What Is a PR Campaign?
Let us start by providing a definition. A public relations campaign is a set of planned activities that aim to increase the visibility of a company or brand. Most PR efforts have specific business objectives, such as increasing website traffic, raising awareness of a new product, or attracting attention to a cause. Activities are completed within a defined time range that is related to the broader purpose.
A robust communication plan is essential for any successful public relations campaign. Create the appropriate message for your chosen audience. Select the appropriate channels for your message. Know who else may be listening (e.g., rivals). With communication as the cornerstone, your brand may begin to build a positive relationship with the public.
Why Should Campaigns Be Part of Your Public Relations Strategy?
In an era dominated by sales messages and calls to action, your public relations approach can be a breath of fresh air for customers. The brand does not ask for anything in return from the public. Instead, a public relations campaign allows the audience to learn more about the company without any marketing or sales pressure.
Taking away this pressure allows customers to relax and become more open to your organization. A well-designed campaign bypasses their internal “ad blockers.” Campaigns are about more than simply the items or services you provide; they also reflect your brand identity.
A successful public relations effort can help firms gain credibility with their audiences and strengthen media relationships. Brand identities grow stronger and more memorable.
How Do Public Relations Campaigns Work?
Every PR strategy starts with an objective. Perhaps you want to draw attention to a new product or rebrand. Perhaps you want to present your brand in a positive light after experiencing some negative exposure. Whatever your aim is, begin your public relations campaign with it and work backward to determine the best way to share your message.
Some public relations efforts are as simple as distributing a well-written press release to huge media networks, such as through our press distribution service. News media sources, blogs, and other publishers could pick up the press release and distribute it through their channels. You can also distribute this news release through other means, such as your website, blog, email subscribers list, and social media accounts.
Best PR Campaign Examples of 2023
Effective public relations initiatives must have a clear purpose, a clear message, and a targeted audience.
Successful public relations initiatives take various forms, just like the brands themselves. What is innovative and appropriate for one organization may be completely inappropriate for another.
Regardless, looking at other companies’ PR triumphs might be useful when creating a comprehensive PR campaign for your brand. So, let’s take a look at 8 notable PR triumphs from companies across industries, as well as crucial takeaways to help your next PR effort succeed.
1. Coca-Cola’s “Create Real Magic”
When 2023 rolled along, AI seemed to be on everyone’s mind. ChatGPT and AI art generator Dall-E have shed new light on content production, inspiring one of the most well-known businesses to capitalize on the buzz surrounding these new tools.
The outcome was the “Create Real Magic” campaign, which urged people to design their own AI artwork for the company. Using popular tools such as Dall-E, fans may add their own touch to how they view the brand, independent of creative ability.
Not only did Coca-Cola discover a fun way to engage and connect with fans, but it also gathered a big amount of user-generated content to share on social media and utilize in marketing.
Coca-Cola – Create Real Magic | AI Video
2. Oatly’s “FckOatley” Website
Many brands avoid possibly negative exposure. But Oatly determined that since bad press was inevitable, the brand should embrace it and take charge of the story.
In response to boycotts and widespread online criticism surrounding several notable controversies, such as the ‘Glebe-gate’ incident (in 2021, Oatly faced a trademark infringement lawsuit from Glebe Farm, a family-operated farm producing a product called PureOaty) and ‘The Residue Ruckus’ (where the company received significant backlash in 2018 for selling oat residue to pig farms for animal feed), the brand launched a website where individuals could voice their frustrations and learn more about the reasons behind the company’s decisions and backlash (such as the Glebe Farm case).
This tongue-in-cheek approach allowed the business to acknowledge public displeasure while also controlling it to some extent. The brand used the website to explain its side of the story and demonstrate that it actually listens to its customers. The website has numerous domains, none of which were pushed by the brand but were discovered naturally by customers.
3. Dove’s “Stand Up for #KidsOnlineSafety” Campaign
Dove is an expert when it comes to social campaigning, body acceptance, and making others feel good about themselves. Their latest hashtag campaign is no exception, focusing on children and their increasing usage of online channels.
The campaign, in collaboration with Common Sense Media and Parents Together Action, aims to raise awareness of the Kids Online Safety Act, which is legislation designed to safeguard children from online information that may be harmful to their mental health.
The promotion is consistent with Dove’s earlier vows to care for the full person, not just their appearance and fragrance. It also highlights how effective public relations can be with the appropriate collaborations.
A Call for Kids’ Online Safety: A Dove Forum for Change
4. Walker’s “Heart-Shaped Crisps” Campaign
If you’ve ever imagined that your potato chip resembled a heart, a puppy, or the shape of the state of Florida, you’re not alone. Most chips aren’t perfectly round, and Walkers chose to highlight this little imperfection just in time for Valentine’s Day.
The brand chose to give away £100,000 to anyone who discovered a heart-shaped crisp in a bag of Walkers. Customers were asked to send in photos of their treasures for a chance to win cash. The public relations gimmick was a big success, but it got even better when one poor customer missed out on the money because he ate his special chip before redeeming it.
5. Rihanna’s Super Bowl Fenty Touchup
Rihanna makes a big impact at the 2023 Super Bowl, revealing her second pregnancy during her first public performance in over five years.
But what really had folks talking was when she nonchalantly touched up her Fenty makeup during the performance. This modest gesture generated so much buzz that searches for the brand soared by 833%. The company also received $5 million in “media value”.
Rihanna also produced Super Bowl-themed merchandise, including football-shaped beauty sponges, undereye stickers, and stadium-ready makeup bags.
This marketing effort most certainly received a lot of attention because the brilliant vocalist and business owner combined her personal news, brand promotion, and product releases into one neat little knot.
6. The Sims 4’s Trans and Disabilities Updates
Electronic Arts (EA) is a brand that prioritizes diversity and inclusion efforts. The popular life simulation game, The Sims 4, has received a new update that includes medical gear for Sims, such as hearing aids and diabetes monitors. Breast surgery scars were also added.
These upgrades increased the game’s depiction of those with impairments or who identify as gender nonconforming. Fans swiftly took to Twitter to express their thanks for EA’s significant step toward embracing diversity and encouraging inclusivity.
What makes this campaign so effective is that EA didn’t simply state that it supports transgender persons and people with impairments. It took action and integrated its many features into the game. This proves that the gaming behemoth is sincere about its social responsibility PR efforts.
7. VisitLEX’s “Horse Kicks”
New York City is famous for the Statue of Liberty, Philadelphia for cheesesteaks, and Boston for its beans. Lexington is unmistakably known as the horse racing capital. So, when the city’s tourism department sought a marketing theme, they naturally turned to the city’s famed horse past.
The resulting marketing was a spoof brand of designer horseshoes called Horse Kicks. These unique sneakers began as a publicity ploy for the city, but growing public interest led to the creation of an actual collection of shoes, a storefront, a website, and plenty of eye candy.
The campaign generated over 3 billion earned media impressions, millions of new social media followers, celebrity shoutouts, and even brand collaborations and special orders from NFL and NBA clubs, among others.
Interdependence is a performance-driven PR firm supercharged by the most advanced AI and predictive analytics to maximize consistent media placements in prestigious media and industry outlets.
Schedule a consultation with our PR experts and start seeing results.
8. Furphy What the Truck?!
Furphy, an Australian beer brand, is named after the phrase for an implausible yarn that strains the truth. Furphy used a 7.8-tonne beer truck stuck between two towers in Sydney’s CBD to introduce its new Crisp Lager and stand out in a crowded market. Within hours, the truck went viral and received significant media attention.
Furphy Crisp Lager went from unknown to the country’s most talked-about beer after receiving over 25 million impressions, which is equivalent to the population of Australia.
CONCLUSION
Business owners promote their brands to raise awareness, develop interest, enhance consumer loyalty, and increase sales. So, in a way, brands participate in public relations efforts every day.
We looked into numerous companies that established ties with their target audience. But what if these interactions aren’t all positive?
This is when proper crisis management comes into play. It is critical to constantly be prepared for a crisis and to apply the appropriate tools to manage it, such as an AI-driven media monitoring platform. Schedule a chat with one of our specialists to learn how Interdependence PR can help you manage emergencies.
If you want to improve your brand’s reputation, arrange a consultation with one of our industry professionals to explore how Interdependence PR can help.
