3 Great PR Campaigns from September
From Old Mout Cider’s crusade to save the kiwi, to the world’s biggest QR code made of trees: September was an interesting month for worldwide PR campaigns. Here are three of our favourites:
The Really Wild Show and Old Mout Cider team up to save the kiwi
*Warning: Childhood flashback* Michaela Strachan and Chris Packham joined forces with New Zealand alcohol brand Old Mout Cider for a one-off online show called The Kiwi Wild Show, to highlight the plight of New Zealand’s national bird, following news that just 50,000 remain in the wild. The 15-minute show followed Michaela Strachan as she met with ‘Kiwis for kiwi’, a charity that creates safe habitats for the birds to grow and thrive in. Chris Packham also answered questions from the public in a segment called Packham’s Postbag, where he asked viewers to make a conscious effort to protect endangered species.
In classic Autumnwatch style, there was even a live satellite link to see if they could capture the moment a kiwi hatches from an egg.
The show was created in conjunction with Old Mout Cider, which ran a promotion where, for a limited time, a third of the profits from cider sales in certain pubs and supermarkets in the UK were donated to ‘Kiwis for kiwi’.
This is a nice campaign from Old Mout Cider. They managed to keep a serious conservation issue light, fun and on brand, which is hard to do. And Michaela and Chris are the perfect ambassadors for it. The nostalgia factor alone makes the story share-worthy. Check out the video here.
QR code made of 130,000 trees can be scanned from the sky
QR codes in China are insanely popular. They’re used by everyone, from big retailers to buskers. Even so, it was pretty impressive when the small village of Xilinshui village in Hebei used 130,000 Chinese juniper trees to create the biggest QR code ever. Designed to draw in more tourists, it measured 227m (744ft) along each side and was designed to be scanned by passengers as they flew over on their way to Beijing. After scanning, the code took people to Xilinshui’s official tourism page on WeChat, which is China’s equivalent of WhatsApp.
The stunt gained coverage on Mashable, Digital Trends and BBC News.
Whatever your personal feelings about QR codes, this is a remarkable campaign and the precision and planning behind it nothing short of amazing. With all the coverage generated, people can also scan the code from images, so the stunt has an even wider reach than intended. This one gets a big ‘thumbs up’.
Toys R Us are hiring mums and dads as toy testers
Playing with toys all day is a hard life but someone’s got to do it. Which is why Toys R Us are looking for mums and dads to become toy testers.
Dubbed the Toyologist Programme, successful participants will get toys sent to their home to try out for free, to ensure they’re suitable for shop shelves. And it’s not just the parents’ opinion that counts. Children are encouraged to have a play and see if they like them too.
Applicants are required to fill out a form, which starts by asking them to select the programme they want to take part in. The babyologist one is aimed at babies up to 24 months or the older one, for toys aimed at two-14-years-olds. If you want to become a toyologist, fill in your application form here.
This campaign is clever. Not only will it turn parents into brand ambassadors, but the timing is ideal as people’s thoughts start turning to Christmas presents. And let’s face it: who doesn’t love getting free stuff? It’s a win-win and it’s racking-up plenty of regional press coverage.
