Getting your brand noticed and not just seen is arguably becoming harder. The bar to entry for new brands is lowering, thanks to digital technology and talent access across borders.
Consumers are constantly bombarded with advertising messages—as many as 10,000 ad impressions per day—which leads to overstimulation and a reluctance to retain information. But a strong PR campaign can be game-changing for brands that want to break through the noise and be remembered.
Unlike traditional advertising or marketing, a PR campaign is designed simply to get people talking. It’s a way to put your brand in the spotlight, drum up some press, and make a lasting impression on your audience.
What exactly goes into a great PR campaign? Let’s look at some specifics as well as some of the best recent PR campaign examples from 2024.
Contents:
What Is a PR Campaign?
Why Should Campaigns Be Part of Your PR Strategy?
How Does a PR Campaign Work?
Best PR Campaign Examples of 2024
What Is a PR Campaign?
Let’s start with a definition. A PR campaign is a series of planned activities designed to give a company or brand publicity. Most PR campaigns have specific business goals, such as driving website traffic, getting a new product noticed, or drawing attention to a cause. Activities are carried out in a specific time frame relevant to the overarching goal.
A successful PR campaign hinges on a strong communication strategy. Create the right message for your intended audience. Choose the right channels for your message. Know who else might be listening (e.g., your competitors). With a good communication plan as your foundation, your brand can start to make a positive connection with the public.
Tip: Want to learn how to create a PR campaign? This guide will help. Also, consider taking a look at our free Data-Driven PR Playbook.
Why Should Campaigns Be Part of Your PR Strategy?
In a world driven by sales messaging and calls to action, your public relations strategy can be a breath of fresh air for consumers. The brand isn’t asking for anything in return from the public. Instead, a PR campaign gives the audience a chance to learn more about the brand without marketing or sales pressure.
Taking this pressure away allows consumers to lower their guard and be more receptive to your company. A well-designed campaign breaks through their internal “ad blockers.” Campaigns aren’t just about the products or services you sell, but rather your brand identity.
As a result of a great PR campaign, brands can establish greater credibility with their audiences and build stronger media relations. Brand identities become stronger and more memorable. And in many cases, sales naturally follow.
TIP: Learn about the differences between marketing and PR.
How Does a PR Campaign Work?
We have published a dedicated blog telling you how to create a PR campaign, but in general, they work like this:
Every PR strategy begins with a goal. Maybe you want to call attention to a new product or a rebrand. Or maybe you want to put your brand in a positive light after receiving some negative publicity. Whatever your goal, start your PR campaign with a goal and work backward to decide the best approach for sharing your message.
Some PR campaigns consist of nothing more than a well-written press release distributed on large media networks — for example via our press distribution service. News media outlets, blogs, and other publishers may pick up the press release and share it on their channels.
You can share the same press release on your channels, too, such as a website, blog, email subscriber list, or social media.
Or, you might choose to launch a solely social PR strategy. Social media PR targets your social audiences and relies on likes, shares, and comments to help you spread the word. You can also pay for ads to expand your PR campaign’s reach.
Other campaigns take publicity to new heights. For example, Red Bull’s New Moon event showed wingsuit-clad stuntmen descending from the sky with sparklers, creating the image that UFOs were landing on Earth. In the UK, a nude art installation promoted Sky Arts and its milestone of becoming a free-to-air television channel.
Whether a written press release or a live publicity stunt, a PR campaign’s role remains the same: to intentionally attract attention from an audience to promote a brand (and ideally receive some sort of response).
For help planning, executing, and measuring the impact of a PR campaign while minimizing their time and cost investment, get in touch to learn more about Meltwater's media database and PR reporting.
Best PR Campaign Examples of 2024
The best PR campaigns are those where creativity knows no bounds. Best of all, any brand can benefit from a little PR, whether you’re executing a local campaign or running a national promotion.
Let’s look at 10 brands that have nailed the art of PR in 2024.
1. Dove’s Hard Knock Life
Dove doesn’t shy away from tough topics like body positivity, but their Super Bowl LVIII commercial takes a slightly different approach. Set to the song “Hard Knock Life,” it opens with young girls taking hard hits or meeting challenges in sporting events.
It takes a tough cookie to stay in the game, but Dove shines a light on what makes most girls quit sports — and it’s not the risk of injury.
The ad cuts to a girl standing in front of a mirror, examining her reflection self-consciously. Low body positivity can be more brutal than any fall, scrape, scratch, or hit. The brand shares that 45% of females quit sports before the age of 14 and that a little body positivity can go a long way toward keeping them in the game.
2. Oreo Menu
The iconic hamburger menu that has taken over websites got a new twist from Oreo, which turned the three lines into a rendition of its famous cookie. The new Oreo Menu received its own website to promote the change.
To encourage users to visit the site (and let the idea catch on), the brand made the menu clickable — and all the displayed text could be used as promo codes to score discounts on Oreo cookies. It’s a great way to get people thinking about Oreos as they’re casually browsing the web. (Those hamburger menus are everywhere!).
3. Burger King’s Million Dollar Whopper
Getting input from fans is one way to come up with a new flavor or menu item. But Burger King took this idea further by asking fans to reinvent the Whopper — with visuals.
Using BK’s own AI platform, customers could create custom virtual Whoppers with their favorite toppings. The platform would create an image of their idea, giving Burger King tons of user-generated content for their marketing.
True to the campaign name, one lucky winner will be one million dollars richer, not to mention they’ll have bragging rights in BK’s history books for creating a new version of the iconic burger.
4. Tony’s Chocolonely’s Living Income Campaign
Dutch chocolate company Tony’s Chocolonely calls attention to subpar cocoa farming standards with its redesigned packaging that looks strikingly similar to other popular chocolate brands. It wasn’t by accident, either.
Tony’s wanted to bring attention to other chocolate companies that use unfair, unsustainable, and unethical sourcing as an attempt to show why they’re different.
This idea of raising the (chocolate) bar offers a creative take on brand differentiation. Customers know which brands Tony’s is parodying, making them stand out as brands that need to re-examine their cocoa sourcing.
5. Apple’s Heartstrings
Yes, it’s an advertisement. But in true Apple fashion, this promotion is mixed with a heavy dose of PR, emotion, and so much more. In case you haven’t seen it, the “story” shows a dad and his daughter at Christmas as she opens a brand new guitar. A flashback of a bygone Christmas paints a similar scene.
The muffled sound feels like part of the act — until dad pops in a set of new Apple AirPods Pro 2, which now includes a hearing aid feature.
The message is clear: AirPods are so much more than headphones. And Apple is so much more than a tech company. This PR/ad combo promotes the brand as a leader in innovation, showing its products have the potential to enhance the quality of life of its customers.
6. California Pizza Kitchen’s Mac and Cheese Promo
Even multi-billion dollar companies make mistakes, and fans don’t hesitate to share those blunders with the world. So when one irate customer of California Pizza Kitchen went viral for showing the lack of “mac” in their mac and cheese, the brand took it in stride with a hilarious response.
After making it right with the customer in the form of free mac and cheese and pizza for a year, CPK uploaded a TikTok video response to help others who might experience the same crisis. They offered a humorous take on the situation while showing they do listen to their customers and care about their experiences.
7. WcDonald’s
McDonald’s is a global love language, one that has captured the hearts of billions of people to the point where it’s become part of their culture. Despite its universal appeal, McDonald’s also recognizes the value of segmentation, which is why it decided to focus on its Manga-loving audience in a recent campaign.
The flipped “M” in “McDonald’s” first appeared in the manga series Cat’s Eye 39 years ago (an episode called “A Mystery for Winter Night”). Manga’s growth in popularity sparked the idea for McDonald’s to temporarily become WcDonald’s in 30 markets, which also included a few new items like the Savory Chili WcDonald’s Sauce.
8. Pfizer’s Here to Science Campaign
At a time when public trust in science and medicine is low, long-standing pharmaceutical company Pfizer aimed to win them back. It debuted its commercial during Super Bowl LVIII, set to the tune of Queen’s hit song, Don’t Stop Me Now.
Throughout the commercial, we see historical figures, scientists, and medical experts who forever changed medicine and healthcare. These same people were once thought to be crazy, unsuccessful, or downright wrong.
The ad is a subtle reminder that science and medicine are constantly evolving. Today’s mystery may become a scientific fact in the near future.
9. Lego’s Play is Your Superpower
Unlike many toys that come with age guidelines, LEGO is a brand that knows no age limit. You’re never too old to play, and the brand stays true to this belief in its Play is Your Superpower campaign.
The brand is hoping to change the narrative by creating opportunities around the world for families to play together. Experiences include a massive multi-floor playable library in China, a restaurant-themed pop-up event in Japan, a dance studio experience in Australia, and an exhibit at Berlin’s Festival of Lights, among others.
The campaign also has a dedicated page on the Lego website, which features campaign-related content and info on the global events.
10. Stanley Cup on Fire
Social listening is a big part of public relations. It shows you’re not only listening to your customers’ feedback, but also creates opportunities for two-way communication and proactive problem solving.
Trendy cup maker Stanley didn’t hesitate to seize a moment at the end of 2023, when it went viral based on a customer’s misfortune.
After a Stanley cup user’s car caught on fire, she created a TikTok video highlighting the damage to her car and her beloved Stanley cup, then revealed that her cup still had ice in it! It was a bold testament to the quality of the product, and Stanley repaid her in the form of a new cup — and a new car.
How will you create your next PR campaign? Meltwater can help you shine when you need it most. Our PR strategy tools and expertise help you create and manage your PR campaigns from end to end.
Learn more when you request a demo by filling out the form below!
