It’s that time of the month again where the team talk about their favourite PR campaigns. Each week the Sunny Bird PR team research PR campaigns that have made their way into the media and choose one to share that demonstrates effectiveness, reach, simplicity, message and in some cases the opposite – how not to execute a PR campaign. Every month the team chooses their personal favourites we deliver them here – The Good, The Bad and The Viral from the PR Campaign world.
This month we present a beer brand bringing people together despite their differences, a charity asking for people to walk, run or cycle an outline of a ‘ballsy’ shape to raise money and awareness, and a well-known craft beer company sets up a crowd funding page for a spectacular opening in Columbus Ohio – or so it says...
Heineken’s #OpenYourWorld Campaign Encourages Consumers to Have a Debate Over a Beer
With global unrest and elections tearing people in different directions, Heineken has taken a new PR approach that aims to highlight people’s similarities and the common ground that can exist between two strangers with differing opinions.
A video has been created that shows two strangers meeting in a warehouse. Neither party knows the reason behind the experiment, however short clips of each person are shown to the viewer. It becomes clear that the two strangers have been partnered together as they have strong conflicting opinions on a particular subject (climate change, feminism, transgender equality etc.). At the end of the experiment the strangers are shown the video clips which highlight their conflicting beliefs and they are then asked to make a decision on whether they wish to leave the building or discuss over a beer. The #OpenYourWorld video sees the beer giant try to convince people that although their fundamental beliefs might mean, on the face of it, they can’t enjoy a drink and a chat together, it doesn’t have to be the case.
A nice feel-good message that is very relevant and relatable to a UK audience. The video has been viewed over 13 million times and achieved coverage in multiple titles including The Guardian and The Huffington Post.
New Zealand Charity Gets Ballsy
With so many charities clamouring to be heard in a crowded market to secure much needed funds and awareness, the team liked this ballsy approach by Testicular Cancer New Zealand. The charity teamed up with a New Zealand advertising agency to kick off a social campaign called #GoBallsOut for Testicular Cancer Awareness Month.
The campaign asked men to walk, run, cycle, skip, kayak the outline of a “Cock & Balls” by using fitness Apps such as Strava, MapMyWalk, Runtastic etc. So not only did this campaign get people thinking about one of the most common forms of cancer in men, but it also got people moving, double win – and it was funny!
The campaign gained coverage online and on social media, which sent traffic to www.goballsout.org.nz where men could view a gallery of user generated Cock & Balls, find a route near them and view an engaging, step by step instructional video on how to check their testicles.
Within 24 hours of launching, the campaign was trending on Mashable and the BBC, it secured over 400 editorial mentions internationally, 86% of men 15-39 in NZ were reached across the campaign period, 71% increase in awareness that exercise helps prevent testicular cancer, and the video got viewed over four million times. Hundreds of Cock & Balls were created and shared.
This PR campaign was simple, very effective and most importantly took a campaign and truly made it creative, fun and engaging. No cock-ups here… well quite a few actually.
BrewDog Announces World First Craft Beer Hotel!
Ever imagined a hotel that has beer-filled hot tubs? Well, it’s time to stop dreaming because it could soon be a reality.
Due to open in 2018, Brewdog has announced that it will be building the world’s first craft beer hotel in Columbus Ohio. Guests can look forward to fully-stocked mini bars, beer on tap in rooms, beer-themed toiletries and spa treatments and brewing tank hot tubs, which can of course be filled with beer.
The project has already passed its funding target, thanks to crowd funding and will be built alongside its brand new state of the art, 100,000 square foot brewery, which founders James Watt and Martin Dickie say will help them explore amazing new flavours and brewing techniques.
This campaign may have been to help raise money and awareness of the hotel but something tells us that the money raised will be put into the state of the art brewery. Brewdog created a video and photoshopped imagery to show people what the hotel will look like, but this may never exist. The hotel may or may not get built, but it’s a good visual ploy to grab people’s attention and raise funds. Ellen Scott, a journalist from Metro, also doesn’t believe the hotel will become a reality.
This particular campaign has already been covered in national online titles such as The Mail Online, The Independent, The Telegraph, Metro and high traffic website – The Lad Bible.
