It's hard to believe another year has passed but as Christmas approaches it's always a good time to reflect on what's been and gone.
Here Astute.Work founder and PR and management consultant Sarah Waddington CBE picks out her favourite five PR and marketing campaigns from the last twelve months.
1. Weetabix x Heinz
Inter-brand chit chat on social media is always popular, but Weetabix served the ultimate mic drop back in February when it tweeted an alternative breakfast of its famous wheat biscuits topped with Heinz beans. The response was brilliantly swift and brutal, with Ofcom labelling it ‘deeply offensive’, Tinder stating this was a ‘not a match’ and the NHS saying the tweet should have ‘come with a health warning’. A superb example of how two of the nation’s favourites employed humour and controversy to take them viral.
2. Pop to your local
We all know how badly some industries have been hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, with one of the worst being hospitality. Come April then, it was a breath of fresh air to see one of the UK’s leading supermarkets Tesco gently encouraging people in England to support their local pub (as long as they felt safe to do so), with the usual strapline of #EveryLittleHelps. What works here was the unexpectedness of the campaign which was easy to identify as Tesco’s and showed a real spirit of generosity after a challenging time for the sector. After all, it’s not often you see a brand spending advertising money on a competitor.
3. Altogether Different
In July, the government opened a consultation into a potential change of ownership of Channel 4, looking also at its remit. Backed by strong opposition to the privatisation plans, the broadcaster responded in its usual distinctive way with the launch of Altogether Different, a campaign celebrating its role as the ‘destination for diverse, alternative British content’. Underlining its differences to other channels and reminding us of its approach to inclusivity, this was a typically bold and brave move from the programmer which will hopefully pay off.
4. #DontBeThatGuy
Violence against women has been top of the media agenda since the killing of Sarah Everard, with anger and frustration expressed up and down the country about women being told how to stay safe rather than a focus on male perpetrators. It was therefore no surprise that a #DontBeThatGuy video by Police Scotland designed to educate men about their attitudes and behaviours proved an immediate hit. At the time of writing, the video has had 54.5k likes and 32.4k shares on Twitter and has rightly received praise from politicians, the public and activists alike. Find it and share it.
5. Bounty Return Scheme
Last but not least, kudos to the agency behind the latest campaign for Mars Celebrations, which recently announced a Christmas ‘Bounty Return Scheme’ for Bounty haters, promoted by a heartstring-tugging video called #TheLonelyBounty. Launching on 17 January 2022, the tongue-in-cheek scheme is rolling out in Glasgow, London and Manchester and allows ‘Bounty boycotters’ to swap them for Malteser Teasers. A brilliantly creative approach based on intelligence about the nation’s favourite chocolates which has created real cut through at one of the most competitive times of the year.
