Blog post -
Top of the PR pops: November Highlights
The temperature has dropped and it's beginning to feel a lot more festive. However, I've kept the mentions of Christmas to a minimum as I'm saving that for another post!
Here are some of the things that have got us talking over the last month...
“Give someone the penguin they love this Christmas”
The morning after the last firework lit up the sky on Guy Fawkes night, John Lewis released their 2014 Christmas advertisement featuring the incredibly cute Monty the Penguin. Surely you have seen it countless times on your tv and social media feeds.
Although it’s only got 10,000 views, I adore Penguin Books’ low budget alternative take on the John Lewis ad. Being a bit of a bookworm, I much prefer the ending too.
The Rosetta Mission
The European Space Agency's Rosetta mission aims to discover how our Solar System was formed. Last month, the mission succeeded in landing Philae (the probe) on the surface of 67P (the comet) where it will spend 17 months, making this the most detailed study of a comet ever attempted.
What's especially impressive is how the ESA is using Twitter to bring the journey to life in a really accessible and visual way. Check out their accounts for mind-boggling facts, unique images and general mission updates - and simple to understand even if you don't know the first thing about science - @Philae2014 and @ESA_Rosetta
Tinder and sex trafficking
Why is Ireland's Immigration Council setting up fake profiles on Tinder? In arguably the only example of using the app to make a profound statement, Ireland's Immigration Council ran an awareness campaign about sex trafficking and violence against women.
As you swiped through the pictures the images got more brutal, the final swipe revealed this message - “Sex trafficking victims have no options. You have the option to help end it now.”
Did you come across the profile on Tinder? I'd be interested to know how many people did and I'm sure the campaign made a few headlines too!
Tahdon - I do!
Over the course of a single day, Finnish advocates of equal marriage rights gathered 50,000 signatures for a petition that proposes granting legal recognition to same sex couples. This was mostly due to the “I Do” citizens-initiative - one of the most impressive multi-channel PR campaigns in Finland to date.
The Citizens's Initiative Act mandates that any legislative proposal which gathers 50,000 signatures within six months can be submitted for a vote in parliament.
Prior to the vote on same-sex marriage in the last week of November, the ”I Do” (in Finnish ”Tahdon”) Facebook tool was created and allowed people to customise their own “Tahdon” profile pictures to show their support.
It was used more than 86,000 times and overall, the “I Do” citizens-initiative has been one of the most impressive multi-channel PR campaigns in Finland to date.
Mynewsdesk highlight
Around 100 communications professionals joined us for Mynewsnight on Influencer relations followed by pizza and drinks. For the top tips from our four experts from the night, check out how to get influencers and keep them.
