'Guide Dogs for the Bland': great PR campaigns that sadly never happened

PRWeek surveyed the mentors for the launch of the new mentoring scheme – click here to read more about their views on topics ranging from PR versus advertising, the challenge of diversity, and budget constraints.

"Fauxtels.com for hotels.com - a reminder than Airbnb (et al) may be the hot new accommodation kids on the block but they'll never be able to offer the perks of proper hotels and will always only ever be fauxtels. Great insight and killer name - I'm still gutted the client didn't have the vision to buy it."

Greg Jones, creative director, Mischief PR

gifs via GIPHY

"I've tried loads of times to do something with a fun fair, nobody has ever seemed keen. I just keep thinking it would be brilliant. Tried loads of times, then Wayne Hemmingway opened his in Margate and Banksy did Dismalland and the hope finally died. Funnily enough once proposed to do a street art version of one for Absolute Blank, just remembered that. Years ahead of my time!"

Simon Moore, freelance creative director

"Ten years ago I presented a purposeful campaign to Diageo called ‘The Final Straw’ to encourage them to get behind a movement to ban plastic straws. It went nowhere back then... how times have changed!"

Kat Thomas, founder & global executive creative director, One Green Bean

"There have been a few, but there’s one in particular that we pitched two years ago. The client said they wanted to be brave, so we took them in a new direction and pitched a really emotive campaign. Our creative brought two people in the room to tears – for the right reasons. They said the loved it and then went and reappointed their incumbent! That was hard to take, but it’s just part of agency life. I won’t share it because I am going to find another client in the same therapy area to do it."

Stuart Hehir, creative director, Pegasus

"Guide Dogs for the Bland: dogs trained to take dull people to interesting and cool places. No one is going to sign that off, right?"

Mark Perkins, executive creative director, W

Let us know your best campaign ideas that never materialised by emailing john.harrington@haymarket.com or tweeting us using @prweekuknews.

Read more:

From the editor-in-chief: Creativity comes from real people, not structures

'Encourage more risk' - PR's battle to promote creativity

'I've had many Eureka moments while fingers-deep in plant pots' - what inspires creative PRs? (part one)

'Got a brief that you can't quite unlock? It's shower time!' - what inspires creative PRs? (part two)

'There's plenty to be inspired by when there's a pint involved' - what drives creative PRs? (part three)