As the twinkly lights glisten on The Grove and Betty’s mince pies fill our tummies, we have started to feel that joyful glow which only this time of year can bring. While we look ahead to 2017, we’ve picked our favourite PR and marketing campaigns of 2016.
Rebekha: Socks Trust
Summary: Dogs Trust has changed its name to Socks Trust over the festive season to take a stand against ‘impulse puppy purchasing’ and to encourage us to #GiveSocksNotDogs at Christmas. The campaign is to draw attention to the large number of puppies given as gifts which are later neglected or given to the charity by ill-prepared owners. Dogs Trust has made an adorable collection of festive socks featuring some of the pups previously left abandoned.
Why it’s my favourite: “This wonderful campaign is not only for a brilliant cause and successfully carries the message that dogs are for life not just for Christmas, but I’ve voted this my favourite campaign of 2016 for how it truly champions the often berated pair of socks as a worthwhile gift, with a relatable and emotive message. I’m certainly hopeful for a pair under my tree this Christmas!”
Helen: #HandmadeTweets
Summary: For one day in November, Innocent announced that after eight years of tweeting and 12 million characters they would take to hand drawn tweets and invited followers to request whatever message they w
nted.
Why it’s my favourite: “It’s a fun and unexpected way of engaging with followers and made waves beyond Twitter and social media. From mermaids riding bikes to mince pies in a punch-up over love, Innocent stayed true to its word and posted hand drawn tweets from follower’s requests. This campaign made even those not on Twitter take a look!”
Georgia: Rule Yourself. I Will.
Summary: This star-studded campaign by Under Armour is based on a simple understanding, you are the sum of all your training. With its slogan, ‘it’s what you do in the dark that puts you in the light’, the campaign began just ahead of the Olympics and features celebrity endorsement from Michael Phelps and the USA’s women’s gymnastics team.
Why it’s my favourite: “It focuses on the determination, training and grind that goes on behind the scenes – it doesn’t make it look easy or fun but it is inspiring all the same. The celebrity endorsement increases the share-ability of the campaign because it explores the sacrifice made by athletes to prepare for Rio, with Phelps’ advert alone being viewed more than 10 million times!”
Anisha: Mango Goes Monthly
Summary: Rather than sticking to the bi-annual fashion seasons, Mango started a monthly trend campaign in spring 2016 as a response to fast-moving fashion. At the end of August, they started releasing monthly fashion movements via Snapchat and Instagram, both of which were home to exclusive photoshoot footage and an insight into key pieces for the month ahead.
Why it’s my favourite: “It stood out to me as a fashion retailer using social media – especially Snapchat – in quite a unique way, making its followers and customers feel part of the brand by having an insight into exclusive material. It was a brave and interesting move to ditch the ‘S/S’ and ‘A/W’ seasons which are launched in February and September every year and instead focus on monthly trends to keep up with the fast fashion everyone has become accustomed to buying.”
Suzanne: Choc-Ness Monster – a nod to Nessie
Summary: An experiential Easter campaign was launched by Cadbury which saw the organisation build on its heritage, seal its association with egg hunts and maximise its National Trust partnership. Double decker bus sized purple eggs were placed on a barge in Loch Ness and made to magically appear, emulating the mystery and magic of the Loch Ness myth. Supported by the Loch Ness & Morar Project, the Easter drive was delivered with the support of locals and helped to donate £5k to the Loch Ness project’s initiatives.
Why it’s my favourite: “It was expensive (£6million) but it was a hit. Not only did the campaign generate national media coverage and social media buzz with #eggseverywhere, but it served an altruistic purpose in stimulating more interest in the area and its conservation for wildlife.”
In addition to our most notable campaigns, an honourable mention also goes out to some of our festive favourites including John Lewis’ #BusterTheBoxer which saw over 61,000 Twitter mentions on its first day and #NORADTracksSanta which saw the organisation that works to defend US airspace help children track Santa Claus’ journey.
Image sourced from Pixabay
