BrewDog’s Anti-World Cup Sponsorship: A PR Own Goal?

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Ever since Qatar was announced as the venue for the 2022 World Cup by the disgraced former FIFA President, Sepp Blatter back in 2010, this year’s tournament has been fraught with controversy.

As the World Cup has drawn closer, the idea of Qatar hosting has grown ever more controversial, due to allegations of bribery that surrounded FIFA’s awarding of the tournament and the Gulf state’s appalling human rights record.

The multinational craft brewery and pub chain, BrewDog is no stranger to socio-political campaigns. From climate change to criticism of Boris Johnson during the summer of 2022, its always raised its voice about contemporary issues.

The rebel beer brand recently announced that it would be an ‘anti-sponsor’ of the World Cup and despite the outwardly positive message, the company has been criticised for being hypocritical.

So, is the company taking a noble stance here or is it simply a shameless promotional advertising exercise?

 

What is Brewdog’s anti-sponsorship all about?

Less than two weeks before the World Cup was due to kick off in the Middle East, BrewDog announced via CEO James Watt’s LinkedIn page and a Saatchi & Saatchi advertising campaign that the company were ‘anti-sponsors’ of the tournament.

In his post on LinkedIn, Watt, who himself is no stranger to controversy, explained what BrewDog’s ‘anti-sponsorship’ of the World Cup meant.

(SIC)“Football is meant to be for everyone. But in Qatar, homosexuality is illegal, flogging is an accepted form of punishment, and it’s OK for 6,500 workers to die building your stadiums. That’s why we’re kicking off.”

Billboards have lined city streets up and down the country and BrewDog’s social media campaign has been loud and proud. There’s no doubt as to the company’s views on Qatar hosting the World Cup.

BrewDog has also pledged to donate every penny they receive for their Lost Lager beer during the World Cup to human rights charities.

Why is Brewdog receiving backlash?

Almost as soon as BrewDog’s campaign began, the social media finger-pointing started with claims of hypocrisy being quickly levelled at the rebel beer brand.

One of the first issues that was raised with their ‘anti-sponsorship’ was the fact that the company admitted that they would be showing live World Cup games in their bars.

BrewDog responded by arguing that they “don’t want to stop people watching football” and that the “more football we show, the more Lost [lager] is sold, the more money goes to charity.”

However, one of the brand’s key principles in its early days was that it wouldn’t show sports as it didn’t want to have the loutish behaviour that is sometimes a by-product of drinking beer and watching sports games, particularly football, in its bars.

Even if that policy has been dropped, the fact that games are being shown in BrewDog bars does somewhat compromise the integrity of the original campaign.

Not only this, but it has also emerged that BrewDog still sells its beer in Qatar via a third-party distributor.

There’s also the problem of BrewDog’s historic treatment of its employees.

Unite Hospitality were quick to condemn the beer brand and said that while the treatment of workers in Qatar has been a scandal, “BrewDog is one of the worst employers in the brewing industry when it comes to doing the right thing by workers.”

The company has made significant changes to its employee welfare system and culture but for many people, it still smacks of hypocrisy.

Is Brewdog’s anti-World Cup sponsorship a PR own goal?

Ultimately, this does feel as if it’s a PR exercise for BrewDog.

All PR and advertising campaigns can come under fire but, in this case, the beer brand have left themselves wide open for criticism.

Yes, this campaign has no doubt raised the profile of BrewDog and there’s been a healthy proportion of positives reactions to this, but the cynics have shouted loudly on social media about this and sadly for the company, they make a good point.

By attempting to come across as a business of integrity, thanks to a sizeable backlash, they’ve achieved the opposite and scored a bit of a PR own goal.

If you think the team at Source could help you hit the target with your PR or media relations, get in touch!

Are We Too Reliant On Big Tech In Marketing?

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Written by our PR intern and university student Bridie Buckingham…

This week saw WhatsApp crash for over an hour and it was an hour of mayhem for some users. The messaging service owned by Meta (previously known as Facebook) left users unable to send messages, make calls or video chat for nearly two hours before apologising and getting servers back online!

During the outage, users took to Twitter (as we all do in a crisis) to air their grievances and create some hilarious memes. On Tuesday morning, #WhatsAppDown was trending on Twitter, with more than 140,000 tweets flooding the internet…

 

But whilst many were tweeting, others found themselves unable to conduct business or get in touch with loved ones. WhatsApp boasts over two billion monthly active users and has become a mainstay for messaging in most countries.

Understandably, Monday’s server crash sent some users reeling.

A similar situation happened in South Korea (where I’m currently living and working remotely from) last week when life went askew as a fire broke out in KakaoTalk’s data centre, knocking out all communications for the tech giant. KakaoTalk, as you may or may not know, is South Korea’s answer to WhatsApp but it has its claws far deeper in the average Korean’s life than it may seem.

The South Korean Super App

Unlike WhatsApp, KakaoTalk has built a countrywide franchise off the back of their instant messaging app, operating in several sectors. Their businesses include, KakaoT (a ride hailing service not unlike uber or lyft), KakaoBike (an electric bike rental service), KakaoBank, Melon (a music streaming service) and MANY more.

Not to mention they even have a whole merchandise line called KakaoFriends that features itself on every Kakao service, they originally began as emoticon characters but have expanded to become beloved figures all over the country.

This year, Kakao reported 47.5 million monthly active users in South Korea during the second quarter. That’s more than 90% of South Korea’s population of 51.74 million people, as of Nov. 1, 2021.

During the outage, millions of people had trouble getting in touch with one another. Many could not pay for everyday items at convenience stores or order food and groceries, and travellers were left stranded because they were not able to book taxis, depriving drivers of income.

The service is also used to do a lot of business. Store owners and business operators use the messaging app to get in touch with clients and take orders and reservations for services, but without any way to send and receive messages a lot of revenue was lost.

Kakao plans to compensate businesses that had taken a hit from the outage and ensure another outage is prevented. Alongside this, co-CEO Whon Namkoong resigned from his position after feeling a “heavy burden of responsibility” over the incident.

The days-long outage and the havoc it caused stirred a national reckoning over the country’s growing dependency on Big Tech.

Whilst it may seem convenient to have all your important apps and information in one place, is it really a good idea to place so much dependency on one company?

 

Get in touch via Twitter or LinkedIn and let us know your thoughts on this!

This Summer’s PR Winners & Losers

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It’s been a seismic summer of sport, heatwaves, Love Island drama and political chaos but in amongst that we’ve enjoyed and endured some rather memorable PR and advertising campaigns.

From Crown Paints to Nike, there’s been an abundance of campaigns that have had tongues wagging and brows raised during the last few months.

So as the summer months draw to a close and the return to school becomes ever more imminent, in this week’s blog, we take a look at this season’s PR winners and losers.

The winners

eBay

eBay has enjoyed a stellar summer in PR terms thanks to its partnership with Love Island, with the online auctioning site supplying the contestants’ outfits through its second-hand clothes section.

The sustainable yet fashionable nature of eBay’s second-hand clothing got the perfect platform for exposure in Love Island, with millions tuning in nightly to watch the smash-hit ITV show and, by virtue getting to see the array of outfits.

They rounded off a successful summer by signing up contestant Tasha Ghouri as their official pre-loved clothing ambassador, something which has been well-received and with Ghouri’s 1.4 million followers, there’s a brilliant opportunity for yet more growth.

Weetabix

The popular breakfast has always been clever in its advertising with the slogan ‘they’ve had their Weetabix’ a permanent and successful fixture since the 1990s.

This summer, Weetabix produced some quite brilliant adverts that coincided with the successful women’s European Championships and appeared in the sports sections of major news sites and on billboards across the country.

A masterclass in copywriting, the ads played on Weetabix’s self-created reputation for providing consumers with great strength and were wonderfully simple.

Against the backdrop of the breakfast cereal’s iconic yellow colour scheme, Weetabix produced clever slogans such as “They had theirs” in response to the semi-final win and “crunch time (just add milk)” prior to the final.

This is a genius piece of copywriting that was playful yet latched onto the growing support for the women’s team and interest in the tournament. A brilliant campaign that captured the mood of a hopeful, and eventually ecstatic, nation.

Nike

As the England National Team’s official kit manufacturer, Nike’s slick and rather magnificent marketing team sprang into action to produce a campaign that was simply jaw-dropping.

In the build-up to the tournament the sports brand created an incredible campaign that was the perfect PR stunt for the women’s game.

Members of the Lioness squad were reflected onto Dover’s white cliffs with the powerful accompanying tagline “You’ve Never Seen England Like This” … and they certainly weren’t wrong.

Tower Bridge and Battersea Power Station were among the London landmarks lit up with England players such as Leah Williamson and Lucy Bronze featuring, with the Nike pledge ‘Never Done’ promoting their winning mindset.

Nike accompanied this incredible campaign with an inspiring advert that highlighted their commitment to the women’s game.

This campaign is expected to help the sports brand meet one of its key long-term PR aims, which has been to better connect with women.

The losers

TotalJobs

TotalJobs is an online job board that’s been considered redundant by many on social media for its apparently rage-inducing advert that’s been tarnishing their YouTube experience.

The ad which has generally been confined to online video and streaming platforms has been met with a barrage of criticism and led some to take the stance of “actively boycotting [TotalJobs] because that advert is driving [them] insane.”

 

This particular Twitter user was one of many on the site that commented on the ‘smugness’ of the woman who got the job.

Another commented on how the “creepy, long stare the girl does in the TotalJobs ad on YouTube is enough to put me off using their service.”

It seems that TotalJobs have missed the mark with this campaign and potentially done a bit of damage to their reputation, purely through a perceivably irritating advert.

Instagram

PR-wise, Instagram has had a rather abysmal summer and sadly it’s been a problem of their own making.

The rise of TikTok has led the Meta-owned site scramble to incorporate videos into its feeds and adjusted its algorithm to include more of its reels on users’ feeds.

This has been met with a real backlash by users who are fed up with seeing reels at the expense of their friends and family’s photos, which led to 21-year-old photographer Tati Bruening starting a powerful ‘Make Instagram, Instagram Again’ campaign.

This campaign garnered a lot of support and among its proponents were Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner who shared the graphic on their stories which would’ve reached a large proportion of their 700 million followers.

Back in 2018 $1.3 billion was wiped off the value of Snapchat after Jenner tweeted that she no longer used the app, so Instagram knew that they had to act to avoid a similar disaster.

Loser or winner?

Crown Paints

Crown Paints is an interesting one and plays into an issue that my colleague Jess raised in her recent blog regarding whether all publicity is always good publicity.

In the past, the paint company won exposure through being a shirt sponsor for a football club who play in Anfield during the 1980s and generally have operated low-profile, safe PR campaigns.

However, its risqué ‘Life Stories’ advertising campaign has ensured Crown Paints sits firmly within the contemporary public conscience.

Focusing on the couple ‘Hannah and Dave’ and how they’ve navigated through their relationship, the ad has received numerous complaints and could potentially be investigating by the Advertising Standards Authority.

Many, such as comedian Jenny Éclair, took to social media to voice their displeasure at Crown Paints’ commercial, particularly, the lyrics “now a baby’s coming and they don’t know what it is” and “Hannah’s hoping for a girl, Dave’s just hoping that it’s his.”

The ad has been labelled “offensive”, “misogynistic” and a “serious error of judgement”.

Éclair added that it essentially insinuated that Hannah had “conned” Dave into fatherhood.

However, others enjoyed the ad and dismissed criticism as simply an over-sensitive reaction to a humorous take on modern relationships.

Whatever your thoughts on the advert, arguably Crown Paints’ brand awareness has never been higher and there’s no denying that it’s wedged the Darwen-based business firmly in people’s minds.

So, have they had a PR disaster or triumph this summer? I guess that’s up to you but I’d say they’ve snuck into the triumph realm purely by winning unprecedented brand awareness.

 

How Much Do PR Agencies Charge?

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As we head into what is likely to be another economic slowdown, there is often an uplift in businesses wanting to raise their profile in an increasingly competitive market.  With budgets tight and ambitions high, prospective clients often ask us ‘How much do PR agencies charge?’.

The short answer is how long is a piece of string, as there are a number or variables that can influence the amount PR agencies charge, whether it’s the amount of time spent supporting the account, the specialist nature of the work or the seniority and experience of the team required to deliver the results.

But it’s equally an important question as the predetermined budget is one of the key factors when selecting the right PR agency to support your marketing goals.

Here we’ve tried to outline some of the key elements that go into determining a PR budget, to help prospective clients pick the resource and team they need to support their business ambitions.  Knowing the information will hopefully help internal stakeholders understand why the costs are what they are and the agency is the right one for the business

Before appointing a PR agency, the first question must be whether the company has existing skills and resource available to deliver the plans.  If not, there is always the option to recruit a ‘PR manager’ to help, with typical costs of £35 – £50kpa depending on location, experience and skill set.  If selecting this route, ask whether they have all the required skills and industry resources to deliver the campaign as well as what plans are in place to cover holidays or other absences?

Another option could be to use a freelancer.  Freelancers often cost more than an in-house resource and can bring specialisms and experience, but often deliver tactically the strategy that’s been determined in house. Freelancers have specialities and niches, so if considering this you may need to hire one freelancer to handle your social media while another for media relations.  Costs can range from £150- £250 a day again depending on skills and experience and can quickly rack up if not managed carefully.

Selecting the right PR agency

When it comes to selecting a PR or social media agency, these typically fall into three categories, large, small and specialist PR firms.  Hiring an agency gives you access to a team of experts across the full spectrum of communications services from media relations, social media management, crisis communications, public affairs, SEO and more. Unlike a freelancer, agencies usually offer a team to deliver the strategic planning, measurement and evaluation along with tactical delivery and execution.

Smaller or ‘boutique’ agencies, typically have a staff of less than 20. Their monthly fees usually range from £1,500 – £5,000 (potentially more for a London based or highly specialist firm). The value is in the easier access to senior PR counsel as well as the agility and close working relations built with the team. Boutique firms can also specialise in specific sectors and services within the PR and marketing spectrum but offer a more personalised service to client businesses.

Large agencies usually have staff of more than 20 and have offices across the UK or world, offering support to clients that require that reach. Some of the brand names like Edelman, Weber Shandwick and Hill and Knowlton fall under this category. These agencies cost the highest with typical retainers more than £5,000 per month. These agencies are best suited for big corporations and governments, especially those needing PR support for multi-national launches and campaigns.

When it comes down to working out how much do PR agencies charge, most PR and social media agencies operate either on a project or retained basis.  Project rates tend to be for shorter term contracts between one and three months and can be used to support an event or crisis.  Project-based contracts tend to be priced higher than annual retainers because agencies spend a lot of time in winning the business, researching the company and getting to understand the various products or services. The short-term aspect can also put a lot of pressure on the agency’s resources to deliver within the time frame and the time spent on learning the account cannot be recuperated six months down the line once the project has ended.

Retained contracts run longer and are usually around 12 months duration, however at Source PR we are proud to say that we have supported several clients for more than 10 years on a rolling retained basis (as they value the work and results we deliver!). Retained contracts often cost lower than project-based contracts because the time spent and the research done in the initial few months by the agency are paid off in the long-term.

PR Agency Services

Services like media relations are offered on retainer contracts because the best results are achieved in the long term.  A one-off press mention in top-tier media can lead to a short spike in brand awareness or traffic to a website, but only consistent press coverage over the long-term will genuinely build and enhance a company’s brand and reputation.

Retained contracts typically allow clients to pay a fixed rate every month based on a specified scope of work or a fixed number of hours. Some months the work may be slower but it is usually balanced by months when the workload is higher.

One of the key influences into PR agency prices is based around the team allocated to support the business.  PR prices are proportional to the agency day rate card (i.e. how much time a member of the team would be required to support the business and the seniority / experience of the person or team). Naturally the hourly rate of an account executive is lower than that of an account manager, which is lower than that of an account director etc.

When looking to choose a PR agency, it tends to be best to work with a firm whose typical client is of the same size and budget as yours. Some clients with moderate budgets make the mistake of selecting a ‘big name’ agency only to have junior or less experienced PR staff working on the account as the client (or fees!) are not deemed as important to the senior team.  Smaller or boutique agencies typically give better access to the senior team at a more affordable rate.

Finally, one of the other key influences in determining ‘How much do PR agencies charge’ comes down to the services required by the client.  Some services like strategic planning, branding and public affairs understandably cost higher as they require more senior expertise. Crisis communications cost much higher as it requires the PR professional to be available 24X7 to respond to the crisis as it evolves and can take them away from other scheduled work

Similarly, services like media relations or working with influencers – where a PR professional brings their relationships built over the years also cost higher.  Services like social media management or blog writing can cost lower because they can be successfully undertaken without needing years of experience or decades spent building relationships.

The last question to ask is how much would it cost you not to recruit a PR agency?  What is the value of your time, do you have the skills and time to deliver a campaign yourself.  Equally what are the sales and opportunities you’re missing by not building your profile?  All are valid questions when asking ‘how much do PR agencies charge’.

Speak to us

If you’d like to speak to someone about PR pricing and what agencies can deliver against specific budgets, feel free to contact a member of our team.  Source PR is one of the North West’s leading boutique agencies and offers a full range of services to client business across the region and UK.

The team would be delighted to discuss your PR, social media and digital communication requirements and to meet to discuss your ambitions and how best we can deliver against your PR budgets and priorities.

All Publicity Is Good Publicity… Until It Isn’t!

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Anybody that works in PR will be familiar with the phrase “all publicity is good publicity” and perhaps even those who don’t. In fact, oftentimes it’s those who aren’t in the communications industry that tend to agree with this sentiment, thinking it’s better to have a business in the public eye – no matter the reason – than not at all.

The truth is, there are so many times when this statement is absolutely true. There are plenty of tales of brands being able to turn negativity on its head (think the Colin v Cuthbert debacle) and even times where being ‘put on blast’ has also resulted in sympathies, support, and sales for a brand.

Coincidentally, an excellent example of this occurred just this week.

Why Going Viral Is Nearly Always A Good Thing

ASDA has stocked a ‘value’ range on its shelves for years now, as have other supermarkets. Recently, the products underwent a rebrand and can now be identified by bright yellow packaging and a very striking typeface. I know this happened around a month or so ago as I’ve had many a carton of apple juice in my fridge bearing this branding since it changed 😁.

However, it’s only this week that ASDA has been making headlines, and perhaps not for any reason it intended. It was really a post by LadBible that I saw get the most attention; it said that shoppers were complaining that the redesign is ‘embarrassing poorer families’. Many commenters on Facebook agreed.

Since this post, there’ve been plenty of other articles written that bang the same drum, and lots more angry commenters and tweeters too. But something else has happened. With more conversation taking place about the packaging of the products, awareness and intrigue has increased too. Now, I’m seeing more shoppers rave about the range than complain about it – mainly talking about great the value is.

ASDA aren’t alone in offering and even expanding, its budget range amidst the cost of living crisis. But (as far as I know) it’s the only supermarket that’s recently redesigned it. Though the initial sting of criticism certainly wasn’t good for the brand, the aftermath has really helped to elevate the publicity of the products and has caused plenty of positive reactions. ASDA is continuing to promote the range well on social media too, and because of the now instantly recognisable packaging, engagement is through the roof!

So, in this case, what might have initially been a crisis for the brand, instead did a 180 and ended up really putting ASDA’s value range on the map. This has got to be a golden example for all those who’d argue there’s no such thing as bad publicity.

But… I’d still say there is.

Exceptional Situations Should Be Considered In Sweeping Statements

A lot of people that work in PR will argue that all publicity being good publicity is a huge misconception. They’re on to something!

From erstwhile examples such as the iconic case of Jerry Ratner causing the demise of his business by saying his products were ‘total crap’ on TV (yes that really happened!) to more recent debacles such as Colin v Cuthbert, where I actually think that despite Aldi’s triumph, M&S came out a lot worse off image-wise than if the legal case had never been brought about at all. Not to mention Marks & Spencers is now being repeatedly berated by its legal rival which continues to do it no favours as Aldi instead scoops up the affection.

Though I don’t deny that having your brand visible in the public domain is almost always a good thing (I am a PR after all) and going viral is, 9 times out of 10, the dream for any business we work with, I do think there are too many instances to argue that, without question, there’s no such thing as bad publicity. To name a few…

  1. Some things are unforgivable – Sometimes, brands can get rebuked for fairly surface-level things, but think about major mishaps, e.g., the allergen death caused by Pret-A-Manger. That got an incredible amount of ‘publicity’, for all the wrong reasons. Now, when people think of Natasha’s Law, they’ll think of that brand – there’s no way anyone can convince me that’s a good thing.
  2. Fame doesn’t often last long – I’d also argue that a lot of so-called ‘publicity’ is superficial. So yes, your brand may be in the news for one reason or another, it may even go viral, but admittedly weirdly as a PR, I do love that Notting Hill quote “today’s newspapers will be lining tomorrow’s wastepaper bin”. How many of these new ‘fans’ are actually going to stick around, engage with your brand, or buy your products or services? I’ve never heard of anyone selling out after going viral for the wrong This quote is also why I believe in a sustained approach when it comes to PR, instead of looking at quick wins and vanity metrics!
  3. Not everyone is quick to forget – And finally, if all publicity is good publicity, there would be no such thing as crisis communications (incidentally something we at Source are pretty prolific at). No good business would trade in its reputation and trust of stakeholders for 5 minutes of fame. PR is all about strengthening image, and being in the press for the wrong reasons can cause irreparable damage to your brand. As much as we love the idea of going viral, we never like to see our hard work unwinding! Not all debacles cause the decimation of a brand (M&S is still going strong, to give you an example) but in more serious cases, the cost of losing trusting customers can be detrimental.

There’s never a right answer to open questions, but now you know what I think!

And, if you ever find yourself in one of those ‘bad publicity’ situations, we’re always on hand to support with crisis communications. The team has decades of experience under our belt in that area, and we can help. You can reach us via our contact page.

Lionesses Score For The Rights Of Women – But We Have A Long Way To Go

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Sunday saw one of the most momentous triumphs in English football history as the female England football team did what their male counterparts had been trying to do for over 50 years – they brought football home. The England V Germany Euro 2022 final was watched by a peak BBC television audience of 17.4 million (with a further 5.9m streams on iPlayer and BBC Sport), making it the most-watched women’s football match in UK-TV history.

This victory and the hype around it are the perfect opportunity to utilise the chance to truly champion sports for women and girls, and the outstanding performance of the Lionesses feels like it has been the beginning of a positive shift in the right direction.

 The history of football in England

As many of us have learnt in the last week, the Football Association banned women playing the game in 1921 for 50 years. To put that into context, here are just some ground-breaking things that happened for women in the UK during that time period:

  • 1928 – All women in Britain gain the same voting rights as men
  • 1956 – Legal reforms take place to say female teachers and civil servants should receive equal pay
  • 1961 – The contraceptive Pill was introduced and widely available in the UK – for married women only
  • 1967 – Unmarried women were deemed trustworthy enough to control their own reproductive organs and therefore allowed to be prescribed the pill

You catch my drift.

 Riding the wave to create positive change

What makes this group of women’s victory even more special is that they have come from a generation where playing the game is not the norm. When you think about it, their mothers will likely have grown up as children and teenagers during the time the sport was banned for them. Not only have the England squad likely inspired a whole generation of girls (and boys, I hope) to play football, they’ve also called for the next Prime Minister to allow girls to  play football in school. Their open letter has been shared by the likes of Ian Wright, Rio Ferdinand and Jordan Henderson, using the hashtag #LetGirlsPlay.

An open letter to the next PM

The amount of media coverage surrounding the England victory and its aftermath has been brilliant to see, as historically women’s sports receive only around four per cent of all sports media coverage, despite 40% of sports participants being women. It would be naive to think that this one event will now mean that media outlets start to equalise coverage of men and women’s sport, however it’s progressive and I hope it begins to create a shift and go towards helping with gender stereotypes.

Looking to the future

For many women, the win on Sunday wasn’t JUST about the football, but in fact another small step towards equality in all female sports on and off the pitch. In sports journalism, commentating, coaching, refereeing: the list goes on. I hope that this watershed moment will help to shape the present and future for women in sport and the media portrayal of women’s sport.

If you think the team at Source could help you score with your PR or media relations, get in touch!

 

Exploring A Korean PR Jack(pot) In The Box

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Written by our PR intern and university student Bridie Buckingham…

Sometimes the universe serves up an opportunity on a golden platter…

As I’m currently living in South Korea whilst interning at Source PR one day a week remotely, I thought it only fitting to write about this recent homonymic occurrence that worked out pretty well for those involved. Have you ever heard of the American fast-food chain “Jack in the Box”? How about global k-pop sensation BTS?

Well recently, Jack in the Box’s social-media team woke up to find the fast-food chain’s mentions inexplicably spiking on numerous platforms. It was all thanks to BTS’ J-hope who had just announced the title of his solo debut album: Jack in the Box.

Fans of BTS were already starting to connect the Jacks — “Jack in the box should do a meal for Hobi,” one tweeted, referencing J-Hope’s nickname.

Small Girls PR, who represents the fast-food restaurant of the same name,

recognized the opportunity for an authentic social connection and jumped into action by creating a social media and in-store campaign to take advantage of the coincidence. The efforts earned more than 600,000 social media impressions, hits in Billboard, The LA Times and TODAY.com all for no budget.

The tweets on the official @jackinthebox account were playful and clever: “can’t believe he wrote an album in my honour,” read the first…

…Followed by a double-Spiderman meme marked “me” and “J-Hope.”

The official @BTS_twt account liked both tweets.

As for its in-store campaign, Jack in the Box announced it would be giving fans a free drink in the K-pop star’s honour. The fast-food chain worked with Sprite (widely known as J-Hope’s favourite thirst quencher) to hype a new free-drink-with-a-meal plan. “I love anything named after me annnddd Sprite. This Friday use the code ANDSPRITE in the Jack in the Box app to redeem a FREE Medium Sprite with any purchase. #IYKYK #JackInTheBox,”

The resulting promotion took advantage of free advertising, all without contacting BTS or its music company, HYBE. It’s an unusual corporate connection for the BTS team, which aggressively markets its own music and merch worldwide (BT21 anyone?).

Despite drawing nearly 39,000 likes for its free-drinks tweet, many from the BTS ARMY, Jack in the Box did not have to pay for anything in a sponsorship deal — though the chain is open to one, much like its competitor did.

Jack in the Box isn’t the first fast-food chain to hop on the BTS bandwagon. In April 2021, the k-pop group teamed up with McDonald’s for the restaurant’s Famous Orders campaign, which led to the release of a limited-edition BTS 10-piece McNugget meal and two special sauces.

Such serendipity doesn’t happen every day, but when it does it’s a sight to behold.

I loved this classic PR tale and watching it unfold, especially from Korea itself!

‘A Whole New Ball Game’ – Unorthodox PR stunts In The Early Premier League

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The new Premier League season begins in just under a month and that prospect whether tantalising or harrowing, depending on your allegiances, means that the big league’s 30th birthday is also just around the corner.

Now in its fourth decade, the Premier League is recognised as the biggest in the world with an audience of 3 billion+ from 188 out of the 193 countries recognised by the UN, tuning in to games over the course of the season.

This is complemented by a slick international marketing campaign that is unique to different territories and highly engaging.

However, 30 years ago, this reality was the stuff of fantasy for Premier League chiefs who were looking to marketing agencies to improve football’s reach, at a time when the sport’s potential had been largely left untapped.

The ‘slum sport’ and the Italia 90 revolution

During the late 1980s, English football was headed into sharp decline.

Stadiums were crumbling, finances were precarious, and attendances were plummeting.

A European ban meant that many of the English game’s biggest stars were seeking pastures new on the continent or north of the border, reducing the quality of First Division football.

Meanwhile, hooliganism was rife, which turned many fans away from football and the violence prompted the Times to brand it as a ‘slum sport’.

However, Italia 90 marked a sea change as all of a sudden through England’s success and the country’s transfixion with the trials and tribulations of the World Cup that year, there was a marketing opportunity.

Jim White of the Telegraph noted that ‘lights [went] on in brains’ of the next generation of media and marketing moguls who spotted the mass appeal of football.

Up until 1992 the Football League had had four divisions, but a breakaway league was proposed by top-flight chairmen that year, as a means of bringing more money into the game and Rupert Murdoch’s BskyB, who saw the earning potential, were willing to bankroll it.

So, with the multi-million pound backing of Sky Television the clubs of the First Division broke away from the century old Football League to form the Premier League.

‘A Whole New Ball Game’

In anticipation for the launch of the Premier League, Sky had assembled a marketing team who had hurriedly set about coming up with a number of PR strategies in the close season, that would attempt to launch the league into the stratosphere.

A number of lessons had been learned from the US about how to market a sport, with takeaways from how merchandising, advertising and entertainment could help brand the league effectively.

Stadiums were kitted out with rolling advertising boards and with extra TV coverage, companies would have to pay more to have their names around the pitch.

Another of the key lessons from the States was to introduce ‘Monday Night Football’, a concept that had enjoyed tremendous popularity across the Atlantic and that was statistically a timeslot which attracted the most women, an important demographic for Sky to reach.

This would bolster interest in the sport from a new audience and the wider branding strategies would increase the awareness of the Premier League.

However, no marketing campaign is complete without a slogan befitting of its seismic nature.

‘A whole new ball game’, was almost exactly what football in the Premier League eventually became, a sport completely alien from its previous down-to-earth but rather unfashionable Football League forerunner.

The phrase almost foresaw the inexorable rise of the league and was particularly important as it used sporting language to show the public that this was a break with the troubled recent past.

This was further emphasised by the accompanying television advert sound-tracked by Simple Minds’ Alive and Kicking which has proved to be equally as iconic.

The unorthodox side of the Premier League’s early marketing

In truth, however, it wasn’t all Simple Minds and clever advertising strategies when it came to marketing an infant Premier League.

No, the early days were marked by trial-and-error PR stunts that, nonetheless, garnered a bewildered sort of interest in what was happening to English football’s top division from the public.

The first ‘Monday Night Football’ match of the new season was between Manchester City and Queens Park Rangers on a sunny August evening.

It provided Sky with the perfect opportunity to showcase their more unorthodox marketing tactics due to the larger anticipated audience share.

As soon as the opening titles abate, however, the chaos unfolds.

The second verse of Alive and Kicking immediately come into earshot, amid a cheerleading routine from the on-brand ‘Sky Strikers’ who would bring American-style pre-match entertainment to Moss Side.

Anchor Richard Keys continued to emphasise the ubiquitous appeal of the new Premier League by declaring it ‘fun for the family’.

The camera then quickly pans away from the cheerleaders to a plane carrying the Sky logo and the ‘whole new ball game’ slogan.

Inside 2 minutes, a whole host of marketing has been packed in but most of it rather unconventional.

By the end of the season, the ‘Sky Strikers’ would be gone after the channel realised that this American-style entertainment didn’t whet the appetite of viewers on this side of the Atlantic and the flyovers would cease.

During the season there would be other unusual PR stunts but none quite as bizarre as the sumo wrestling fight that took place before a night fixture at Leeds’ Elland Road.

Two men carrying giant inflated sumo wrestlers rolled and tumbled towards each other in a pitiful ‘fight’ in the middle of the pitch and were met with a somewhat cool reception from the Yorkshire crowd.

In other instances, groups like The Shamen and Undercover would perform before kick-off or at half time to ensure that the crowd were entertained and back at Maine Road, Frank Sidebottom would appear on the pitch in front of the Manchester City faithful.

Ultimately, though, there was method to the madness.

One of the key marketing figures Jon Smith said, in response to the chaotic entertainment and PR stunts, that his team wanted to ‘do better than a brass band at half time’.

It may have been bizarre at times, but the philosophy of not doing things quietly was born and it would set the tone for the Premier League in years to come.

If you think the team at Source could help you with your PR or media relations, get in touch!

The Jump from Studying PR To Working In PR

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It’s been three months since I started my first ever PR job at Source, so I thought it would be a good time to reflect on my journey so far, and how university set me up for my role as a Junior Account Executive.

First off, I can truly say my role within Source PR has been everything I imagined and more! As a new graduate, the company has really been the place where I can put my knowledge to the test, as well as grow and develop my career.

As you may have guessed from the title, I studied Business and Public Relations at John Moors University. Over the three years, I covered a wide range of modules, from crisis management, campaign management and digital marketing, just to name a few!

The jump from university to my first PR job was scary. After all, my only knowledge of the PR world was just from what I had learned in the classroom. Although I felt that it didn’t hinder my knowledge when it came to starting my new job role. With some degrees, the things you learn within the lecture halls won’t carry through when actually working within a role, but I think my PR course was different.

I started my role at Source in May 2022, and was introduced to the wonderful world of PR. With a large client base and a range of different responsibilities, it was time to get stuck in. My role as a Junior Account Executive covers a wide basis. Every client has different needs; therefore, every day brings something new. I could be writing blogs, managing social media posts, or writing press releases. One thing I love about my job is getting to venture out to any campaigns clients have and meeting new people, there’s always something exciting going on.

What I have learned at university had really helped me when starting at Source PR, having dabbled in so many areas like blog writing and press releases, thankfully made the transition from university to work that bit smoother.

Of course, working here, the learning never stops! The team I work with have been amazing at helping me settle in and learn the ropes and I can’t wait to continue my journey here at Source, It’s safe to say I picked the perfect PR role.

Working With Influencers – Takeaways From The Cheshire Creatives Club Workshop

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Last month, I was very honoured to be on the panel of the Cheshire Creative Club’s ‘A Content Creators Toolkit’ workshop in Alderley Edge. The group describes itself as an inclusive network for North West based creatives, and naturally, we’re pleased to be members at Source PR.

The workshop was all around how influencers can work with brands, and vice versa really – it’s a two way street! I was there to offer advice from a PR’s perspective on how content creators can approach agencies who represent brands they’d like to work with, and also to sing the praises of influencer marketing to the businesses I met with too.

I left the Churchill Tree, where the event was held, though, feeling as though I took away even more than I gave. The room was packed full of influencers from all over the North West who had no end of interesting insights and anecdotes. I learned so much from them, and I wanted to write up my takeaways today in a roundup of everything you need to know about working with influencers in 2022. The communications industry is ever changing, an influencer marketing is a strand that’s no different, so it’s important for us at Source PR that we’re working in the latest landscape!

3 Things I Learned About Working With Influencers In 2022

Understand ASA guidelines

One of the most tangible elements of influencer marketing, are the boundaries around working with content creators and respecting the rules they have to follow too. The information from the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) changes regularly, and this can heavily regulate the content that an influencer may share on your behalf. Not only as a PR or business should you be mindful of this and never ask someone that you’re working with to bend the rules (which I found out had been the case for some!), but you should also be including this within your terms and agreements too, to maintain a good ethical marketing practice.

You can find out more information on the ASA website, but a friend of Source PR and who I sat alongside on the panel, Bethany Francesca, was extremely clued up on the whole thing and gave a succinct rundown which was pretty much… Whether you’ve been gifted it, or paid to promote it, you must mark it as an ad. A good format to follow is:

  • Ad (gifted) – acknowledging something was sent to you for free, but that you have not been asked to promote it in any way
  • Ad (PR) – acknowledging something was sent to you for free, and you have been asked to promote it on your feed
  • Ad / Promotion – acknowledging that you have been paid to promote a product, or service, and that copy and prompts may have been provided to you

It’s not just about being ethical as a brand either. Influencers that make sure that they follow guidelines rigidly are also likely to have more trust from their followers, who know that they’re being shown authentic content with genuine opinions.

It’s key for businesses to work with these types of creators.

Working with influencers in 2022

Be careful with how you contact

Despite being on the panel at the workshop, it was great to hear from the other side of the room too. The session was so interactive, and for every point I was made there was always something to support it. One thing I was particularly interested to hear about, was how influencers like to be contacted. When working with influencers, especially in 2022 after a couple of turbulent years, it’s important to establish a positive relationship as soon as possible.

It’s important to acknowledge that everyone has different communication preferences from brands and PRs, some prefer email whilst others would rather be ‘DMed’ on social directly. As a business it’s our job to determine that, but usually it’s pretty easy to work out. If an influencer has their email address in their bio, then send them a note that way. If they don’t but their DMs are open, then that’s the option you should take.

It should really go without saying, but I learned that so many still get it wrong. Your pitch to an influencer should always be personal. Most people (including me despite having barely any followers) have had those “Hi babe, we love your page, would you like to promote our product?” messages to their social. Instant delete. As a genuine business with an authentic proposition, you want to make sure your message isn’t coming across in the same way – make your words targeted and honest, and most importantly, make sure the influencer knows you’re speaking to them.

Instigating a positive response from the first contact sets a good foundation for a healthy relationship moving forward, and when working with influencers this is really important in ensuring your partnership works for both of you.

Pay people what they’re worth

Finally, and a big message from Jenny and Amanda who hosted the workshop, was a resounding one. Freelance doesn’t mean FREE. If you’re asking an influencer to share your messages and promote your product or service, you have to expect to offer some remunerations. You wouldn’t ask a magazine for a free advertising space, would you?

Of course, not all gifted opportunities are paid, and the influencers in the room agreed that they would only take one of these partnerships if it fit their brand, but also was something that they wanted to have or wanted to do (or would have done or bought already). For example, a parenting influencer may really appreciate complimentary tickets to an event, but we can’t always expect content creators to want to talk about your product for no money. After all, they need to pay the bills too.

The key message really, is to not take the mick. If you’d pay for this kind of promotion in a magazine, then you should be paying an influencer for it too. Building a good rapport is done on mutual respect, and the more you can offer the creators you work with, the more they’ll be able to do for you in return too.

Influencer Marketing In 2022

If this all sounds like a world you’d like to explore, but you’ve not got the time to handle it – why not talk to us? We have great relationships with influencers in Cheshire and have databases of those across the country. We also have years of experience in influencer marketing and have lived through the many changes of this discipline first hand. If you’d like to get in touch, do reach out and we’ll have a chat about how influencers could help your business.

Working with influencers in 2022

Credit: Yasmin Thomas Photography

Thank You!

And finally, I’d just like to say a massive thank you to Jenny Schippers and Amanda Cope for asking me to be on the panel at the Cheshire Creatives Club workshop. I absolutely love being a part of the group and it was so good to learn from the others in the room, as well as offer my advice too.