails – March 1st 2024
As we wave sayonara to February and say a warm Eh up chuck to March, it’s been a busy week in PR land.
Supermarket Iceland unveiled the country’s most affordable baby formula, The V&A Museum reached out to Swifties for a new job role and fashion brand Gap has gone viral with Jungle. But it was a week to forget for event company House of Illuminati, after their Willy Wonka immersive experience in Glasgow ended in tears (literally) for excited youngsters.
HAILS
ICELAND LAUNCHES BABY FORMULA AT REDUCED COST OF £7.95
Supermarket Iceland is taking steps to reduce the cost of formula milk for parents – with the launch of two variants costing just £7.95 each.
The formula milk products will be rolled out across Iceland stores from March 17 after Iceland CEO Richard Walker declared he is determined to bring down costs for families struggling in the cost of living crisis.
Earlier this year Iceland slashed prices revealing three of its Aptamil formula milk products would sell at £11.20 – a move which led other retailers such as Asda and Tesco to follow suit and reduce their own prices.
The campaign has rightly won widespread acclaim.
SWIFTIES OFFICIALLY RECOGNISED AS CULTURE VULTURES BY THE V&A
The Victoria and Albert museum in London wants to appoint a British “Swiftie” to advise on the fan culture around Taylor Swift.
The position will be filled in May and will feature one of Taylor Swift’s diehard fans (dubbed Swifties by the media). Swifties have become renowned for swapping friendship bracelets, wearing Swift-themed costumes and painting homemade signs – artefacts the museum is interested in.
The role will be one of five superfan advisers that the museum is appointing to inform a collection at the V&A based around current cultural trends.
GAP GOES VIRAL IN THE JUNGLE
Gap has partnered with Jungle to recreate its viral music video for the launch of the fashion brand’s new linen collection.
Gap’s famous dancing ads recently inspired a music video, which in turn, has inspired Gap’s creative team to remake the campaign with a modern twist.
The clever and fun video gained almost a million views in one overnight stint and, with momentum gathering, it has subsequently been hailed right across news and marketing media titles.
FAILS
THE WORLD’S WORST WILLY WONKA EXPERIENCE LEAVES KIDS IN TEARS
Families were furious when an ‘immersive’ Willy Wonka event left their children sobbing after it turned out to be just a tiny bouncy castle and a small lollipop.
The £35-a-ticket event in Glasgow has widely been described as ‘an absolute shambles’ after families were promised ‘a universe where your dreams come true’ that would ‘make memories that will last a lifetime’ by organisers House of Illuminati.
But the event was a serious damp squib featuring a near-empty warehouse with just a few Wonka-themed props and a small bouncy castle. It was so bad that the event was cancelled halfway through as angry parents demanded refunds. Organisers have promised to give people their money back.
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