Our Top PR Picks: Memorable Campaigns from May

Last month’s top PR campaigns saw Tesla break a world record, fashion e-tailer Missguided make a bold body image statement, the BBC promote the World Cup with an animated tapestry, and Smile Asia giving us food for thought with its Cleft Collection.

Let’s kick off with US electric car brand Tesla

A Telsa may currently be flying through space with Stig in the driving seat, but Elon Musk’s electric vehicle produced another first last month when the Tesla X model towed a 287,000-pound Qantas Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner 300 metres along the tarmac. The record breaking stunt, which took place at Melbourne Airport, was the heaviest tow ever achieved by an electric passenger vehicle.

This not only demonstrated Tesla’s impressive abilities: it helped Qantas publicise their sustainability efforts, namely how the airline uses electric aircraft tugs at its bases in Sydney and Canberra to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

This was a great PR for both brands in terms of their green credentials.

Missguided celebrates female ‘flaws’ in its latest campaign

Diversity and body positivity have never been so in the news as they are right now. And clothing e-tailer Missguided seems to be more committed than most to championing it. From refusing to Photoshop stretch marks in ads, to featuring models of all shapes and sizes: the brand has positioned itself as one of the leading fashion advocates for body positivity.

For its latest campaign, #InYourOwnSkin, the brand celebrated female ‘flaws’ and ‘imperfections’ by featuring models with a range of unique features. The models included Joanne, a plus-size model with albinism; Isabella, who suffered burns to her arm and back in a house fire; Mariana, who was born with a large birthmark on her face; and Maya, who has a rare skin condition, Epidermolysis Bullosa.

It’s not the first time Missguided has made a conscious effort to diversify the range of female bodies featured in their campaigns. They regularly cast models with stretchmarks, and earlier this year, unveiled a range of mannequins with stretch marks and vitiligo.

The campaign signifies a bold and fearless move by the brand, as it continues on its quest to empower women. And it’s had tons of positive press as a result.

BBC makes history with embroidered tapestry World Cup animation

Football fever will soon be descending on the nation, as the 2018 FIFA World Cup tournament kicks off in Russia, on June 14.

It’s the most prestigious football competition in the calendar, and Gareth Southgate’s England team will need all our support to end 52 years of hurt.

The BBC launched its promotional campaign in style. To mark the countdown to the tournament, it premiered a short film, ‘The Tapestry’, at the FA Cup Final on May 19. The film took viewers on a journey through World Cup history, from the skill of Argentina’s Diego Maradona and France’s Zinedine Zidane, to the emotion of Paul Gascoigne. And it ended with a preview of the top talent of this year’s tournament, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Harry Kane.

However, this was no ordinary film. It was a filmic tapestry. Inspired by the centuries-old Russian tradition of tapestry, every single frame was embroidered and rendered on to film. More than 227,000 metres of thread were used to create over 600 frames.

The World Cup is steeped in stories and magical moments. This campaign brings to life some of the most memorable ones, while paying homage to the host country of this year’s tournament. More moments will be added to the tapestry when the tournament ends.

The BBC tapestry made headlines in all the national papers and has had a warm reaction from the public.

Smile Asia promote special cutlery set to raise awareness of children with cleft lip

Non-profit organisation Smile Asia created a special set of cutlery that aimed to show users how difficult it is for children with a cleft lip and palate to eat their meals.

The charity specialises in bringing treatment and care to children with a cleft lip, cleft palate and other facial deformities across Asia, and aims to help over 100,000 children born with these conditions every year.

The ‘The Cleft Collection’ of cutlery was unveiled at a special dinner held at the Ritz-Carlton Singapore, where unknowing guests ate a four-course dinner with the cutlery, allowing them to experience the frustration of eating with a cleft lip.

The experiential event raised much-needed awareness and money for the charity.