From that sofa from ‘Friends’ and the return of Marathon bars, to 80s and 90s nostalgia and a glass and a half of kindness, September was a great month for innovative PR campaigns. We’re taking a look at five of our favourites –
Cadbury removes words from Dairy Milk packaging
If you’ve been shopping for chocolate, you may have recently seen that Dairy Milk packaging is looking a little empty.
Cadbury has joined forces with Age UK in a bid to fight loneliness among older generations. The campaign ‘Donate your Words’ has seen Cadbury remove the words from its Dairy Milk bars. Plus 30p from each bar sold will be donated to Age UK.
The campaign comes on the back of research, which revealed that an average of 225,000 older people go a whole week without speaking to anyone. Alongside the donation, Cadbury have encouraged people to donate their words and speak with older people in their communities.
A throwback to the Marathon Bar
September has been a marathon month for confectionery companies – quite literally. Marathon bars are back! Almost 30 years after being renamed, we wave goodbye to Snickers and hello to Marathon bars (for a limited time, of course).
Gemma Buggins, brand director at Mars, told the Mail on Sunday “It’s a great way to celebrate more than 85 years of Mars making chocolate in the UK. We hope this serves as a wonderful treat for fans of Snickers who remember when it was called Marathon.”
The stunt has proved popular with Morrison shoppers – the only store selling Marathon bars – so popular that one customer purchased 404 bars!
Copy gold for Spotify
This month Spotify launched their campaign ‘Listen Like You Used To’ in a bid to conjure up nostalgia for old favourites.
The campaign features a series of witty banners and signs across the country. Not only have they got tongues wagging over cultural differences across the last 20 years, but also received a lot of praise thanks to the clever use of lyrics, artists and songs.
The series of adverts were designed to remind people that whilst life may change, songs remain the same. The campaign is a great example of how a simple idea can go a long way in creating a buzz.
The one where the ‘Friends’ sofa goes on tour
Fans of the show ‘Friends’ were able to have a seat on the famous orange sofa in celebration of the hit sitcom’s 25th anniversary. 30 replicas of the Central Perk sofa were spotted in famous locations around the world. Destinations included the Grand Canyon to the London Eye, the Empire State Building to the Eiffel Tower.
The sofa tour played just one part of the ‘Friends; 25th anniversary, but arguably one of the most popular stunts from the campaign.
The show is still a firm favourite with views around the world 25 years later and is even one of the most popular shows on streaming websites.
Check out our Google searches blog which also mentions how Google celebrated Friends 25th anniversary.
Heinz
Have you mastered the art of pouring your ketchup?
If not, Heinz is here to help! Earlier this month the company released a limited-edition bottle to help users find the optimum pouring angle. The new Heinz Tomato Ketchup bottle featured a label tilted to 45 degrees, the perfect pouring angle.
Inspired by self-help and life hack videos on YouTube which showcase people’s favourite ways to pour. Methods include smacking and shaking, to rolling and getting the butter knife out.
Brian Neumman, senior brand manager at Kraft Heinz Canada said: “We have focused our marketing on reinforcing the emotional connection fans have with the brand in clever and ownable ways.”
The struggle is no longer real.
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