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Why TD Bank created a dog ATM

In this case, ATM stands for ‘dog automated treat machine.’

How Manischewitz is reaching ‘culturally curious’ consumers

Inside the kosher food company’s rebrand.

Why Barilla created a soundtrack with the composer from ‘White Lotus’

The brand wanted to “teach people how to experience pasta differently.”

Inside Chipotle’s Burrito Vault campaign

The “cultural phenomenon of word games and puzzles” inspired the brand’s National Burrito Day effort.

How SunChips gave everyone a reason to cheer on #TeamSun during the eclipse

Astronaut and researcher Kellie Gerardi helped to promote a limited edition product tied to the astronomical event.

Coca-Cola Spiced: How Coke rolled out its first new flavor in three years

Aly Hite, director of brand, sports and strategic partnerships for Coca-Cola Company North America, shares the inside story.

‘Duolingo on Ice’ was just an April Fools’ joke. But here’s how the brand made it feel real

Duolingo director of marketing campaigns Michaela Kron shared the strategy, tactics and results for the language learning app’s prank.

How the WSJ is keeping Evan Gershkovich’s story in the headlines

Last Friday marked one year since the reporter has been in Russian detention.

Inside P.F. Chang’s attempt to heal the heartbroken

A plate of dumplings was all it took to inspire the restaurant chain’s Valentine’s Day campaign.

How Ford responded after a Marine vet said a Raptor truck saved his life

The vet was rear-ended by a car going 75 mph.

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5 PR firms including Edelman and Weber Shandwick share their best public relations successes and why they worked

• The public relations industry had to shift tactics in a year shaped by the pandemic, calls for racial justice, and more.
• Insider gathered top case studies from the top PR firms including Edelman and Weber Shandwick.
• Several broke through by helping tie companies to racial justice and other causes.

Corporations have had to readjust their public relations tactics to reach audiences overwhelmed with the pandemic, the 2020 presidential election, and calls for racial justice.

However, some companies like Samsung and Bud Light broke through the intense news cycle with help from PR firms by showing how they can serve as a force for good.

Five PR firms shared their best examples of campaigns that helped their clients and why they worked.

Edelman came up with an anti-poaching campaign for Samsung

The pandemic devastated African's tourism industry, stretching resources for wildlife conservation efforts. That problem inspired Edelman to launch an anti-poaching campaign called "Wildlife Watch" for Samsung, one of its biggest clients. 

Its idea was for Samsung to provide phones to Africam, a South African conservation company, so people could livestream wildlife locations and alert local authorities to potential poaching activity.

Since launching last month, more than 159,000 people worldwide have become "virtual rangers," according to the Wildlife Watch's website .

"Most of us are not in touch with wildlife and the safari," said Anuj Shah, an Edelman employee that helped lead the campaign. "It's a dream destination and being able to get up close and personal through your screen made it an accessible experience, and it's what led to its success."

Edelman also helped form Africam's partnership with an all-female anti-poaching unit called the Black Mambas,  recruiting Peggy Gou , a South Korean-born DJ, producer, and fashion designer, to serve as a campaign spokesperson.

Edelman said "Wildlife Watch" raised about $15,000 for the Black Mambas and resulted in 1.9 billion impressions and coverage in outlets like National Geographic and Reuters .

Weber Shandwick highlighted Black-owned restaurants in a Bud Light campaign

When the pandemic devastated Black-owned businesses, Weber Shandwick had the idea for a campaign that showcased local, Black-owned restaurants during 2020's Thursday Night Football.

IPG's Weber Shandwick recruited several restaurants, including Beckham's B&M Bar-B-Que and The Vegan Hood Chefs, for TV spots that were produced by ad agency Wieden + Kennedy.

Related stories

The campaign helped drive 13,000 new app downloads for EatOkra, an app that helps users find Black-owned restaurants; a 30% increase in new customers for B&M Bar-B-Que; and more than 100 stories in outlets like CNN and People .

Real Chemistry spread COVID-19 vaccination awareness to the Black community

The Black Coalition Against COVID (BCAC) recruited Real Chemistry, formerly known as W2O Group, for a pro bono vaccine information campaign aimed at Black Americans, who are 37 percent more likely to die from COVID than white people, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data .

The campaign centered on " A Love Letter to Black America from America's Black Doctors and Nurses ," which resulted in more than 100 stories in outlets like NBC , Essence , and The Washington Post .

"It resonated because at the time, the national news narrative was centering Black pain, but not Black joy, Black resilience, or Black love," said Jewel Jones, a senior director of corporate affairs at Real Chemistry.

BCAC is expanding the initiative and now has more than 30 health, civic, faith, social, and community organizations.

Prosek helped get visibility for Citi's inclusive credit cards

In October, Citi and Mastercard launched a "True Name" feature letting LGBTQ+ customers use their self-identified first names on their credit cards.

Prosek Partners helped Citi line up spokespeople including Citi's CMO Carla Hassan and actress and activist Laverne Cox; and worked with entertainment PR agency BBGun to get coverage in more than 50 articles in outlets like HuffPost and The Hollywood Reporter , and also resulted in op-eds in outlets like CNBC Evolve and Working Mother .

More than 7,000 customers have updated their card accounts and Citi's web page for the feature has had more than 111,000 visits.

"With our chosen name campaign it was paramount for us to put the entirety of our PR resources behind bringing greater visibility to the trans and non-binary community in a truly meaningful way," said Jennifer Bombardier, director of Citi global consumer bank public affairs. 

Ogilvy helped bring back tourism to Los Cabos

The pandemic brought tourism worldwide to a screeching halt, impacting destinations like Los Cabos, whose visitor count plunged 45% in 2020, and leading to a slew of negative press about Mexico's response to COVID.

The Los Cabos Tourism Board tapped WPP-owned Ogilvy, which pitched stories to journalists about initiatives like the launch of COVID testing sites at hotels and timeshares and the distinct aspects of Los Cabos.

Ogilvy helped get 335 stories written about Los Cabos in outlets like Reuters and Travel + Leisure , and Los Cabos was able to recover 75% of its tourists in six months.

Watch: 3 tech execs say the future of mobile computing is in AR glasses, health-tracking wearables, and more

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Retiring the Crash Test Dummy  with Altair and Tier One Partners

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The Primetime-ification of Women’s Sports with Ally and Tier One Partners

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Homebase is an all-in-one SMB team management platform that serves over 100,000 small businesses and two million hourly workers to […]

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Case Study: How PR Helped a Local Hospital Generate Positive News in a Pandemic

Amy stern - 02/18/2021.

By articulating the hospital’s unique selling proposition and distinguishing it from competitors, 3E Public Relations created a PR campaign that resulted in a windfall of media including local, regional and national news coverage.

Research and Analysis: 3E Public Relations (3E PR) conducted primary and secondary perception studies to determine an effective media strategy that combined the needs of reporters with the unique selling proposition of Saint Peter’s University Hospital. The studies revealed that during COVID-19, news outlets were on overdrive, with every story somehow connected to the pandemic. As a healthcare institution, Saint Peter’s University Hospital in New Brunswick, New Jersey had its share of COVID-19 patients, but the challenge was how to be heard above the cacophony of media pitches, especially those from significantly larger healthcare systems with greater name recognition. Adding to the challenge was the fact that we didn’t want the news to be about patient deaths or the number of patients on ventilators. Rather, we wanted to educate the public about the quality medical treatment and compassionate patient care that Saint Peter’s University Hospital provides.

As a single, independent hospital, Saint Peter’s is competing for media opportunities against mega healthcare systems comprised of multiple hospitals across numerous geographic locations. Here’s how we crafted a PR strategy that generated positive news in a pandemic:

Planning: In developing pitches to garner media attention, we created a central theme, “Compassionate Care During Crisis,” and established clear objectives to communicate these tenets. These objectives included:

• Establishing brand leadership – promote Saint Peter’s strengths: standout provider in the area of maternal health; staff that prioritizes compassionate care and interpersonal connections on par with medical excellence.
• Conveying public trust – reinforce messaging that conveys that patient safety is a priority with specifics that include a clear explanation of sanitization procedures, temperature and distancing protocols and strict visitor policies.
• Delivering optimism – deliver first-hand accounts of success stories amidst a crisis: sisters sharing in the excitement of each other’s delivery, long-standing relationship between doctor and patient, and selfless devotion to the sickest of the sick in the ICU.

Execution:  Using the above objectives to guide us, we researched and vetted case studies while also culling the hospital’s internal newsletter for insights that would allow us to illustrate how these objectives came to life. It should be noted that we did not write a single press release to garner the results achieved. All placements were the result of brief, impactful pitches.

Our research resulted in three human interest stories that were able to garner coverage in almost every local outlet while also piquing the interest of New York City’s NBC affiliate. Each of these stories was ultimately featured on WNBC-TV, Channel 4 during the regular news broadcast, allowing Saint Peter’s to advance its brand recognition beyond county and state borders. Our efforts allowed a single, independent hospital to out-pitch and outplace not only New York City’s top hospitals, but many of those same hospitals that rank in the top 10 nationwide.

The three case studies and resulting segments included:

• Sisters Give Birth on the Same Day Amidst Pandemic – while separated from each other due to COVID, two sisters were able to communicate via FaceTime and tapping on the common hospital wall that divided them.

• OB/GYN Joins Forces with the Patient She Delivered 20 Years Ago to Improve Safety for Frontline Workers – Twenty years ago, Dr. Maureen Cernadas delivered Calista Kleintop. While a junior at Virginia Tech and majoring in material science and engineering, Kleintop used recyclable material provided by Cernadas to create surgical-grade masks for the hospital where she was born and Cernadas still practices.

Those human-interest stories brought the theme of “Compassionate Care During Crisis” to life with a focus on Saint Peter’s medical staff, as well as its patients. In addition, we secured two high-profile interviews for Saint Peter’s CEO by pitching a story with the hook , “A Different Perspective: Smaller Hospitals and How They are Navigating COVID-19.”

This pitch resulted in back-to-back placements in New Jersey’s leading business publications: ROI-NJ and NJBIZ. Our pitch presented the concept that there are countless COVID-19 stories about how hospitals are coping during the pandemic, especially from the perspective of big healthcare systems, but there is also value in understanding how a smaller hospital manages a crisis. Are the challenges the same as larger healthcare systems or even more taxing? Are there advantages to less bureaucracy? What’s the current status regarding available PPEs, nursing staff, beds, etc.?

Results: We achieved our objective to secure media that highlighted Saint Peter’s quality medical care and its staff’s compassionate care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Placements included local, regional and national coverage across print, broadcast and digital media.

• WNBC-TV, New York Channel 4
• WPIX, New York Channel 11
• Home News Tribune
• Courier News
• MyCentralJersey.com
• Star Ledger
• Metuchen Mirror
• The Catholic Spirit
• Tapinto New Brunswick

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Lessons learned from IPR’s Top 17 Public Relations Insights of 2021

by Olivia Kresic | Mar 28, 2022 | Analysis , Public Relations

2021 was another year of tumultuous change in the public relations industry. With increasing vaccine availability, supply chain challenges, a new U.S. president, and the impact of climate change, there were no shortage of issues communicators focused on around the world. As demands for communicators came from seemingly every direction, leaders in the field turned to research to help them better understand how to address these issues.

Each year, the Institute for Public Relations gathers a list of top research insights that should be top of mind for public relations professionals. The 17 studies spotlighted this year provide insight for communicators on handling COVID-19 vaccine misinformation, retaining employees, addressing sustainability, and more. Here are some of the key insights from 2021:

Misinformation about vaccine safety is spreading and causing reduced vaccine uptake globally

A study by scholars at the University of Zurich found that anti-vaccination supporters shared conspiracy theories and were more likely to use emotional language compared to pro-vaccination supporters. Researchers suggest that policies should be put into place to halt the circulation of vaccine misinformation on social media.

The shifting nature of work has shed light on challenges for minority employees

Discrimination experiences in the workplace lead to employees’ adoption of emotion-focused coping strategies, which diminish employee-organization relationships. Organizations should communicate transparently with employees so they adopt a more problem-focused coping strategy, which benefits employee-organization relationships. According to a study by McKinsey and LeanIn, 32 percent of Black women who have spoken out against bias and discrimination at work reported experiencing retaliation.

Sustainability leadership is becoming imperative

Interviews of current Chief Sustainability Officers (CSOs) by Korn Ferry found by shifting the focus from “doing less bad” to “doing more good,” sustainability is perceived as an enabler or creator of business , rather than a cost or reporting function.

Behavioral science can play an essential role in setting and implementing climate-related policies

Historically, climate change communicators have trusted that the simple enormity of the problem would motivate action. Research from Carnegie Mellon University suggests that a more complex, deliberative process may be better suited for behavior change.

A majority (73 percent) of employees want flexible remote work options to stay

Leaders are listening, with 66 percent of leaders saying their company is considering reimagining office space for hybrid work, according to a study by Microsoft.

Employees are encouraged to support business goals when they feel that their organization reflects their personal values

A study by Integral and The Harris Poll found that of the employees who said their organization reflected their values, 63 percent said they were likely to remain with their employer over the next 6-12 months.

Polarization levels in the U.S. have remained steady overall from 2020-2021, but polarization among some topics has increased

Immigration has continued to become more polarized quarter over quarter, and remains the most polarized issue. Conversation around COVID-19 vaccines is also increasingly polarized, according to a study by USC Annenberg, Zignal Labs, and Golin.

Communication professionals across the globe have their eye on the digital future

In two separate studies conducted by EUPRERA and colleagues, 38 percent and 39 percent of communication professionals in Asia-Pacific and Latin America, respectively, said “coping with the digital evolution and the social web” was the most important strategic issue for communication management through 2022.

Black employees face major barriers in the workplace, including a lack of advancement opportunities

A McKinsey study found that Black employees may encounter a broken rung, or the obstacles on the promotion ladder that keep people from advancing, from entry-level jobs to managerial jobs. Only 23 percent of Black employees reported that they receive “a lot” or “quite a lot” of support to advance.

Employees (41 percent) are likely to consider a job change to resolve stress

A study conducted by Talkspace found that employees were bypassing company policies, such as changing teams or short-term leaves, in favor of resignation. When it came to employee retention and engagement, “a manager that prioritizes mental health” was ranked higher than both a strong culture and mentorship.

A majority of workers across the globe (75 percent) want to work for an organization that will make a positive contribution to society

Forty-six percent of survey respondents said they would choose a job that “makes a difference” over a higher salary, according to research by PwC Global.

Taking these insights into consideration, communicators can better equip themselves to handle current issues. Research exists for many of the topics that communicators are concerned about: employee retention, the future of work, sustainability practices, and beyond.  All communicators must do is look to a trusted body of knowledge in their industry to find research-backed answers and best practices.

To dig into these insights and more, read the full report .

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The Top 17 Public Relations Insights of 2021

This is an IPR Signature Study

For more insights visit the ipr research below:.

Olivia Kresic

Heidy Modarelli handles Growth & Marketing for IPR. She has previously written for Entrepreneur, TechCrunch, The Next Web, and VentureBeat. Follow on Twitter

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Example Silver Anvil Case Studies

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Community Relations > Associations/Nonprofit Organizations

Papitto Opportunity Connection

Here to Listen. Here to Help

In the past two years, America has begun to face a long overdue reckoning for the systemic racism that has created measurable socio-economic disparities between white communities and communities of color. The Papitto Opportunity Connection was established to change that narrative and empower Black, Indigenous and People of Color in education, skills-training and entrepreneurship in Rhode Island. The Perry Group created a comprehensive community relations campaign to overcome significant trust hurdles and encourage BIPOC nonprofits to apply for grants. By the end of 2021, 100+ non-profits serving BIPOC communities would seek funding and POC would commit more than $50 million.

BOK Financial

Ragan Consulting Group

Brand Journalism: The Statement

BOK Financial used a research-informed business case to pitch brand journalism to leadership. Right as the initiative gained ground, the pandemic hit and derailed plans for a new owned content website. But the communications team persevered with the belief that owned content was a powerful avenue to build brand recognition, increase visibility for company experts and provide valuable information directly to audiences including commercial clients and prospects. After a makeshift approach for nearly a year, https://thestatement.bokf.com/ was launched. The content highlights all lines of business and geographies using a journalistic approach, which is promoted through a variety of channels.

Royal Caribbean (ca-rib-EE-ann) Group

Weber Shandwick

From “Floating Petri Dish” to “Safer than Main Street” - Navigating the Pandemic, Regaining Trust and a Healthy Return to Sailing

In March 2020, as the pandemic surged worldwide, Royal Caribbean Group’s Corporate Communications team had to help restore an industry facing an existential challenge. As a result of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s “No Sail Order,” cruise companies spent months navigating uncertain waters and the possibility of industry-wide bankruptcy. The effort to build confidence, provide reassurance and regain trust in the industry’s commitment to safety required an incredibly coherent communications machine that could change the narrative from “Floating Petri Dish” to “Safer than Main Street.” Royal Caribbean Group achieved this with a plan unlike any other.

World Thrombosis Day

Stanton Communication

World Thrombosis Day Helps the World Learn “How to Save a Life”

World Thrombosis Day is a global health campaign that aims to spread awareness of the signs, symptoms and risk factors of one of the leading causes of preventable death worldwide: thrombosis, commonly known as blood clots. Through a strategic public relations plan incorporating partner agencies across the globe, World Thrombosis Day effectively secured over 6.1 billion global impressions, inevitably saving lives from this potentially fatal and often misunderstood health condition.

Marcus Thomas LLC

Troy-Bilt Fence Talks Program

Troy-Bilt is on a mission to make yardwork less of a chore by being a helpful partner in the yard. Research revealed a serious need for content addressing common lawn and garden challenges, so Fence Talks launched in 2020 to meet that need. Influencers addressed yard questions driven by social listening insights, creating high engagement and building brand awareness during peak gardening season. Building initially on the pandemic lockdown-driven interest in outdoor projects, the program has continued through 2021 and has shown measurable increases in brand awareness, preference and perceptions of Troy-Bilt as helpful.

Diocese of Pittsburgh

OPR Group, Pipitone Group, CorCom, Inc and Hoffmann Murtaugh

Pittsburgh's Catholic Schools Are Lighting the Way

Student enrollment in Pittsburgh’s Catholic schools was in a 10-year decline, marked by school closures, consolidations, and teacher layoffs. Worse still, the peak infection period of the Covid-19 pandemic was an “accelerant” fueling continued decline. The Diocese of Pittsburgh and OPR Group developed the Lighting the Way campaign to persuade parents of the important values and attributes of a Catholic education, overcome a decade of decline, and increase enrollment. Through an integrated marketing campaign of storytelling and strategic messaging, enrollment in Pittsburgh’s Catholic schools increased more than 12%, far surpassing public and private school enrollment during the same period.

FleishmanHillard

The Greatest Delivery: UPS Healthcare Leads Worldwide COVID-19 Vaccine Logistics and Distribution

If COVID-19 was the global story for 2020, the rollout of the vaccines was its turning point – shifting the narrative from hardship to hope. As a preferred logistics provider, UPS saw this opportunity to showcase its role in a once-in-a-century, global event. UPS generated exposure for its growing healthcare services business, credit to the UPSers who made this massive effort possible, and support for philanthropic efforts to increase health equity worldwide. UPS met the moment – delivering more than one billion doses and generating 9,800 stories that positioned the company as a key driver of this century’s “greatest delivery.”

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Vaccines Bring Us Closer campaign

To provide a safe treatment environment for patients with cancer and catastrophic diseases, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital took decisive action and required all employees to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. The institution’s mandate occurred when few in the region had made this difficult, and sometimes controversial, decision. Partnering with experts across the hospital over two months, the internal communications team developed an agile and analytical approach when addressing employee concerns. Using a variety of storytelling methods and educational materials to combat vaccine hesitancy and misinformation, the team successfully implemented tactics to achieve the institution’s goal of 98% employee vaccination adherence.

The SCN Coalition

MorganMyers

The SCN Coalition: Battling A Bug to Improve America’s Soybean Profitability and Sustainability

America’s farmers are waging war against the soybean cyst nematode (SCN) to improve profitability and sustainability by harvesting more soybeans from less acres. These parasitic roundworms feed on soybean roots, robbing 23% of the plant’s yield potential, requiring farmers to plant more acres to feed the world. Research showed many farmers were unaware of SCN’s resistance to their management until The SCN Coalition, a public/private partnership, created a campaign to help farmers actively manage SCN. To date, this campaign has motivated up to 18% more farmers to actively manage SCN, enabling them to farm more sustainably and profitably.

Schleich USA

Brilliant PR & Marketing

Schleich “Chief Storytelling Officer” Campaign

Animal figurine manufacturer, Schleich, sought holiday awareness with parents and demand from kids. Noting a conflict between the desires of the groups, Brilliant PR & Marketing sought to rally parents to give kids gifts that help them become change-makers while giving kids an unexpected way to get what they want. After searching for a kid to fill the role, Schleich’s new Chief Storytelling Officer drove the message home in a holiday video series. Coverage included a feature on The Kelly Clarkson Show. 19% of the brand’s audience reported seeing advertising during the campaign window and Schleich’s holiday sales increased 77%.

The PEEPS® Brand

Coyne Public Relations

PEEPS® Makes a Triumphant Return to Shelves for Easter

PEEPS® was noticeably missing from stores since spring 2020 as the brand shut down the factory to prioritize employee safety. With many 2020 holiday traditions uprooted, PEEPS® wanted to make Easter 2021 one to remember with the biggest comeback of all time. Coyne PR helped develop a multi-faceted campaign to announce the brand’s return and leveraged social media, traditional media and influencers to sustain momentum and excitement ahead of Easter. New product announcements and unique partnerships like PEPSIxPEEPS® made it hard to miss this sweet comeback, hitting every major news outlet, and saturating news cycles from January through April!

Chase Oaks Church

Debuting the New Era of Local Good Center

Three Box client Chase Oaks Church created Local Good Center (LGC) to serve the North Texas community through advocacy, wellness, job readiness and education programming. The Center first opened its doors to the public in 2014, and due to an increase in demand, quadrupled its space and expanded its service offerings in 2021. Three Box was tasked with introducing the next generation of LGC to external audiences to build awareness, increase engagement and drive action around the new Center’s grand opening weekend on November 6. Our budget for this program was $7,000.

Centre for Ocular Research & Education (CORE)

McDougall Communications

Alerting the World to MADE: Mask-Associated Dry Eye

Several weeks after COVID-19-related mask wear became widespread, eye doctors began noticing more patients presenting with dry eyes. Sensing this issue could have global clinical relevance, the Centre for Ocular Research & Education (CORE) at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, quickly developed a focused, 18-month communications program to alert the eyecare community and general population to mask-associated dry eye—MADE. Despite zero budget and an already overextended staff, a small team advanced the knowledge of medical peers on six continents, helped millions of consumers understand and counteract this new phenomenon, and gained worldwide exposure for CORE’s scientific expertise.

Stacy's Pita Chips

Ketchum, G9, David & Goliath, OMD and Hello Alice

Stacy's Rise Project: FoundedByHer

Stacy’s Pita Chips is a female-founded brand and longtime advocate for female advancement. To launch the third Stacy’s Rise project, they focused their efforts on helping female founders be found through financial investment/executive mentorship for 10 selected founders, partnerships with Hello Alice and Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine, the creation of an online database for consumers to find and support female-owned businesses and through the distribution of an educational infographic. The program garnered 814MM+ media impressions, including interviews for the founders with top-tier media outlets.

City of Austin, Austin Resource Recovery's Public Information and Marketing Team

Final phase rollout of curbside composting collection for Austin residents

In February 2021, Austin Resource Recovery (ARR), completed the fourth and final expansion of its curbside composting collection program. ARRs Public Information and Marketing Team (PIO) announced the final roll out in December of 2020 and began a year-long advertising and outreach campaign. The goal of the campaign was to inform residents and encourage participation. PIO’s advertising and community outreach were planned with environmental justice as one of the guiding principles. The campaign was highly effective, decreasing contamination from 2.8% to 1.25%, increasing the amount of diverted material and increasing the pounds of curbside compost collected.

Johnson & Johnson MedTech

J3, Mac Strategies and Havas PR Italy

My Health Can't Wait - A Global PR and Public Affairs Effort to Support Patients

After the successful 2020 launch of My Health Can't Wait, Johnson & Johnson MedTech’s global education initiative and online resource to help patients and providers safely navigate patient care during the pandemic, the campaign returned in 2021 with a more targeted focus. With a year’s understanding of how the pandemic prevents patients from receiving care, the campaign replicated its previous 360-degree-surround-sound amplification strategy through earned media, social promotion, and third-party engagement, but localized these efforts around the globe, in six key regions, calibrating outreach activities based on the region’s biggest needs, key patient populations, and most urgent therapeutic areas.

Southwest Strategies

Falck Ambulance Unseats 23-Year Emergency Medical Service Incumbent –Twice

Southwest Strategies (SWS) led a comprehensive and successful public affairs campaign for its client, Falck, to unseat a 20+ year incumbent ambulance provider from the City of San Diego’s Emergency Ambulance Services contract. Over the course of a two-year request for proposal (RFP) process, Falck was awarded the contract twice. Despite an aggressive misinformation campaign and an RFP process that was interrupted and restarted, SWS navigated Falck to victory after a unanimous (9-0) City Council vote in April 2021. The success of this campaign is attributed to SWS’ public affairs strategies, community coalition, and Falck’s world renowned reputation.

Washington State Department of Health

Vaccinate WA

The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) partnered with C+C to develop a social marketing initiative designed to get 70% of Washington adults vaccinated. Ongoing research informed all elements o the campaign. The campaign strategy hinged upon building receptivity, intention and action – including among hesitant populations. A wide suite of tactics supported the campaign strategy including, influencers, organic social advertising, expert panels, partnerships and materials. The result? As of the end of January 2022, 83.7% of Washington adults had initiated vaccination and progress to “close the gap” had been made among three of the hesitant population groups.

Associated General Contractors, Oregon-Columbia Chapter

Quinn Thomas

Build Oregon: Build What Matters

To help AGC overcome its increasingly difficult challenges with attracting the next generation to the construction industry, Quinn Thomas (QT) developed a comprehensive brand strategy and communications program. By conducting research with industry members and its target audiences, QT uncovered existing brand and channel misalignment and misconceptions among AGC’s audience. QT then developed and deployed a highly successful brand refresh, owned channel refresh and ongoing paid media, influencer and social media campaigns. The highly successful program beat all 1st-year goals by 82-290% and drove a high level of interest in construction careers among target audiences.

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19 Successful PR Campaigns from Innovative Companies

• Megan Noorman
• December 28, 2023

Successful PR campaigns come in as many different forms as there are brands. What could be innovative and on-point for one company may be totally off-key for another.

Despite that, looking at other companies’ PR successes can still be helpful when developing a comprehensive PR campaign for your brand . So let’s look at 19 major PR successes over the years from companies across various industries and key takeaways to strengthen the impact of your next PR campaign.

1. The “Summer of Barbie” Campaign

The “Summer of Barbie” campaign, associated with the 2023 Barbie movie, created a global buzz. This vibrant campaign included painting mansions pink and setting up life-sized Barbie boxes for photo ops, leading to a surprising pink paint shortage. The campaign’s success was monumental, contributing to the movie’s staggering $2.9 billion global gross.

The Barbie campaign tapped into the nostalgia of a beloved brand while aligning it with contemporary trends. Brands can learn to blend nostalgia with modern elements to appeal to both long-time followers and new audiences.

By weaving a compelling narrative around Barbie and integrating it with real-world experiences, the campaign created a story that people wanted to be a part of. Brands should focus on crafting stories that are not only engaging but also offer opportunities for the audience to participate and contribute, creating a shared and more impactful brand journey.

2. Reinventing Financial PR with Dwolla

Dwolla, an established player in the modern payments platform sector, sought to rejuvenate its image and boost brand awareness in 2022. Zen Media’s approach was a dynamic 90-day PR blitz, focusing on forward-thinking announcements and unveiling new partnerships. This comprehensive strategy also highlighted unique case studies and proactive podcast pitches, cementing Dwolla’s position as a fintech thought leader. The outcome was impressive: over 170 media pieces and 250+ social media engagements, significantly raising Dwolla’s profile and exceeding their expectations in brand visibility.

Dwolla’s campaign also underscores the importance of innovation within industry norms. In the financial sector, where trust and reliability are paramount, Dwolla managed to inject freshness and dynamism into its brand image without losing sight of these core values. Brands in other sectors can take note of this balance between innovation and adherence to industry standards.

3. Lego Rebuild the World 

Their first global PR campaign in decades, Lego’s Rebuild the World was focused on inspiring creative thinking in kids—but also adults. As part of the public relations campaign, Lego asked customers to submit pictures of their creations, aggregated onto a 3D globe on the brand’s website. Users can move and spin the globe to see what people worldwide have created. 

The best part is that Rebuild the World struck the perfect balance between inspirational and playful—an exact fit for Lego’s overall brand personality.

4. Kamua’s Product Launch campaign

Our client Kamua, an AI-powered video editing platform, wanted to establish itself as an authoritative voice in the video editing industry and rapidly expand its base of dedicated users. 

We worked with them to create a comprehensive, strategic public relations strategy that included bylined articles by Kamua founder and CEO Paul Robert Cary; multiple monthly mentions including in tier-one publications; and, most importantly, a Product Hunt launch campaign that would get Kamua’s name and product in front of thousands of tech-savvy users and influencers. 

Kamua became one of the top three most-hunted products on Product Hunt, was featured in Product Hunt’s email newsletter , and was named Best Product of the Week by Product Hunt the week of its campaign. Just one outcome of this PR campaign? The platform gained 400 new users literally overnight.

Related read: Product Launch Marketing: Strategy, Plan, and Execute

5. Dove’s #TheSelfieTalk Campaign

A decade after the women’s skincare brand launched its Real Beauty campaign, it’s still going strong. 

Why? Because they’ve involved real women (and girls) every step of the way. Their latest campaign is a commentary on how social media affects girls’ self-esteem. Their #TheSelfieTalkCampaign shows a young girl editing a photo of herself to post online. To make their point, Dove shows this process in reverse. The advertisement ends by showing the girl’s natural face without makeup or filters. 

From honest conversations on beauty standards to what it means to “throw like a girl,” Dove’s public relations campaigns have evolved and adapted to the times by staying sincerely in touch with what its customers are experiencing in their daily lives.

6. BBC’s Peaky Blinders fan art campaign

Fan art is a world unto itself—but surprisingly few brands embrace this “unofficial” view, even though it’s probably the best possible source of user-generated content a brand could ever ask for. 

An exception to this was the show Peaky Blinders , which issued a call to fans to create art for their new season’s imagery in 2019. Not only did this generate interest among casual viewers and those who were not yet fans, but it also strengthened the relationship between the show’s creators and the viewers who love it—a win-win. 

Related read: How to Take Your User-Generated Content from Good to Great

7. Caldwell’s newsjacking campaign

Caldwell, a law firm specializing in high-growth startups and early-stage tech and life sciences, aimed to extend its brand beyond its founder’s reputation. The firm worked with Zen Media, and our innovative strategy involved a newsjacking campaign, seizing real-time opportunities for Caldwell’s attorneys to comment on global cases. This proactive approach led to numerous features in trade magazines covering tech and biotech cases, enhancing Caldwell’s visibility and establishing its lawyers as industry thought leaders.

Caldwell’s approach illustrates the effectiveness of creating a multi-dimensional brand identity . By showcasing their expertise on various platforms and media, they not only enhanced their brand visibility but also added depth to their brand’s persona. Brands should strive to create a diverse yet cohesive image that reflects their multiple strengths and areas of expertise.

8. The Eras Tour — More than just a concert

Can we call a concert tour a campaign? Why not! Taylor Swift took over the world in 2023 with her Eras Tour. She not only blasted through global attendance and revenue records for a tour and had a direct impact on local economies where she performed (and released multiple albums and a film), but she also created a widespread culture that consumed the market. 

The Eras Tour exemplifies the power of a holistic marketing approach. By integrating various elements—music, visual arts, storytelling—into a cohesive campaign, Swift managed to create a brand experience that was both immersive and memorable. Brands can learn to integrate different marketing elements to create a more comprehensive and engaging campaign.

Another critical aspect of the Eras Tour’s success was Swift’s strong fan base. Brands should focus on building and nurturing a loyal community around their products or services—it can be a powerful tool in amplifying the impact of campaigns.

9. State Street Global Advisors Fearless Girl 

The Fearless Girl statue that the Wall Street firm State Street Global Advisors firm placed to face down the famous Wall Street bull became a symbol of the financial sector’s lack of gender diversity, and the women who have been at the forefront of trying to change that. 

But in addition to its symbolic importance, it’s also a carefully crafted advertisement—one for the firm’s exchange-traded Gender Diversity Index SHE fund. 

The firm has faced some criticism over the years since putting up the statue, as it hasn’t always been clear whether State Street Global Advisors is making gender diversity a true priority. 

And this brings up another important point when it comes to creating successful PR campaigns: Your brand needs to put its money where its mouth is. If you say diversity, or sustainability, or another issue is important to you, make sure you’re backing that up with real action. 

Related read: Negative Public Perceptions and Other PR Problems: How To Change The Narrative

10. Calian IT & Cyber Solutions—Blending brands for a bigger impact

Following its acquisition of Computex, Calian IT & Cyber Solutions faced the challenge of merging brand identities and penetrating the U.S. market. They partnered with us at Zen Media, and we created a strategic PR roadmap, including curated proactive pitching topics to position two of Calian IT & Cyber Solutions’ senior executives as thought leaders in their areas of expertise. 

Zen would also help secure the executives Forbes Technology Council memberships and launch a regular cadence of published bylines. This robust campaign led to significant media coverage and awards, with Calian’s IT & Cyber Solutions division reporting double-digit revenue growth, largely credited to their expanded U.S. presence.

In merging two brands, it’s crucial to balance innovation with the preservation of core values and strengths that define each brand. This balance helps in maintaining loyalty among existing customers while attracting new ones.

11. New Cosmos USA’s community-first approach

New Cosmos USA, committed to preventing natural gas explosions with their DeNova Detect alarm, took a unique community-centric PR approach. In response to a gas explosion in West Reading, Pennsylvania, they collaborated with Zen Media for a rapid community support and media outreach strategy. This involved donations, local PSA publications, and educational materials on gas safety. 

The campaign, replicated in other locations, not only bolstered community safety but also positioned DeNova Detect as a leader in natural gas safety, leading to increased sales in those areas. By positioning the DeNova Detect alarm as a solution to a community issue, New Cosmos USA effectively aligned their product with community welfare, enhancing the product’s value proposition. Brands should evaluate the success of their campaigns not just in terms of sales but also by their impact on community welfare and social awareness.

12. Gender Pay Gap Bot Fights For Fair Wages 

As we’ve stated, many companies like to raise awareness of social issues and fight for change. The Gender Pay Gap Bot is an automated Twitter account that advocates for women’s rights to equal pay—and on International Women’s Day, the bot ran a PR campaign to hold companies accountable. 

Their slogan: “Stop posting platitudes. Start fixing the problem.” 

As companies in various industries filled users’ feeds with empowering messages, the Gender Pay Gap Bot responded with data revealing the inequities in compensation between their male and female employees. This PR strategy sheds light on these issues through transparency and neutral messaging. Today, the Twitter account has over 240,000 followers. 

13. McDonald’s ‘We Hire People’ Campaign

Companies that emphasize the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives are paving the way for a kinder, more inclusive world. Promoting these brand values through public relations strategies is a great way to show your commitment to welcoming all of your employees and customers. 

McDonald’s ‘We Hire People” Campaign does just this. The fast-food chain introduces viewers to many individuals with various cultural backgrounds, passions, and ages. The advertisement shows that McDonald’s doors are open to everyone. These messages are essential in 2024. 

14. Nike’s ‘Just Do It’ Campaign

This campaign has been one of the most successful PR campaigns of all time. The tagline “Just Do It” is simple yet powerful and has become synonymous with Nike’s brand identity. The campaign’s success is due to its inspirational message that encourages consumers to push themselves beyond their limits and achieve their goals. Nike has used the campaign to showcase its products as tools that help people achieve their athletic potential. The “ Just Do It” campaign has also featured famous athletes, such as Michael Jordan and Serena Williams, who embody Nike’s brand values of determination, perseverance, and excellence.

15. Google’s Year in Search

Google’s “Year in Search” campaign is an annual PR campaign that showcases the top trending searches of the year. The campaign has been successful because it taps into people’s emotional connections to current events and showcases Google’s ability to capture the pulse of the world through search data. The campaign is also highly shareable and creates a sense of community around the shared experience of looking back at the year’s top moments. The campaign reinforces Google’s brand identity as a company that is at the forefront of technology and innovation.

16. Red Bull’s ‘Stratos’ Campaign

In 2012, Red Bull sponsored Felix Baumgartner’s record-breaking jump from the edge of space called the “ Red Bull Stratos. ” The campaign was a massive success, generating over 52 million views on YouTube and millions of dollars in earned media coverage. The campaign was successful because it showcased Red Bull’s brand values of extreme sports and adventure while also breaking a world record. The campaign was a testament to the power of experiential marketing and how brands can leverage events to create memorable and impactful campaigns.

17. Chipotle’s ‘Food with ‘Integrity’ campaign

Chipotle’s “ Food with Integrity” campaign was an innovative marketing campaign that aimed to differentiate the company from other fast-food chains by highlighting its commitment to sourcing sustainable and ethically produced ingredients for its menu. The campaign featured a series of advertisements that showcased Chipotle’s use of fresh, locally sourced, and sustainably-raised ingredients and its efforts to reduce its carbon footprint.

What made the campaign innovative was that it was not just a marketing gimmick; Chipotle really did change its sourcing practices to live up to the promises it made in the ads. The company worked directly with farmers and producers to develop sustainable farming practices, and it paid premium prices to ensure that the farmers were able to make a living wage. The success of the campaign was due to its resonance with consumers who valued healthier, more sustainable food options and appreciated Chipotle’s mission as much as its food.

18. Patagonia Says ‘Don’t Buy This Jacket’

Patagonia’s “ Don’t Buy This Jacket” campaign was an innovative marketing campaign that aimed to encourage customers to buy less and reduce their environmental impact. The campaign was launched in 2011 and featured a full-page ad in The New York Times that showed one of Patagonia’s best-selling jackets with the headline “Don’t Buy This Jacket.” The ad went on to explain the environmental impact of the jacket’s production and encouraged customers to think twice before making a purchase.

What made the campaign innovative was that it went against the traditional marketing strategy of encouraging customers to buy more. Instead, Patagonia wanted to use its platform to raise awareness about the environmental impact of consumerism and to encourage customers to make more conscious choices. The campaign also reflected Patagonia’s long-standing commitment to sustainability and its belief that the company had a responsibility to minimize its environmental impact. The campaign was a success and helped to solidify Patagonia’s reputation as a leader in sustainability and environmental activism.

19. Airbnb’s ‘Belong Anywhere’ Campaign

This PR campaign was an innovative campaign that aimed to position the company as a global community that offered unique and authentic travel experiences. The campaign focused on Airbnb’s ability to connect people from different cultures and backgrounds, highlighting the role of welcoming and knowledgeable local hosts. The campaign was successful because it tapped into the growing trend of experiential travel and emphasized the community aspect of travel. It helped establish Airbnb as a disruptor in the travel industry and drove significant growth for the company.

Creating an innovative, successful PR campaign requires a team of experts who know your brand inside and out. If you’re looking for help making your next PR campaign stand out, get in touch with Zen ! 

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Lessons on Public Relations: Let’s take a look at 2021’s PR disasters

Even the best, most well-organised businesses in the world should prepare for potential PR disasters and scandals. We are all human, and mistakes get made. Last year there was no shortage of PR blunders from various big-name international and local brands. 

It is sometimes unavoidable to mess up, but every marketing or PR disaster has valuable lessons to teach. Here are some of 2021’s biggest clangers and what we can take from them to protect ourselves from similar errors. 

Read also: Biggest PR fails of the past decade and what we learned from them.

Designer disappointment: Chanel’s 2021 Advent Calendar

One of the world’s most stylish fashion brands, Chanel, was caught up in a pre-Christmas PR disaster when Elise Harmon aired the unboxing of its $800+ advent calendar on TikTok. As Harmon opened the doors, she discovered the high-end retailer had bulked up the content with cheap items such as stickers, a keychain and a pin badge. The viral videos had people laughing at the poor value, and one person tweeted that they thought the company had scraped the contents off their warehouse floor! Talk about a total PR disaster.

Chanel scrambled to rescue its image days later when Harmon had accused them of blocking her on TikTok. They stated that their account is currently inactive on the platform, and so it just appeared they had blocked her. They acknowledged that some buyers were unhappy with the calendar, saying they were “sorry that this calendar may have disappointed some people…” but reiterated their claims that the calendar was “a true collector’s item whose value cannot be summed up by the products it contains alone.”

It is unlikely that the company will feel any long-term negative blowback from the incident, as they quickly engaged and released a statement, which can go a long way to quell unrest. That said, one expert felt the company’s misstep with the calendar might impact its ability to win over the younger generation who value transparency and authenticity. 

• Takeaway: Respond quickly before the situation snowballs, take accountability, acknowledge what went wrong, and explain why.

Cereal offenders: Kellogg removing logo on its most popular products

If you are one of the world’s leading food brands and are involved in a dispute with your workers that even has the American President calling you out, one of the worst things you can do is try to cover it up. This was the valuable lesson that breakfast favourites Kellogg’s learned last year. 

When around 1,400 of its US production workers went out on strike over new labour contracts, the company reacted by stating it would replace all the striking staff. This move sparked condemnation from President Biden, who said he was “deeply troubled” by the company’s actions. It also triggered a reaction from Reddit users who flooded the job application portal, crashing it and slowing the hiring process for new workers. 

With such a high profile dispute ongoing, changing the packaging on one of American’s most loved products, PopTarts, to remove the Kellogg’s logo was not a smart idea. It was seen by many as a sneaky way to avoid the ongoing boycott of its products—a true PR own goal. 

The company quickly learned how people power works and returned to the negotiation tables to end the strike. The workers gained their demands, thus, ending the boycott of Kellogg’s products.

• Takeaway : It is a natural response to try to avoid accountability altogether or find a loophole around a PR blunder, but brands in this day and age are under too much scrutiny. It is often better to ask what the people want and give it to them. 

On the rebound: Reebonz’ closure after a PR disaster

Closer to home, pre-owned luxury goods marketplace Reebonz fell foul to PR problems when it struggled to recover from accusations of selling counterfeit goods and failing to pay sellers on time. By being slow to reassure its customers and deal with issues, the Singapore-based online retailer ended up going into liquidation in 2021 . 

Some of the company’s woes could probably have been avoided with a more transparent and open approach to communication with its consumers and selling partners. Now, they are left picking up the pieces of a once-thriving, NASDAQ-listed company and having to pivot into a social selling platform to stay afloat. If they had dealt honestly with their critics head-on, they might still be trading instead of owing over $30,000 to 11 of its sellers. 

• Takeaway: Always be honest (it gives you something to fall back on). If not handled correctly, some PR disasters can lead to business closure.

Banking on goodwill: OCBC’s phishing disaster

Another local story features one of the region’s biggest banks, The Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation, Limited or OCBC. When scammers targetted the bank’s customers and managed to steal over S$8.5 million last December , the financial institution stepped in and tried to secure its reputation as one of the region’s most secure banks. 

Following this PR disaster, OCBC took to numerous media platforms to warn customers of the phishing scam and teach them how to spot the difference between a legitimate message from the bank and those from unscrupulous thieves. However, no matter how many videos or informative missives the bank released, some people still fell for the fake messages and lost money. 

To repair any damage caused by the scams, OCBC announced that it would make “goodwill” payments of the full amount to those affected. However, the company stated that this would not set a precedent and that future victims may not receive similar compensation. The damage may be too significant to repair, though, and the company may face a higher long-term cost than just the payout bill if consumers feel they are not as secure as previously thought. 

• Takeaway: Make reparations, it can be costly, but you end up keeping your customers and repairing your reputation

Read also: Common mistakes in PR: are you hurting your publicity ?

Dealing with PR disasters: the bottom line

In this face-paced, consumer-savvy world, companies will make mistakes that could cost them their standing in the eyes of their customers. But, by acting fast, being transparent and honest, accepting a mishap happened, and making reparations, it is possible to salvage a brand reputation after a PR disaster and stay in business. 

Whether its navigating PR disasters or boosting your brand image, let us help you to stay on the good side of your consumer base. Speak to an experienced PR consultant at [email protected] for all things PR today.

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The worst PR disasters of 2021

9 December 2021

As with 2020 , our award for worst PR of the year goes to government comms. However, at home and abroad, there are plenty of brands and celebrities which have also been busy putting their feet firmly in their mouths. 

As far as Andy Barr, owner of agency 10 Yetis Digital and writer of PRmoment column Good and Bad PR , is concerned, it has been a particularly bad year for FMCG brands: “Many japesters would point at the roller-coaster year that the PR community itself has had, but I think overall, the FMCG world has fared far worse, especially in the world of food and drink. Coke vs Ronaldo, Pepsi vs the BLM movement, KFC vs Chickens (or lack thereof) and Walkers and Weetabix vs IT glitches, have led to all the wrong kinds of headlines for these usually PR-savvy global brands. Lots of learning points for us comms folk in terms of crisis communications, but also a nasty bruise in the sales figures and share prices for these household names.”

Below is PRmoment’s calendar of the worst PR disasters of the year.

February BetterHelp Raquel Pinto, digital PR executive at agency  Limelight Digital : “BetterHelp, the online portal that offers mental health services online has been incredibly controversial for all the wrong reasons:

“When a therapist on TikTok (@therapyden) raised awareness on the fact that BetterHelp was selling user data to third parties, the decision on BetterHelp's part was to update its terms of service and privacy policy to claim it does not sell users information on any advertising platform or third party, that is, of course, excluding the data that will indeed be shared with affiliates in BetterHelp’s corporate group or for various business purposes and other activity data that will be sent to advertising partners to optimise marketing. See the irony?

@therapyjeff Why do therapists hate BetterHelp? #betterhelp #therapy #therapytiktok #therapist #mentalhealthmatters #trauma #siliconvalley ♬ original sound - TherapyJeff

“As if that wasn't bad enough, BetterHelp concurrently aligned with Travis Scott after the horrific Astroworld concert to offer a measly one-month free trial of therapy sessions to the victims, announcing it as a 'partnership' that quite frankly read like an influencer-brand deal.”

Volkswagen becomes Voltswagen

Mimi Brown, associate director at PR agency The PHA Group : “ One of the PR fails that sticks in my mind this year is Voltswagen. Yes, Voltswagen - the automaker temporarily rebranded as an early April Fools’ Day prank this March to demonstrate its commitment to ‘future-forward investment in e-mobility’ and establish itself as the leader in the EV space.

“It was an unusual marketing approach for a business that has spent five years trying to shed a reputation for corporate dishonesty by the Dieselgate scandal, where the automaker not only sold millions of cars that cheated emissions tests, but also actively tried to cover up its wrongdoing when questioned by regulators. Whilst the name change may have sounded like a good idea at Volkswagen HQ, for many consumers, it was the worst April Fools’ Day prank they’ve heard since VW told the world its diesel was clean.”

European Super League

Lottie West, associate director - UK consumer lead at PR agency Hotwire Global : “The announcement and subsequent unravelling of the European Super League has to be up there with the worst PR fails of recent times. In attempting to break away from their home leagues, the 12 football clubs involved demonstrated the fundamental error of ignoring the needs and wants of their most important consumer audience; the supporters. Friction between supporters and the corporate elite is nothing new - you only have to go to the Emirates on a Saturday afternoon to understand exactly how popular Stan Kroenke is for example - but it’s easy to close your ears to the fans when the multi-million pound deals keep rolling in.

“Less easy though when you don’t even have the buy-in of your own players, and stakeholders from the FA to Boris Johnson are stepping in to put a stop to proceedings. Within 48 hours the league lay in tatters, with clubs issuing grovelling apologies to their fans. By then the damage was done however, and this PR disaster only served to reinforce the disconnect between football’s boardroom and its grassroots. Time will tell whether this debacle will cause a much needed reassessment of the importance of fans to the game.”

M&S - Colin the Caterpillar

Jacquelyn Whyte, senior account director at agency Muckle Media: “My PR villain for this year has to be Colin the Caterpillar for trying to take poor Cuthbert to the high court. 2021 didn’t deliver the post-Covid return to normal we all hoped for this time last year, so the timing of the legal action just seemed a bit off. After the past two years we’ve all had, shouldn’t we just be allowed to have our (caterpillar) cake and eat it regardless of where we bought it?

While M&S came under fire for not extending the legal action to Cecil, Wiggles, Curly and Clyde, I did love how Aldi managed to turn the situation around with hilarious social media content and then the inclusion of Cuthbert in its Christmas ad seven months later - ensuring a second wave of positive coverage. Well played Aldi.“

Coke vs Ronaldo

The disaster for Coca-Cola was when Christiano Ronaldo decided to remove two Coke bottles at a Euro 2-2- new conference. The results? A $4 billion drop in the market value for the American drink brand.

Oliver Bradley, client director at startup agency for startups Words + Pixels: "Brewdog has built a reputation for being brash and breaking the rules. Whilst this attitude might not win it any fans at the ASA, it's a reputation that has been carefully curated over the years and built a loyal fanbase of customers. However, taking this approach to accusations of an internal ‘culture of fear’ and ‘toxic attitude’ was gravely misjudged. The brand’s immediate response to an open letter from 'Punks with Purpose '. It allegedly encouraged existing staff to sign a response letter (which was subsequently leaked) and mocked up an image of a non-existent brew, aptly named ‘Damage Control’. This naturally prompted social uproar which forced the brand to review its approach and the CEO apologised, promising an internal review and that lessons had been learnt... but this didn’t really ring true. No matter how good your external comms might be, alignment with internal teams has never been more important, because even though every brand will have a personality and tone of voice, issues like this require a much more human and empathetic approach."

KFC vs chickens

KFC had the nightmare of dealing with a chicken shortage with the chain admitting that some menu items were not available to order in its restaurants. Kentucky Fried Chicken warned customers to be prepared for “weeks of disruption” to its menu after running out of chicken supplies.

Discussing Facebook’s crash this autumn, Andy Barr wrote on 7 October in PRmoment’s Good and Bad PR column: “The outage seemed to affect all its social platforms and despite the conspiracy theorists trying to pin the blame on people working from home, I doubt we will ever know the real reason. It capped off a torrid week for the anti-social giant thanks to several leaked reports coming out about the company knowing that its channels can negatively affect mental health.

“Quite often in this column, a bad company decision, rather than a bad decision made by that company’s comms team wins it the title of Bad PR, but in Facebook’s case, its actual PR team had a shocker.

“When the Wall Street Journal approached the social-giant comms team with details of the leaked documents and a heads-up that it was going to run the story in approximately an hour, the company then broke its agreement to not say anything before the story ran by pushing out two documents about this issue.

“In crisis comms terms the goal is to get ahead of the story, but Facebook has committed a cardinal PR sin and you can guarantee it will never again get a heads-up about a hatchet job story by a media outlet. Double Bad PR for Zuck’s gang.”

Travis Scott

Linnea, PR executive at digital growth agency Pearl Lemon Group   says “Travis Scott is just a PR mess. From start to finish you're dealing with multiple deaths, an irresponsible party, and a massive lawsuit. I won't say that the entire situation is Travis Scott's fault because it's not, but he did have a role in the PR disaster that followed.

“Travis Scott has a history of inciting the crowd and encouraging dangerous behaviour from his audience. He has been seen egging the crowd to fight other people, to do dangerous stunts, and overall wreak havoc.

“As I mentioned previously, anytime there is a death, it's going to be bad PR no matter what, but what is even worse than being involved with something that resulted in a death, is something that resulted in multiple deaths: 10 as of today have been counted as a result of the Astroworld incident which then followed with a rumoured 2 billion dollar lawsuit to Travis Scott, LiveNation, Apple Music, Drake, and NRG Stadium.

“Some may say that's a lot of money, but I would say how can you even put a value to all the injuries and deaths that occurred at the event? These aren't adults either. These are kids. Kids who won't ever get the chance to grow up and live their lives as they would have.

“There is no apology that will ever justify all those deaths or make them better. And Travis Scott's ‘apology’ was the absolute worst thing he could have done to respond to the event. It felt like he was apologising for peeking at the presents too early, not being responsible for 10 deaths and multiple injuries.

“A better example of how to handle a situation is with Ariana Grande at Manchester. She was not responsible at all for the bombing that occurred, but she took responsibility anyway. She showed empathy, she showed courtesy, she showed grace, she showed that she cares about her fans. That's the best thing a celebrity can do.

“Sometimes deaths will happen. And it's always tragic when it happens, but most people just want to know that there is a human being behind the celebrity mask.”

Walkers and Weetabix

In PRmoment’s Good and Bad PR column published on 10 November, Andy Barr said: “Two food brands who got wrapped up in negative headlines surrounding supply shortages this week were Walkers and Weetabix. On both counts, sadly for the comms teams, operational issues have led to the Bad PR. Walkers has a mysterious ‘IT System’ issue that has meant that the production lines for the nation’s favourite crisps have moved to a go-slow and Weetabix is embroiled in a set of HR issues that could end up in a strike

“There is little that the PR teams can do to prevent the bad press, but it once again supports the general UK economic feeling that everything currently balances on a knife-edge.”

Yorkshire Cricket Club

Chris Norton, founder of agency Prohibition PR : “The Yorkshire Cricket Club’s handling of racism allegations has to be the biggest PR disaster of 2021 for me - the perfect example of how not to handle a crisis.

Not only did it fail to publish an investigation report and communicated very little, far too late, its positioning on the matter appeared worrying - which it may not have been, but unfortunately its comms suggested so. Sometimes silence really is louder than words and by not even acknowledging the matter until recently, it raised a lot of questions which led to weeks of national coverage.

“The club should have been much more open and honest from the start and identified a spokesperson to offer up its side of the story immediately. It also failed to explain what it was doing to investigate the allegations, how fast and what would happen as a result, which should have been the first thing it did.”

The gift that gave all year… The winner of worst PR of the year goes to…

Downing Street

Natalie Trice, senior PR director at marketing agency Fox Agency : “In a year that chewed up and spat out the likes of Colin the Caterpillar (see April), BrewDog (see June), Facebook (see October) and so many more, trying to find the worst PR is a tricky one. However, it must be Downing Street which needs to seriously get its press office game up to scratch. From Boris talking about Peppa Pig as he lost his way during a CBI speech, to Matt Hancock and that very private affair, back to Boris not wearing a mask whilst the rest of us have had them in every pocket, then there is the debacle of Dominic Cummings, and let’s not forget the unforgivable fiasco when it came to free school meals for the most vulnerable children in society, only saved by Marcus Rashford. Yes, we might be operating in unprecedented times, and trying to get to grips with a global pandemic isn’t an easy task, but time and time and time again the government’s PR, or lack of PR, has left people feeling angry and confused, and made us look like an incompetent nation. Let’s hope 2022 sees things change and if nothing else, when mistakes are made, make the apology and not only pledge to do better, but actually do better.”

Those may be the top PR lowlights of the year, but 2021 hasn’t ended yet, so there could be more to come. Which only leaves us to say, have a fabulous end of year, and may 2022 be a good one!

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Lessons From The PR Fails of 2021 (So Far)

By Caster Communications | June 25, 2021 | blog , in the news , PRFail , social media

Ah, the dreaded #PRFail: we’ve all seen our share. Sometimes, the hashtag is attached to a thoughtless publicity stunt on social media; sometimes, it’s a serious crisis, handled poorly.  As public relations professionals, it’s our job to analyze how corporate communications are likely to make the audience feel so we can avoid PR fails. For every message, every time, we should take a moment to ask:

• What is the purpose of this statement?
• How will this be perceived?
• Could this potentially damage the brand?

These questions are more urgent than ever. We are on the tail end of a global pandemic: stuck inside, people have been spending a lot of time scrolling social media. At the same time, increased political involvement across the ideology spectrum has given rise to large numbers of Internet activists primed to call out any mistake. The likelihood and cost of a #PRFail have both increased.

Finding the balance between drawing attention to your message and avoiding offense can be tricky. During the first half of 2021, we’ve seen questionable PR moves from a few prominent brands. Today, the Caster Crew weighs in on the brands’ intended messages, and what they could have done better.

Burger King – “Women belong in the kitchen.”

Burger King replied to the tweet, adding that women “belong in the kitchen” because they should be encouraged to pursue a culinary career if they choose to. The clarification did little to avert a massive backlash.

Burger King intended to shock, but not to offend. “This is a classic case of burying the lede,” says Rachel Bradshaw, VP of Account Services. “Burger King wanted to grab people’s attention, and they succeeded—the problem is, that jarring first tweet is the only thing that got amplified. Their actual message of empowerment was lost.”

Peloton – “The product is safe when warnings and safety instructions are followed.”

When the public decides that a product is dangerous, it’s usually more effective to address the concerns than argue. Peloton could have taken quick action by recalling the product. Instead, they chose to fight the claims.

Caster Account Services team member Lexie observes that brands need to listen to their voices of their audience: “Companies and those representing them need to hold themselves accountable for their actions, their products and services, and the words they use. When it comes to managing a crisis or any campaign for that matter, honesty, clear communication, and action are more valuable than deflection.”

Volkswagen – April Foolishness

This was an April Fool’s prank clearly intended as publicity stunt for Volkswagen’s new electronic lineup. Such “jokes” aren’t necessarily harmless, though, especially when they’re designed to dupe the press into taking them seriously.

“I’ve pretty much learned to expect that all communications timed around April 1 are a ‘joke,’ but there’s something especially off-putting about a phony press release leak,” says Director, Account Services, Pete Girard. “As PR pros, providing releases with relevant news to media and press friendlies is a big part of our job. Anyone promoting a fake press release ‘as a joke’ is abusing the press’s trust.”

This release was calibrated and timed to look like a legitimate story. Real people spent real time covering its implications. Then, the next day, they were made to feel foolish – by a company that will rely on them for coverage for the rest of the year.

All three of these missteps were avoidable using the questions we posed at the beginning:

• What is the purpose of this statement? Examine if the message serves the brand’s short and long-term goals.  For example, Volkswagen’s fake press release was a marketing scheme, but they may not have considered how damaging their press relationships could hinder their communications strategy for the rest of the year.
• How will this be perceived? Remember that you cannot control the context in which your message is repeated. In Burger King’s case, overall, the company should have considered how the tweet would look when retweeted or screenshot on its own.
• Could this potentially damage the brand? Sometimes, you’re caught in a lose-lose situation, and you must critically assess what kind of damage matters most. In Peloton’s case, they wanted to avoid a costly recall, but they could afford the loss of customer trust even less. Ultimately, a recall was inevitable, and Peloton predicts a $165M revenue impact as a result. The two-month delay from the start of the crisis to the decision to recall meant higher recall costs for the machines sold in the interim, more injuries, and two months of continuing negative press.

Navigating the #PRFail minefield isn’t easy, but when all your messaging is thoughtful and purposeful, it’s possible. Connect with us on Twitter at @castercomm to see how we do it.

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Media Monitoring Case Study: How US Media Covered Depp vs. Heard Defamation Trial In 2022

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A Look At Academic Research on Crisis Communication From #AEJMC14

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Emory’s Excellent Crisis Communication on Facebook

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Apple’s Huge Security Breach and Lack of Proper Crisis Communications

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It’s interesting to me that, in this day and age of transparent, two-way and real-time communications , Apple has so far gotten away with providing the following as their crisis communications : A quote to Reuters that said: “We are aware of this issue and already have a software fix that will be released very soon.”.

A Look at Malaysia Airlines’s Crisis Communications During the Crisis of Flight MH370

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Having a crisis communication plan in place ahead of time reduces confusion, ensures an effective communication flow, and improves messaging timeliness during or after a crisis . The basics of good crisis communications are the same for every company. For a free consultation, please call 0113 430 4160 now.

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Crisis Management 101: Shark Week Case Study, Pt. 1

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6 Social Media “Musts” for Crisis Communication

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Shark Week Case Study: A Lesson in Crisis Management, Pt. 2

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4 Four Tips to Begin (or Amplify) Your Crisis Management Career

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Sword and the Script

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TCIP #032 – The National Weather Service’s Crisis Communication Strategy with Daniel Noah

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Top Newsletters For PR Teams At High-Growth Companies

ImPRessions - Crenshaw Communications

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Apple Fixes its Security Breach But Does Not Mention It

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Reverse-engineering the Crisis Communications During the San Jose Flood

Ishmael's Corner

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Lessons From BBC’s Ebola Education Initiative via WhatsApp

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Coming Out on Top of a PR Crisis

Critical Mention

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They have all been in the news for being involved in a crisis in the past couple of years. The lists go on and on when it comes to crisis communications case studies . As I have shared with students and young professionals, if you go into crisis communications , you will always have a case to discuss and work to do.

Melissa Agnes to Conduct Issues Management Workshop at CPRS National Summit

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Through interactive discussions and interesting case studies , this session will explore how to: Identify issues in their early stages, so as to prevent them from escalating into crises. Use the new rules of crisis communications to take a negative issue and quickly transform it into a positive PR opportunity for the organization.

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Have an initial conversation, covering the agency’s capabilities, service offerings, experience, case study examples, team members and general pricing structure. Research those that have the experience you require, and create a list of five to start. They should have a long list of questions for you, as well.

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