PR Case Study: Missing Type 2016

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In 2016, the multiple award-winning Missing Type campaign returned on an even grander scale, with As, Bs and Os disappearing from locations, brand names and media titles around the world. 

Missing Type 1A

In 2016, MHP-Engine took its Missing Type campaign worldwide

Campaign: Missing Type
Client: NHS Blood & Transplant
PR Team: MHP–Engine
Timing: August 2016
Budget: £100k+

Objectives:
In 2016 MHP-Engine was tasked with the ‘tricky second album’ of refreshing its multi-award winning Missing Type blood donor recruitment campaign. This time, working with NHS Blood & Transplant, there was an added twist as 23 donor organisations from 21 different countries would also get involved in their local markets.

Core objectives:
• To recruit a target of 20,000 new blood donor registrations in England
• To target young adults aged 17-24
• To develop a local and global strategy plan for a week of sustained activity

Strategy and implementation:
MHP-Engine created a global toolkit that could be activated by individual blood donor organisations around the world. It launched with a domino effect across the time zones on August 16 with sustained bursts of activity throughout the week.

Once again, the letters A, B and O disappeared from everyday and iconic locations such as the Sydney Opera House, Tokyo Tower, Singapore Botanical Gardens, Table Mountain, Times Square, Abbey Road and Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch station in Wales.

Missing Type 2A

Signs at the Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch station in Wales

Brands and organisations who participated included Google, Coca-Cola, The Sydney Morning Herald, Qantas, Samsung, Tesco, Claire’s Accessories, McDonalds, Santander, Nandos and Toronto Police.

Celebrities and influencers such as the cast of  TV soap opera Neighbours, American football quarterback Brady Quinn and Dexter Fowler of the baseball team Chicago Cubs joined sports teams such as Tottenham Hotspur, Glasgow Rangers, Cincinnati Bengals, Boston Red Sox and Great Western Sydney Giants to show their support through social media.

In England, with the ambition to extend what had largely been a social and digital campaign in 2015 into the physical world, MHP-Engine collaborated with a number of high profile partners to make Missing Type bigger, better and bolder.

Microsoft’s Xbox One, Boots, Warburtons and Manchester City featured in a new TV and online advert made by Engine agencies WCRS and Trailerpark.

Paddy Power dropped the letters from one of its central London locations, included details on how to register on its website and social channels, and Paddy himself changed his name to Pddy Pwer for a live interview on talkSPORT. Meanwhile UNILAD staged a Facebook Live blood donation in Manchester which peaked at an incredible 533k viewers.

Missing Type 4A

Paddy Power dropped the letters from one of its central London locations

Results:
• More than 25,000 people across England registered to become new blood donors during this year’s campaign; 8,000 of whom registered in the first three days alone
• Huge spikes in year on year registrations in partner nations such as Belgium (+566%); Ireland (+460%); Netherlands (+177%); U.S.A. (+21%) and Canada (20%)
• 1,000 brand and participating brand organisations in England and a total of 1,500 globally
• UK coverage highlights included BuzzFeed, Mashable, Channel Four News, Sky News, ITV Lunchtime News, BBC News, BBC Radio 5 Live, Mail Online, Metro, UNILAD, The LADbible and Campaign
• #MissingType became the number one Twitter trending topic in over ten countries, above even the Olympics, with 54,000 mentions across the week
• Over 3,000 #MissingType posts on Instagram from brands, influencers and individuals

  • In a recent Gorkana White Paper, which is a digest on Analysis best practice and proving earned media success, there is a case study on PR measurement and effectiveness which focuses on the first Missing Type campaign. You can download the White Paper here.

 

Reputation Institute hires UK MD and commercial director

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Research and advisory reputation firm, Reputation Institute, has hired former Liberty Global corporate communications VP Marcus Smith to head up its UK operation as MD, and has appointed Leo Burnett’s James Bickford commercial director.

Marcus Smith 1

Marcus Smith

Smith has more than 25 years of experience working in corporate communications. In his most recent role, he led external communications at telecommunications and television company Virgin Media‘s parent company Liberty Global.

He has also spent more than 15 years at Weber Shandwick, and his experience encompasses corporate communications, media relations, public affairs, CSR, brand communications and regulatory work.

Bickford spent 20 years as a C-suite business and brand consultant. Prior to working as a managing partner at Leo Burnett Asia Pacific, he launched Interbrand in New Zealand.

Jamie Bedard, president and CEO at Reputation Institute, said: “These two senior hires underline our commitment to the UK market, and the growing recognition by UK companies that reputation is a boardroom issue that has bottom line impact.

“Marcus and James’ considerable reputation management experience – and Marcus’ specific experience as a Reputation Institute client – will be invaluable in helping us achieve our UK growth ambitions”.

KNOMO hires Dynamo PR to lead UK comms

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Dynamo PR has been appointed by KNOMO, a London-based accessories brand for “digital nomads”, to announce its latest £3 million funding and US retail partnerships, as well as to lead on-going media relations.

Dynamo KNOMO

KNOMO

KNOMO provides the “tech-enabled generation” with a high street range of bags and other accessories, which it says appeals to the increasing culture of working on the move.

As well as the £3 million funding, KNOMO has also furthered its US expansion, by securing partnerships with retailers, including Macy’s, Saks Fifth Avenue and Anthropologie.

Closer to home, the company will be anchoring Selfridges’ new technology department and plans to launch a flagship store and community working space in Covent Garden.

After announcing their £3 million funding and securing national coverage for the brand, Dynamo, which won the account following a competitive pitch, will be responsible for continuing media relations for consumer and fashion audiences, with a digital and technology focus.

Howard Harrison, CEO of KNOMO, said: “Dynamo, with its proven experience in the consumer sector and technology expertise, was the clear choice as we came to select an agency. Its team, as an extension of our own, will help us to take KNOMO to the next level of awareness in fashion and consumer tech industries.”

Erin Rigby, senior account manager at Dynamo PR, added: “KNOMO is leading the way in creating accessories for the workers of the future. They are not only making an impact here in London but across the pond in the US now. We’re pleased to be working with KNOMO at such an exciting time for them.”

Henkel UK appoints head of corporate communications

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Henkel, the company behind well-known brands such as Pritt, Sellotape, Loctite, Right Guard and Schwarzkopf, has appointed Carole Scott as head of corporate communications for the UK, Ireland and the Nordic Region.

Carole Scott 1

Carole Scott

Scott brings more than 20 years of communications experience to the role, and was previously the director of external relations and media at The Oxford Martin School, a research and policy unit within the University of Oxford.

Previously, she had been a director at PR consultancy, Bottle.

In her new role, Scott will deliver the reputational elements of Henkel’s upcoming four-year strategic priorities which will be announced next week.

She will work closely with Henkel’s UK & Ireland president, Liam Murphy, and with the company’s three business units (Beauty Care, Laundry & Home Care and Adhesives) to both increase Henkel’s profile as an employer, and as a leader in sustainability.

Scott said: “With a new four-year strategic cycle launching later this month, it’s a fantastic time to join. In the UK, our brands are famous, but the company name is less well known.

“To continue attracting the best sales, marketing and technical talent to the company, I need to focus on raising the profile of Henkel, building on the strength of our brands and track record in product innovation and sustainability. It’s a great challenge.”

Scott will also be responsible for the company’s internal communications across multiple sites in Ireland, the UK, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden.

APT brings PR in-house and names UK PR manager

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Travel operator APT has appointed Zoe Palmer as its UK PR manager. She is re-locating back to the UK from Melbourne, where she spent three years managing comms activity for APT Group brands in Australia and New Zealand.

APT Zoe Palmer

Zoe Palmer

Palmer will take over from Siren Communications which has been handled UK PR activity for APT’s river cruise portfolio for the past 15 months.

Melissa Hackney, APT’s regional manager UK and Europe, praised Siren for its work on the account: “We’ve been so lucky to work with the Siren team. They have established a strong foundation for us with trade and consumer media and we hope to continue our relationship through possible future projects.”

Siren will handle APT’s river cruising PR until the end of the year.

Palmer has 20 years’ experience working for travel and consumer clients in the UK and Australia.

In her new role, she will be responsible for raising the profile and supporting business growth of APT’s Luxury and Premium river cruise and touring portfolios.

She will work from her Winchester base and also APT’s offices in Amersham.

Hackney said: “Zoe’s detailed and wide ranging knowledge of our brand and river cruise and touring offerings will be invaluable as we communicate our point of difference and continue to grow in this market. We’re delighted to welcome her to the team.”

ŠKODA appoints Frank as UK PR agency

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ŠKODA UK has appointed Frank to handle the PR for what the brand says is its biggest ever launch, following a competitive pitch. 

Frank Skoda

ŠKODA’s Kodiaq

The announcement of ŠKODA’s large seven-seater SUV, the Kodiaq, is the first of a number of product launches planned for 2017. Following recent press reports, the Kodiaq has been described as a “brand changer” since its launch at the Paris Motor Show last month.

Frank will be responsible for handling PR launch activity for the Kodiaq, which will arrive in the UK in spring 2017.

Alex Grier, Frank MD,  will head up strategy and insight, with Andrew Bloch, Frank founder and group MD, leading creative on the account.

Pietro Panarisi, head of press and PR for ŠKODA UK, said: “We were looking for a partner who could work alongside the in-house PR team throughout an incredibly important year for ŠKODA.

“Frank has a clear understanding of our industry and demonstrated a high degree of consumer insight and we’re confident that its creative approach will deliver outstanding break-through results.”

Grier added: “We are thrilled that our strategic response to the ŠKODA brief has enabled us to see off the competition. We presented a brand platform and year-long activation plan that was based on clear consumer insight and paired with award-winning Frank creativity – so we are looking forward to putting plans into action in 2017.”

PR Case Study: Barnardo’s #BelieveinMe

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With its #BelieveinMe campaign, Barnardo’s worked with Stand Agency to highlight the strength and potential of the vulnerable children and young people that it supports.

Believe in me 1Campaign: #BelieveinMe
PR Team: Stand Agency
Client: Barnardo’s
Timing: September 2016

Objective
In its 150th year, and with unprecedented demand for its support and services for young people, Barnardo’s has launched an ambitious ten-year strategy and powerful new positioning that highlights the potential in every child, rather than portraying them, solely, as victims.

Building on Barnardo’s existing commitment to ‘believe in children’ the charity has taken this one step further with its recent video campaign.

Stand Agency’s brief was to translate the creative so that it would work across traditional and social media channels, and encourage public support for the charity.

Strategy
Activity was executed in four distinct phases, each relating to the wider Believe in Me campaign. Prior to launch, phases one and two focused on executive profiling for Barnardo’s CEO, Javed Khan, in national broadcast, print and online media, to give him the opportunity to talk about the rationale for the campaign and the charity’s ambitious ten-year strategy.

This was supported through social media ‘teaser’ content on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to trail the Believe in Me above the line campaign, and generate curiosity and excitement ahead of the main launch.

The aim of phase three was to generate widespread coverage in national and regional media around the campaign launch itself. Barnardo’s commissioned a survey which examined the low levels of confidence and self-belief in young people, linking this directly to the growing demands for Barnardo’s services and the creation of its ambitious ten-year strategy to address the complex problems young people and their families are currently facing.

This was supported by a social sharing campaign which invited people to share pictures of themselves with people who had believed in them, or helped them to achieve their goals at any stage of their lives, on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Results
Stand Agency successfully provided opportunities for Barnardo’s CEO Javed Khan, who had interviews with BBC Radio 4, The Guardian, Sky News Radio and Islam Channel.

Stand Agency’s celeb-studded social activity has already launched, with support from Our Girl and Skins star Luke Pasqualino alongside Cold Feet’s Fay Ripley and political heavyweight Alastair Campbell. The stars, as well as the wider public, have been posting childhood photos as a part of the social sharing campaign.

Media activity has already led to 152 pieces of coverage across national, regional and trade with a mix of print, online and broadcast hits. Around 51% of the British public have already seen the TV advert at least once, with a million further views online.

Lives have been changed and some really heart-warming moments have occurred. A care leaver left a post on Facebook using #BelieveinMe. He credited his former carer for helping him to achieve a happy and contented life. Through the power of Facebook and consequent comments on the post, the two have been reunited after 20 years and have plans to catch up on “times gone by”.

Good Relations launches influencer marketing division

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Good Relations has launched a specialist influencer marketing division, Good Influence, that it says will enable clients to identify, deliver and measure influencer marketing strategies.

Good Influence

Joe Friel (centred right) with the Good Influence team

Good Influence launches with a “proprietary algorithm” that enables brands to analyse the engagement value of the influencers they plan or are already working with.

The division aims to build on the influencer relations programmes the company has already been delivering for clients such as Pilsner Urquell, B&Q and the Agricultural & Horticultural Development Board (AHDB).

Joe Friel, head of influencer relations, who will report to Robert Anderson, executive director of content marketing at Good Relations.

He joins the agency from from Social Circle, with experience managing influencer campaigns across several sectors. He has also led the development of influencer marketing software to enable brands to track trends and the fastest-growing talent across all major social platforms.

Anderson said: “With data increasingly showing the importance of influencer marketing as a driver of both sales and reputation, influencers are a channel that every brand and business needs to have a strategy for. We want to be an industry leader – our proprietary algorithm, coupled with Joe’s deep expertise, brings a really robust methodology to the marketplace.”

Friel added: “The breadth and scope of Good Relations’ work, as well as the enviable client list makes this an incredibly exciting challenge for me. The sector is continuing to grow and, with the right strategy and management in place, there is incredible potential for brands to engage their target audience in exciting, powerful ways. I’m looking forward to getting stuck in and helping build the influencer relations offering.”

Earlier this year, Good Relations launched a broadcast consultancy, Good Broadcast, and brought in Sound Creative’s Phil Caplin to lead the new offer.

MHP/Engine and Pegasus among PRCA National Awards winners

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MHP/Engine and Pegasus, with three awards each, were the big agency winners at last night’s PRCA National Awards. In addition, Direct Line Group took home the largest share of in-house awards.

PRCA Awards

PRCA National Awards

MHP/Engine picked up the Consumer (High Budget), Public Sector/ Value for Money, and Campaign of the Year awards for its Missing Type campaign for NHS Blood and Transplant, which raised awareness around a need for blood donors through missing letters across major media and signage.

Pegasus won the Consumer (Low Budget) and Health and Wellbeing awards for its Sex Degrees of Separation campaign for LloydsPharmacy. The team launched a ‘sex degrees of separation’ calculator during Sexual Health Week to work out the number of indirect sexual partners someone had. The aim was to encourage visitors to apply for an STI risk assessment.

Pegasus was also named Specialist Consultancy of the Year.

Direct Line Group was named In-house Team of the Year, and its deputy head of news, Claire Foster, was chosen as this year’s In-house Professional of the Year. Direct Line also picked up the Media Relations Award (in-house) for its A Storming Success campaign.

The Large Consultancy of the Year award went to Instinctif Partners, Hope&Glory picked up the Medium Consultancy of the Year gong, New Consultancy of the Year went to Another Word Communications, and The Romans won Small Consultancy of the Year.

Hope&Glory also won the Media Relations Award for its Creating a Springboard onto the Household Ladder campaign.

Weber Shandwick picked up two awards, receiving the Corporate Social Responsibility Award for its Alphabet of Illiteracy campaign for Project Literacy, as well as the Not-For-Profit and Charity Award for its Washed Away campaign for ActionAid.

The Co-operative Group won the Automotive (In-house) gong for its Revving reaction for motor insurance campaign, as well as the Corporate, Financial and Investor Relations Award for Co-op Funeralcare: A new generation of apprentices.

Lansons co-founder and CEO Tony Langham picked up the Mark Mellor Outstanding Contribution Award, Michael Rennett, account director at AxiCom, walked away with the Young Communicator of the Year award, and Mischief CEO Frankie Cory was named Consultancy Head of the Year.

The 2016 PRCA National Awards  event took place at the London Hilton on Park Lane, hosted by TV presenter Rick Edwards.

A full list of the winners can be found here.

Opinion: ‘The US Election and when influencers don’t influence’

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Nina Sawetz, head of editorial at Bottle, on why celebrity endorsements didn’t create a landslide win for presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and the new era of ‘audience voice’ that looks past a recognised elite.

As Trump stands on stage giving his election speech, I’m reading an article written just two days ago. The headline?

“If celebrity endorsements can change votes, expect a landslide win for Hillary Clinton.”

Whilst the voters voted for Trump for many different reasons, some we may never really know, there’s one factor which didn’t sway the general public in the way it was assumed – the influencers.

Beyonce, Jay-Z, Meryl Streep, Lady Gaga, Leonardo DiCaprio, Katy Perry, Elton John. Almost 1,000 celebrities publicly endorsed Clinton, many of them global household names, yet none of them had enough power or influence to make an impact and change the mindset of the real everyday person in the ballot box.

So what is reach, if there is no impact? It’s a number, just a pointless figure showing how many people have heard your message.

It doesn’t tell you whether those people have listened, absorbed and acted on your message – that is something else entirely, and something far more important to measure, understand and predict than simple reach.

There will be countless data mining and statistical research to understand how Trump came to power. But the real reason has to be down to the spread of his message through the mouths of the general public.

He has proved that one person who can make an impact on another person’s thinking (who in turn spreads the message to another), is far more potent than a household singer who reaches the masses but whose message isn’t received by the right people.

We must not underestimate the power that friends, family, and general word of mouth have on spreading a message – whether that be the right or wrong one. And whilst we hear the term ‘influencer’ banded around in our industry on a countless basis, we must not forget that the general public are the real influencers we need to target.

Authentic, personal communication is key.

Trump knew this – a huge amount of his media strategy relied on reaching voters individually through Facebook (who then went on to share with their friends), rather than via TV ads with celebrities.

And other brands are now starting to understand this movement towards real advocates too, forgoing the traditional use of celebrity and honing in on the individual customer who in turn spreads key messages one by one.

The mindset of the public has changed enormously in the past decade alone. Once heavily influenced by the expert, the celebrity and the blogger, we’re now in an audience centric society.

The public – your audiences – are now demanding unbiased, real truths – real people speaking in real dialogue in ways which mean something to them and their own lives.

The power of the celebrity endorsement is officially dead. And one thing is for sure, it’s time to rethink the term ‘influencer’.