Best PR Campaigns: Examples to Inspire You
Your brand needs to receive attention if you want to make it in the competitive business world of the 21st century. Raising awareness and getting people to notice your company was always important, and now even more so.
Today, we have selected some of the best PR campaigns to share with you, and hopefully get you inspired. But before we go any further, let us start with the definition.
What Is a PR Campaign?
The term is somewhat self-explanatory, yet, in short, a PR campaign is a series of planned activities that aim to increase your brand awareness and publicity.
More often than not, PR campaigns are tied to certain business goals, such as getting more traffic to your website, promoting a new product or service, spreading information, etc.
PR activities are usually carried out in a specific time frame, which is relevant to the goal you have set.
Best PR Campaigns: 7 Examples to Inspire You
- The Unburnable Book
- Gymshark’s Mental Weight Campaign
- Man Lives in an IKEA Store
- The “FckOatly” Website
- Flush Your Ex
- Heart Shaped Crisps
- Ice Bucket Challenge
1. The Unburnable Book
Starting off our list is a great example of public relations done right by Penguin Random House. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood is a dystopian satire that is often banned and even burned, due to a number of reasons.
This inspired the launch of an unburnable copy of the book, known as The Unburnable Book. It features white heat shield foil pages, nickel wire binding, stainless steel bands, and high-temperature adhesives to protect the freedom of expression.
This PR campaign certainly grabs the attention of society and releases a bold statement in response to the increasing censorship of books in schools and libraries.
The book has been auctioned for $130,000, and the proceeds donated to PEN America, which advocates for free expression in the US and worldwide.
2. Gymshark’s Mental Weight Campaign
Physical health is important, but mental health is equally essential to your well-being. Some weights are harder to spot than others – Gymshark found a way to increase awareness of mental illnesses through their subtle, yet powerful messages.
The brand posted a series of photos on social media, with their campaign standing against suicides, and rejecting living miserably, reminding us all that mental health problems should be addressed just like we address physical ones. Definitely one of the strongest PR campaign examples.
3. Man Lives in an IKEA Store
How crazy would it be to live in a store for 5 days? Well, that is just what comedian Mark Malkoff did in January 2008. Documenting his stay with short videos and engaging with customers, IKEA allowed him to live out what many of us have been dreaming about as children, and this resulted in an innovative and fun PR campaign.
Unsurprisingly, this campaign won several awards, including Corporate Branding Campaign of the Year and Best Use of Online Media.
Furthermore, the specially created website MarkLivesInIKEA.com got more than 15 million visits, and IKEA calculated that the promotion generated more than 382 million positive media impressions with coverage from CNN, Good Morning America, AP, and more.
4. The “FckOatly” Website
Have you ever heard the “there’s no such thing as bad publicity” phrase? While we are not going to debate whether that is true or not right now, we are certainly going to embrace how Oatly decided to take control of their bad publicity and show customers that they listen to what they have to say.
The FckOatly website gathers all things bad about the company, has a timeline of major scandals and accusations, involving the brand, and shares its side of the story. They even created a second website, FckFckOatly.com, which features a “dislike counter”.
5. Flush Your Ex
Next up, some truly unique, and brilliant PR and marketing. As a part of their Valentine’s Day PR campaign, Who Gives a Crap’s “Flush Your Ex” makes it possible for customers to mail old love letters and empty promises from your ex, and get them printed on recycled toilet paper, so you can… you know.
6. Heart Shaped Crisps
Some of the best public relations campaigns are quite simple. Here’s an example from Walkers and their heart-shaped challenge campaign that took place in 2023 around Valentine’s Day.
The rules were simple: find a crisp (or chips if you prefer the name) that is in the form of a heart, take a photo of it, post it on social media, and you can win a £100,000 reward. What better way to encourage users to buy your products?
The best part is that a few contestants unknowingly ate their potentially prize-winning crisps, without realizing that they should save it.
However, Walker did give their reward to a lucky entrant, sharing their crisp on social media, without mentioning the name of the winner, because they “did not wish to be identified”.
7. Ice Bucket Challenge
How many of you remember the summer of 2014? How about the Ice Bucket Challenge that was seemingly done by everyone, and videos of it were all around the web?
Another example of public relations done simply and enjoyably (at least for those watching, that is).
All the participants had to do was film themselves having a bucket of ice water dumped over their heads, then nominate others to do the same or donate to the ALS Association within 24 hours.
It was all for a good cause – raising awareness and gathering funds for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.
The campaign was very effective, too – according to the ALS Association, it raised over $115 million in the US alone.
Final Words
As you can see, the best PR campaigns manage to combine simplicity, a witty delivery, and subtle, but powerful messages. Let us know which of these PR campaign examples was your favorite.
If you are looking for a great PR firm to take your brand to the next level – RLM PR is the answer. We have been in business for over 30 years, and our proven industry expertise can transform your business perspectives.