This year, so far, has witnessed an array of remarkable campaigns that have captured our attention and sparked conversations. Join us as we explore the innovative tactics behind our favourite three PR campaigns of 2023 thus far, showcasing the true power of creative marketing. 

Oatley’s “F*ck Oatley” Campaign

In today’s crowded marketplace, it takes a truly innovative and bold approach to stand out from the competition. Oatly, the Swedish oat milk company, has managed to do just that with its recent PR campaign centered around the controversial “F*ck Oatly” website. 

Yes… Oatley created a website whose URL was that of the above. 

Although originally set up in 2022, Oatley decided to let the website be discovered organically, and it eventually surfaced with good impact in March 2023. 

Oatly’s decision to launch a website featuring the phrase “F*ck Oatly” may initially seem counterintuitive. However, it reflects the brand’s core values of transparency and unfiltered honesty. By deliberately embracing controversy, Oatly has successfully positioned itself as a disruptor in the food and beverage industry, challenging the status quo.

The website itself cleverly captures attention and generates buzz. Its minimalist design and irreverent language make it impossible to ignore. By directly addressing criticisms, Oatly demonstrates its willingness to listen and engage in conversation with its audience. In an era where consumers are increasingly drawn to brands that are willing to take risks and challenge the norm, Oatly’s clever PR campaign set a great example. 

Check it out for yourself here: https://fckoatly.com/ 

Maybelline’s Sky High Mascara Campaign

In the world of marketing, creativity knows no bounds, and Maybelline, the renowned cosmetics brand, recently proved this with their viral digital PR campaign using a cleverly crafted video.

In the video, a tube train is decorated with giant rubber lashes and a massive 3D mascara wand. As the train arrives at the station, the wand’s brush interacts with the lashes, creating a captivating display. The scene shifts to a double-decker bus with oversized lashes above its front window, and a larger wand extends from a building, brushing against the lashes. However, these impressive stunts are not real but digitally created.

Maybelline aimed to capture the attention of their target audience in an unexpected and captivating way. The illusion of the giant lashes and wand successfully achieved this after the video went viral on TikTok, and other platforms too. 

Such was the impact of Maybelline’s campaign that some Londoners were actively searching for the stylish tube carriage and bus seen in the video, only to later realise the video was “fake” – but that was the whole point! 

Genius. 

Maybelline certainly heightened curiosity around their Sky High mascara, that’s for sure.

Bert’s Books 

In the era of social media dominance, small businesses often struggle to compete with larger corporations when it comes to marketing and public relations. For example it is much harder for a small cosmetics business to match Maybelline’s campaign above.

However, a small independent bookshop in Swindon, known as Bert’s Books, demonstrated at the start of the year that you don’t need a hefty budget to create a viral PR campaign. By cleverly leveraging their window display and hopping on a trending topic, they managed to capture the attention of the world. 

It all began when the shop set up a rather unconventional and humorous display. With a cheeky nod to recent news events involving the Royals and the highly publicised Netflix documentary and Harry’s book ‘Spare.’ They skillfully created a scene that immediately caught the eye of passersby by strategically placing Harry’s book alongside the renowned ‘How To Kill Your Family’ by Bella Mackie. 

What started as a local bookstore’s playful idea soon became a global phenomenon. 

Bert’s Books shared an image of it on Twitter, accompanied by a witty caption (see here). International media outlets scrambled to cover the story, giving Bert’s Books unprecedented exposure – for example in Sky News. 

Bert’s Books’ campaign holds valuable lessons for entrepreneurs and small businesses looking to make a splash in the competitive marketing landscape. It emphasises the importance of creativity, seizing opportunities, and daring to be different. By embracing a good old bit of piggybacking and utilising social media as a powerful promotional tool, even the most modest of businesses can generate big buzz without breaking the bank.

And there’s more to come…

These campaigns demonstrate that innovative ideas, authenticity, and social media prowess can create viral sensations and elevate brands, regardless of size, budget or industry.

And what’s more exciting is that there’s more creativity to come!