Flack on Friday: Home Office chicken shop campaign roasted, PR definition, putting the boot into generic creative

Well-heeled campaign looks familar

Flack got his y-fronts in a twist last week about similarities between a new campaign for cider brand Frosty Jack's and last summer's Gregory and Gregory film for Greggs.

Both were built on the premise of tricking 'discerning' consumers that a mainstream brand is more desirable by giving it an upmarket name and image makover, and selling it in a posher location.

The impact comes when the true identity of the product is revealed to the unwitting members of the public.

Flack has since found out the same premise was used for a popular campaign last autumn for American discount shoe retailer Payless ShoeSource.

The brand was renamed Palessi and given a boutique facelift in a pop-up store. This time influencers were caught out, paying hundreds of dollars for shoes worth no more than $20 or $30. Have a look at the video below:

Is anything original any more? Or is this a case of great minds...?

(In the interest of fairness, Flack contacted the US agency behind the Palessi campaign, DCX Growth Accelerator, to get their view but received no response.)

Don't hamper crime fighting

Lots of criticism yesterday of the new Home Office campaign to target knife crime with messages on chicken box lids.

This response is among Flack's favourites. Biting.

I want the Fortnum & Mason Hampers with warnings about not engaging in tax evasion or predatory capitalism, and the Eton crockery inscribed with cautionary tales of destructive cabinet ministers. https://t.co/7eVCN6iYEi

— Paul Bernal (@PaulbernalUK) August 15, 2019

Flack also spotted this idea on Twitter, which may or may not have also been a retort to the aforementioned campaign:

are they going to put anti-cocaine messaging on bottomless brunch menus then?

— Louisa Davies (@LouisaD__) August 15, 2019

Clucking good wordplay

Public Relations (PR) Gets a Firm Noticed in the Media…

…and here endeth the lesson. Flack was dismayed to find out, via Chameleon CEO Tom Berry, that GCSE business students are provided with this limited description of PR, and not a whole lot more, in their standard guide:

This is the entire PR section in the standard guide for GCSE Business students. We have a lot to do to change perceptions of our industry and show our value at grass roots level. @wadds @SparklyPinchy pic.twitter.com/9Y38JxQBfo

— Tom Berry (@Bezmeleon) August 14, 2019

And we wonder the industry is so widely misunderstood.