From pint theft to addressing issues through chocolate—this year has seen some super creative campaigns. PR is everchanging, and from this year’s most popular PR campaigns we see some interesting trends developing: brands are fully embracing AI, are receiving tens of millions of views from a response to a TikTok post, and are using increasingly activistic and bold messages.
In this article, we’ll explore some of the best PR campaigns of the year (so far), including the tactics that fueled their success and the insights that PR pros can apply to their own campaigns.
Looking for more inspiration? Check out last year’s best PR campaigns and also our top picks from 2022 and 2021.
Dad Shift: Campaigning for Better Paternity Leave
In a bold move to spotlight the UK’s inadequate paternity leave, a new action group called Dad Shift took to the streets to make a call for change. Activists strapped life-size baby models to iconic statues of men across central London, including Isambard Kingdom Brunel and Thierry Henry. The stunt highlights the UK’s poor ranking for paternity leave in Europe, with just two statutory weeks paid at £184.03, leaving one in three fathers unable to take any leave after the birth of their child.
The stunt, accompanied by an open letter to the Prime Minister, calls for urgent reform in paternity leave policies. Dad Shift shows that extending leave for fathers not only strengthens family bonds but also helps reduce the gender pay gap and boosts workforce participation, as seen in countries with six weeks or more of paid leave. This stunt exemplifies how PR can leverage creativity, striking visuals, and digital engagement to connect with audiences and generate buzz.
Why it works:
- Eye-Catching Activism: The use of life-size baby models strapped to prominent statues creates a striking visual that captures public attention and media coverage. This approach ensures the campaign stands out in a crowded news cycle and effectively communicates its message.
- Data + Emotion: The campaign uses research-based facts to support its demands, like pointing out that countries with better paternity leave have smaller gender pay gaps and increased workforce participation. This approach adds credibility to the campaign and helps influence policymakers by showcasing both social and economic benefits.
- Strategic Timing: Delivering the open letter to the Prime Minister at the peak of the campaign amplifies its impact, combining grassroots activism with high-level political advocacy. This strategy helps maintain momentum and pressure, increasing the likelihood of policy change.
Mac n Cheese Meltdown: CPK’s Recipe for PR Success
California Pizza Kitchen gave a masterclass on how to handle a crisis online. Back in July, California Pizza Kitchen, a casual dining restaurant chain the US, found itself in a real pickle – or should I say a cheesy situation. A customer uploaded a TikTok video claiming they ordered mac n cheese but only received cheese. The video got over 4.5 million views. Here’s how CPK turned the situation around into a PR win.
CPK chose to listen to their customers first. By doing so, they were able to fully understand the scope and nature of the crisis and set the tone for their response. Their response was not just about damage control – they created a light-hearted TikTok video acknowledging their error and offered customers a month-long discount on mac n cheese. Check it out for yourself below:
On top of that, the affected customer received a generous apology package including a year’s worth of free mac n cheese and pizza. This human-centric approach not only resolved the immediate issue but also reinforced CPK’s commitment to customer satisfaction.
The results: 10M+ views of the video response, doubled TikTok followers, local, national and broadcast radio attention and most importantly, half off cheese AND mac for everyone.
Why it works:
- Effective Social Listening: By monitoring and responding to social media comments in real-time, CPK was able to manage the crisis effectively and demonstrate that they value customer feedback.
- Human-Centric Response: CPK’s focus on addressing the mistake with a personal touch and generous compensation showed that they prioritize customer satisfaction over just repairing their reputation.
- Leveraging Viral Moments: Transforming a potential disaster into an opportunity for positive engagement highlights the power of turning crisis moments into brand-strengthening experiences.
Ready to refresh your PR knowledge? Check out our comprehensive guide on what PR is, its key components, and how it differs from marketing.
Duo Owl Steals the Show: How Duolingo Leverages Earned Media
Duolingo’s PR strategy relies heavily on earned media – where influencers and users generate content – rather than opting for more traditional PR tactics like paid campaigns or press releases. This year, they jumped on a major pop culture event to generate organic buzz and viral attention: Brat Summer.
The brand turned heads at Charli XCX’s “Sweat” tour kickoff by sending ten employees decked out as their iconic Duo owl mascot to the show. The language-learning app invested in pit tickets to ensure a prime spot for their clever PR stunt, knowing the concert would be a hotspot for social media buzz.
This approach not only generated widespread attention but also leveraged Charli XCX’s song lyrics, which playfully mention speaking different languages, creating a memorable tie-in with Duolingo's mission.
Zaria Parvez, the company’s Senior Global Social Media Manager, explains “With millions of impressions in UGC [user-generated content], a mention by Pop Base, and a feature from the official SWEAT tour – I think it’s safe to say this was a huge success.”
Why it works:
- Tactical engagement: By embedding themselves in a high-profile event and using an engaging mascot, Duolingo effectively inserted their brand into a viral moment, maximizing their PR reach.
- User-generated buzz: Duolingo’s PR moves are designed to blend entertainment and brand presence, creating viral moments that spark conversations without the brand having to directly push their content.
- Leveraging the power of earned media: Duolingo's campaign thrived on organic content created by concertgoers, proving that authentic, user-generated media can amplify brand visibility far beyond paid promotions.
Stanley Cup standing the test of fire
Disclaimer: To be totally honest, the Stanely Cup incident occurred in late November last year. But the Stanley Cup craze is still relevant in 2024 (see this SNL skit for reference), which is why it’s worth an honorable mention in this article.
Last November, a woman posted a TikTok showing the aftermath of the car catching fire, while her Stanley Quencher tumbler remained intact (the ice inside unmelted). In the initial video, the TikToker filmed the remnants of her car, saying, “Everybody is so concerned about if the Stanley spills, but what about if it melts? It was in a fire yesterday and it still has ice in it.”
This video quickly went viral and amassed more than 84 million views. Two days later, Stanley’s President, Terence Reilly, stitched the original video offering a new tumbler – and a new car. The response got over 32 million views, boosting Stanley’s visibility and increasing their brand worth.
Although the Stanley water bottle has been around for over 100 years, its latest marketing and PR efforts have made it the accessory to have. Once catered to outdoorsmen and blue-collar workers, this tumbler is now a favorite among nurses, teachers, and celebrities. Stanley’s annual sales jumped from $73 million in revenue in 2019 to $750 million in 2023, exemplifying the tangible impact of strategic initiatives and consumer engagement. The recent hype, including the surviving tumbler incident, has solidified Stanley’s reputation as a resilient and enduring brand.
Why it works:
- Respond quickly (and in epic manner!): Stanley’s PR and social media team acted fast. They responded just two days after the video went viral and got their President to be the face of their brand in its response. Acting quickly allows organizations to capitalize on news, and gain visibility, positive publicity, and potential business opportunities.
- The power of external validation: Third-party validation, whether through reviews, user-generated content, or influencers, can demonstrate how a brand can integrate its products into people’s daily lives and win their trust. Through this PR campaign (whether it was staged or not is your call) Stanley successfully leveraged customer trust as a PR strategy.
- Small actions, big results: Taking a personable approach in an unfortunate situation can really make or break your brand. The fact that Stanley’s President was the one to address the incident helped the brand connect with its consumers in a more human way. Surely, not every brand has the budget to give away a car, but showing that you care by responding to an incident directly can help get people talking in a favorable way.
Tony’s Chocolonely raising the bar
Tony’s Chocolonely is a Dutch chocolate brand that is changing the rules of the game. Their goal is to make ridiculously delicious chocolate that is 100% slave-free. With a strong focus on ethics and sustainability, Tony’s Chocolonely is willing to go the extra mile to prove its point, even if it means changing their packaging to send a message.
This year, Tony’s launched four temporary wrappers parodying well-known chocolate bars, like Milka, Twix, Kit Kat and Ferrero Rocher, to highlight the use of child labor by major suppliers in the cocoa industry.
A representative at Tony’s Chocolonely explained: "Most big chocolate companies don't pay a living income price for all their cocoa, resulting in exploitation on cocoa farms, with 1.56 million children involved in child labour in Ghana + Côte d'Ivoire." This campaign aimed to give visibility to the exploitation within cocoa supply chains and demonstrate its enhanced payment systems to support the communities in which they operate.
Mondelez International, a major confectionery group , has since filed an injunction against the Dutch chocolate company for using their trademarked lilac color. ““We own a colour trademark in Germany and throughout Europe for the distinctive Milka lilac colour for food products,” a Mondelez spokeswoman said. “As a matter of practice, to protect the values of our brands, which we have worked hard to build over hundreds of years, we express our concerns to third parties when they are using a protected brand element.”
This action prompted Tony’s Chocolonley to alter its design, replacing it with a grey bar for now. In a LinkedIn post, they explained: “Yes, we’ve had to change our bar – but that doesn’t mean we’ll stop raising the issue. Sooo.. it’s time to get back to our impact business, raising awareness around the biggest problems in cocoa – lack of living income, child labor and deforestation – as well as our tried-and-true solution: sourcing beans through Tony’s Open Chain, according to Tony’s 5 Sourcing Principles. And that includes paying cocoa farmers a Living Income Reference Price.”
Why it works:
- Sticking to your values: Nothing makes quite an impact as brands that can walk the talk. Tony’s Chocolonely bold and strategic move creatively highlights what makes them different from their competitors: their mission to end child slavery in the cocoa industry.
- Capitalizing on a negative situation: Tony’s Chocolonely used the injuction to once again bring attention back to its anti-slavery campaign. Although they plan on appealing the injunction, they’ve changed their Milka look-alike chocolate packaging to gray. “Let’s pay farmers, not lawyers,” they added. With this, the brand delivers an important lesson in how to generate positive PR in a negative situation.
- Nothing beats a brave message: I mean, try telling your legal team you’re planning to copycat the brand identity of some of the biggest brands in the world. For most of us, an idea like this never gets to see the light of day. A great campaign takes guts, and we couldn’t be more impressed with this heroic effort from the team at Tony Chocolonely.
Uber riding the “Swift Lift” wave
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that for the past year, everything Taylor Swift touches turns into gold. That includes every city she performs at during her worldwide “Eras” tour. QuestionPro, a survey firm, predicted that the first leg of Swift’s tour could generate a whopping $4.6 billion in consumer spending. Each attendee is expected to spend around $1,300 per show on things like travel, tickets, food, drinks, merchandise, and more. Now, Uber UK is preparing to use the “Swift Lift” to its advantage.
As Taylor Swift is set to perform in the UK this summer, Uber reveals they are preparing for an increase in demand. As thousands of megafans are expected to attend the sold-out shows, Uber’s latest campaign capitalizes on the power of virality and community – two things Taylor Swift herself does quite well.
Uber’s latest campaign allows riders to secure a Swift-inspired “friendship bracelet”with the chance to win a £20 credit for their ride. Fans who have managed to land the coveted tickets to the UK leg of the tour will receive this free gift from their taxi driver if they book their ride in advance through Uber Reserve.
Photo credit: Matt Alexander
Friendship bracelets became a trend for “Swifties” just months after the wildly successful Eras Tour in 2023. Now, Uber UK has partnered up with independent Etsy sellers in cities like Edinburg, Liverpool, Cardiff and London to design limited-edition bracelets for Swift fans to swap at concerts.
“The Swift Lift is real”, confirmed Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi. Last year, Uber saw a 63% increase in Uber requests in Phoenix, Arizona when Taylor Swift was in town. On average, all cities in the U.S. saw an overall increase of 23% when the Eras tour was playing.
Why it works:
- The power of reactive PR: Being on top of trends gives brands the advantage of timeliness – allowing them to take control of the narrative and shape the public’s perception in their favor. In this case, Uber UK has shown their ability to make the most of Taylor Swift’s visit to the UK, capitalizing on this opportunity for virality.
- Involving communities: The fact that Uber has partnered with independent sellers on Etsy to create limited edition bracelets showcases their belief in the importance of communities. Involving communities is crucial in PR because it fosters a sense of belonging and builds brand trust. By engaging with different communities, whether they’re local or online, PR efforts can resonate on a deeper level with the people they serve.
Stella Artois and the art of “stealing” the spotlight
Stella Artois is a renowned beer brand from Belgium. They, like other beer brands, distribute custom-made cups to restaurants and bars to promote their brand. One thing they’ve noticed over the years is that so many of them go missing. The culprits? Consumers. It’s pretty common to find a distinctive Stella Artois chalice drying on a dish rack or hiding in a kitchen cabinet. The latest campaign pokes fun at their own misfortune by telling consumers they won’t judge them for stealing. “Unacceptable but understandable,” says the latest Stella Artois campaign.
Instead of fighting the thefts, Stella Artois is capitalizing on this consumer insight and even motivating them to bring their cups home. In January, the brand launched a capsule collection of streetwear clothes that can make swiping glassware easier. This collection included pants and jackets with hidden pockets and even a bucket hat that converts into a purse.
“At Stella Artois, we are innate admirers of beauty, and as such, we are aware that the beauty of our chalice has made it an iconic object of desire. While inconvenient, we understand that borrowing is an acknowledgment of that, so we can only celebrate and recognize all these lovers of beauty who, like us, could not resist the temptation to enjoy a Stella served perfectly in a chalice at home. This campaign is a tribute to everyone who can discern and enjoy the beautiful things in life.” says Camila Plass, Marketing Manager at Stella Artois.
Why it works:
- Capitalizing on consumer insight: The subtle art of observation can turn an ordinary campaign into an unforgettable one. Understanding how your public behaves (even if it’s poorly) allows for the creation of more relevant and compelling content that not only captures attention but also builds trust and loyalty.
- Authenticity: In an era marked by skepticism, brands that communicate their values authentically have a higher chance of building rapport with their audiences. Authentic PR campaigns that are centered around consumer insight will resonate more deeply with audiences.
Did we miss any of your favorite campaigns this year? Hit us up! We’d love to hear from you.
Check out our top picks of the best PR campaigns in 2023, 2022 and 2021.
