Hails & Fails – May 24th 2024
While our brollies have been overused and the PM’s General Election announcement was hampered by the rain, there have also been a flood of great PR campaigns this week.
Heineken brought the Champions League to the office, The French Postal Service gave us scented stamps and tech retailer Currys swiftly jumped on the PM’s General Election announcement. It wasn’t a great week for Tatler though, after the magazine fell short with its cover-image portrait of the Princess of Wales.
HAILS
Heineken solves Champs League dilemma for office workers
Missing a key Champions League football game while stuck in the office is a dilemma common to office workers.
But Heineken went some way towards solving it this week when the beer brand surprised over a thousand employees at Entel by installing a giant screen on the 14th floor of their building, meaning workers were able to watch the crucial match live from their office, turning an ordinary workday into an unforgettable experience.
The stunt was called ‘Cheers to the True Fans’, celebrating the most enthusiastic football supporters and recognising fans as the very heart and soul of the sport.
Peter Burling – Client Director: “A strong surprise and delight stunt that taps into a key moment, saving the day for hard working employees – a guaranteed formula for success!”
Stamps that smell of baguettes
La Poste, the French postal service, teamed up with artist Stéphane Humbert-Basset to create a scented stamp, smelling of freshly baked baguettes.
The scratch-and-sniff stamps celebrate France’s culinary gem. The fragrance is achieved by using microcapsules embedded in the stamp’s ink, releasing the scent when scratched
The stamps were launched on the Feast Day of St. Honoré, the patron saint of bakers and pastry chefs, also aligning with the build-up to the Paris Games, making it a perfect moment to celebrate French heritage.
Barnaby Kellaway – Account Director: “How can we make stamps fun? That was the tricky question the La Poste PR team posed themselves – and ‘oh la la’ did they have the answer! Fully leaning into one of the nation’s crowning glories – the humble baguette – the French postal team created bakery-scented stamps, launching them on the feast day of France’s patron saint of bakers. C’est magnifique!”
Currys reactive wins General Election Announcement Day
Tech retailer Currys didn’t hang around when the Prime Minister was embarrassingly interrupted by some wit blasting D-Ream’s hit ‘Things Can Only Get Better’ through a boombox during his General Election announcement outside No10 this week.
The brand quickly took to Instagram, posting a doctored image of a soaking wet Rishi Sunak on the steps of No10 with a superimposed image of Labour Party leader Keir Starmer behind him holding a boombox…The post was accompanied by the words “Always invest in good speakers”.
Bravo Currys. Bravo!
Danielle Stott – Account Director: “The whole general election announcement delivered so much potential for brands to have fun and create a stir, and Currys really hit the mark with this reactive post. Funny, light-hearted, quick off the mark, and actually relevant to the brand – I can see why it’s had so much engagement already.”
FAILS
Princess of Wales portrait sees backlash for Tatler
A brand new portrait of the Princess of Wales, set to feature on the cover of the new edition of Tatler magazine, has left royal family fans baffled by the depiction.
The brand new portrait has seen a backlash with many claiming it “looks nothing like her”.
The painting of Kate, by British-Zambian artist Hannah Uzor, is to feature on the cover of Tatler magazine in honour of her “strength and courage”.
Kate is shown composed, standing and facing forwards in a regal, caped white Jenny Packham floor-length evening dress with sparkling detail on the shoulders, and her go-to tiara, the Lover’s Knot.
Trust us…it’s terrible!
Adam Moss – News & Creative Director: “Let’s face it, everyone has a different opinion when it comes to art. But, unless you’re going fully abstract, Rule No1 of royal portraits must surely be ‘make it obvious who the subject is”. The PR cynic in me will suggest that it has still done its job though – getting thousands of people talking about Tatler Magazine.”
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