Pogba’s Man Utd return
Manchester United were guaranteed tonnes of coverage for the club’s signing (or rather, re-signing) of Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba for a world record £89m, but the accompanying PR campaign from Man Utd and Adidas helped capitalise on this. His return, dubbed #pogback, was announced with a slick 30-second music video featuring grime artist Stormzy alongside the star, with Pogba sporting a Man Utd emblem shaved and coloured into the side of his hair, and the slogan ‘First never follows’.
#MissingType goes global
More than 30,000 people registered to give blood following the initial 2015 #MissingType campaign from MHP and NHS Blood and Transplant, and it ranked among PRWeek UK Power Book entrants’ favourite campaigns of the year. Engine Group's #MissingType campaign returned in August, reaching beyond England and Wales to take As, Bs and Os out of the name of organisations and landmarks across 21 countries.
Tefal’s pop-up toast art
Tefal, manufacturer of small appliances, was inspired with this endearingly quirky campaign – the art of breakfast – to launch its Maison breakfast appliance range. Working with creative and PR agency Bray Leino and food-art blogger Fresh Heather, it set up a gallery at Old Street Tube station featuring toast art based on works by Van Gogh and Hokusai, among others. See more of Tefal's pop-up toast art here.
BA’s Team GB homecoming
British Airways provided a PR masterclass for the return of Team GB’s stars from the Rio Olympic Games. Team GB’s official airline partner flew the athletes home on chartered flight BA2016, complete with a gold nose and emblazoned with the name ‘victoRIOus’, which was chosen by a public vote. The Olympians tweeted during the flight using #greattobeBAck, garnering money-can’t-buy publicity.
Excitement’s building at #T5 ready for the #victoRIOus return of @TeamGB share your messages using #greattobeBAck pic.twitter.com/fGxz9gsh8I
— British Airways (@British_Airways) August 23, 2016
Pookémon Go
Toilet humour can be a valuable weapon in the PR armoury. The charity WaterAid parodied August’s fad du jour, the mobile game Pokémon Go, in a light-hearted video with a serious message. Produced in-house, it shows a volunteer trying to catch the rare new ‘Pookémon’, called ‘Pookachu’. With 2.3 billion people globally lacking access to a basic toilet, WaterAid is urging the public to sign its #ToiletsSaveLives petition.
