Hails & Fails – November 29th 2024
While Black Friday and Storm Bert have been hogging the late November headlines, there’s still been plenty of amazing PR campaigns to take us safely into December.
Charity ShelterBox raised eyebrows with a celebrity Christmas gift, gaming goliath PlayStation took over a tube line and Premier Inn’s Barry Island hotel rebranded for the Gavin & Stacey Christmas special. It was not, however, a good week for Manchester City, after manager Pep Guardiola was forced to clarify a flippant remark about self-harm.
HAILS
DAME JUDI DENCH GIFTED A SKIMPY RED THONG FOR CHRISTMAS
Dame Judi Dench received a skimpy red thong for Christmas in a hilarious charity campaign video.
The Oscar-winning star opened a wrapped Christmas parcel, only to find a tiny string thong inside.
The ‘shocked’ actor says: “Why not give a present that means something this Christmas?” in the fun ad, which aims to raise awareness for international disaster relief charity ShelterBox, which specialises in emergency shelter for families whose homes have been damaged or destroyed by disaster, conflict or climate crisis.
Rachael Milligan, Associate Director & Group Head: “In a time where we can all be guilty of getting caught up in the festive stress, this charity campaign hits for all the right reasons – bringing us humour with a humbling dose of reality – topped off with Dame Judi Dench and you’re winning headlines as well as hearts and minds.”
PLAYSTATION TAKES OVER VICTORIA LINE TUBE CARRIAGE FOR 30TH ANNIVERSARY
To mark its 30th birthday, PlayStation teamed up with Transport for London (TfL) to decorate tube carriages on the Victoria Line with the iconic PlayStation face buttons.
It’s the first time in more than 25 years TfL has allowed a brand to use its tube seats to advertise a product.
PlayStation went big, theming the seat covers and the entire carriage interior to match its famous branding and taking over every single advertising space inside the carriage. The main event though is that the carriage seat cover doubles as a playable maze meaning every tube ride becomes a micro-gaming moment. Genius.
Lucy Jones, Copywriter: “Tube seats hardly ever get a clean, let alone a makeover. This campaign is a standout example of bold PR and top-tier gamification, and it’s here to stay.”
PREMIER INN REBRANDS FOR GAVIN & STACEY XMAS SPECIAL
With the country on tenterhooks for the Gavin & Stacey Christmas Day special, Premier Inn has stolen headlines with a brilliant rebrand of its Barry Island hotel in honour of the show’s final episode.
The Premier Inn has rebranded itself to ‘What’s Occur-Inn’ after the beloved character Nessa’s iconic catchphrase. The hilarious new signage on the hotel front was even unveiled by a Nessa lookalike. Brilliant.
Adam Moss, News & Creative Director: “Timing and relevance is everything with PR stunts and Premier Inn has excelled in that regard – plugging a fun-filled stunt into an already hot topic of conversation and winning admiration, headlines and fame on the back of it.”
FAIL
PEP FORCED TO CLARIFY SELF-HARM COMMENT
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has had to issue a clarification to media after making an ill-judged comment about self-harm following the club’s European clash with Dutch side Feyenoord.
While the City manager explained that he was caught off guard by a question concerning marks on his face after the game, he has reassured media he had never intended to make light of self-harm. His comments were criticised as ignorant by mental health advocates, considering the fact statistics say 84 men are dying by suicide per week in the UK.
Chris Bradley, News Editor: “Pep Guardiola and Manchester City are wishing for a magic sponge to wipe away the response to the offensive comments made this week. Mental health is an issue taken as seriously as physical health these days and, as an influential sporting figure, Guardiola should choose his words and consider what is acceptable as a joke more carefully.”
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