Coming up with a brand-new campaign idea can be tough. It might seem like all the creative ideas have been taken, or that your idea is too far-fetched for the target audience’s acceptance. While it’s impossible to foresee how a public relations campaign will be analyzed by the outside eye, it’s important to note that there is no clear-cut method or technique for an outstanding campaign’s design/execution and that the success of a campaign depends on various factors including current trends and the brand’s significance, among others.
Fortunately, there are plenty of innovational PR campaigns to help spark creative thought processes. This HubSpot blog dives into a few creative campaigns, ranging from the automotive industry to the travel & leisure industry that may help shape your own original ideas.
- AirBnB and BBC Earth Leverages Blue Planet II: The show, “Blue Planet II” garnered a whopping 14 million viewers who watched its first episode and is considered the greatest nature series of all time. Realizing the significance of the show to its viewers, BBC Earth partnered with AirBnB to offer members the chance to explore the Atlantic Ocean in a submarine with the show’s filmmakers.
- Lyft Riders Experience Stranger Things: Within a day of “Stranger Things 2” being released, over 360,000 people had watched the show on Netflix. Lyft played a large role in building up the show’s release by creating “Strange Mode,” a campaign that made Lyft riders feel as if they were in a similar environment as that of Hawkins, Ind., the show’s location.
- Old Spice’s Paper Blazers: Oftentimes, magazines are flooded with fragrance samples. Old Spice steered away from the traditional style of samples, combining fragrance with fashion. Their disposable paper blazers allowed men to show off their style, as well as attract attention with their smell.
- SpaceX Sending a Tesla to Space: It’s always incredible to see the work being done in space, especially when it comes to launching a car to Mars. In 2018, SpaceX launched Falcon Heavy into space and soon after deployed a red Tesla into orbit, being deemed as the “greatest automotive PR stunt in history.”
The innovative approaches of these campaigns prove that the success of a campaign is often dependent upon its creativity and uniqueness. However, it is important to keep in mind the intended target audience and the need to craft applicable content for that audience.
This Entrepreneur article dives into three essentials for creating an effective PR campaign:
- Establish clear goals. One of the first steps of campaign planning is to outline media goals and from there begin strategizing the best route to fulfill those goals. There are multiple factors why companies engage with the media, including building customer awareness and improving the brand’s image. After defining media goals, it’s critical to then decide the target audience. This part should be fairly simple, as the campaign’s announcement should grant a huge clue as to who would be interested in the news.
- Choose the type of content. Defining media goals will help define the type of content to include in a campaign. High-tier publications usually only cover stories with significant newsworthiness. If your campaign does not have a compelling announcement, it may be better suited for a blog post or contributed content. If there is an interesting product or company backstory, this may be best suited for a proactive pitch to journalists. To reach existing customers or clients, it’s a best practice to continually develop blog posts and engage on social media.
- Choose your media channel. Now that you’ve established the type of content to share, it’s time to choose the type of channel to share the campaign. Depending on this content and the intent of the campaign, the channel could be leading publications, industry publications, social media, networking sites, blogs, and even podcasts. For example, if your campaign centered around crowdfunding, it may not be the best fit for a high-tier publication and may be better suited for a blog or podcast. Similarly, high-tier publications often do not cover “inward- facing” company news; if this is part of your campaign, consider sharing this news on social media or through a blog post.
Campaign planning is often time-consuming and full of complex decision-making. However, if a campaign is prepared well and the target audience sees the purpose, the payoff can be indescribable.