By: Kailey Dogins
Forget award shows, the real winner in the world of PR are the campaigns that capture hearts, change minds and achieve tangible results. Good PR can be what separates a campaign from being a major fail or becoming a great success. From the Barbie movie to K-Pop going green, let’s look back at some of the top 3 pr wins from 2023 and the beginning of 2024.
Coming in at number three, we have the story of the Norwich City Football Club x Samaritans and their campaign for World Mental Health Day. The October 2023 campaign was a visually-led campaign, that encouraged everyone to check on those around them, and it served as a reminder to everyone that sometimes the signs are harder to spot when people are struggling. The video was able to amass just 1.2 million views in just five months on Youtube and over 145 million views over all social media platforms combined. The campaign sparked conversations about mental health struggles and the importance of checking in on loved ones. The campaign also helped raised awareness about mental health, particularly around men’s mental health, which is often times a topic that is under discussed. Using football, or soccer, a sport with a larger male viewership, the campaign was able to reach a demographic that is less respective to traditional mental health messaging.
Coming in at number two, we have K-Pop and its decision to go green. To bring in 2023, the K-Pop powerhouse, SM Entertainment, vowed to tackle the climate crisis and ensure environmental sustainability. In conjunction with its artists and their international fans, they have taken the first steps in planting trees. The initiative has allowed for K-Pop groups and artists to connect with fans who might have similar values. It has also been used as a way to enhance the already strong bond that K-Pop fans have to the artists. In 2022, groups like BTS, Blackpink and other major K-Pop stars had an impressive 113,824 trees planted throughout at least 212 projects across 21 different countries. Since February of 2023 in Seoul Korea alone, they have been able to create nine celebrity forests so far which have accounted for over 180,000 trees. Overall, the K-Pop goes green campaign is seen as a win in all accounts because of its way of improving the industry’s public image while being able to drive up fan engagement all while promoting positive environmental change.
Coming in at number one, we have The Barbie Movie. 2023 was the year of pink all thanks to Barbie. Mattel’s fashion icon was just about everywhere in 2023, from collaborations with companies like Microsoft to Balmain and even Bloomingdale’s, everyone wanted to go pink. With the writers and actors’ strike being in effect during the release of The Barbie Movie, social media was a huge catalyst in the success that the movie was able to amass. When the first paparazzi shots for the movie dropped back in June of 2021, social media was set ablaze. A year later from the buzz those pictures cased alone in 2022 when the first teaser trailer dropped in and was able to reach over 15 million views on Youtube alone and a year later when the first official trailer dropped in May of 2023, it was able to get 62 million views. While the actors themselves couldn’t promote the movie during its release time, influencer marketing played a huge role in gaining popularity for the movie. By partnering with popular influencers relevant to their target audience, they were able to reach wider audiences with hype and anticipation. They were also able to get the audience engaged by encouraging fans to create and share their own Barbie-inspired content which fostered a community to grow even more excitement around the movie. Lastly, Barbie itself was able to become a movement. Ever since Barbie was created back in 1959, Barbie has been the face of equality and diversity for so many. And the Barbie movie was no different tackling themes like gender equality, diversity and defying stereotypes. Social media was able to use The Barbie Movie as an impactful tool to help amplify their message. From sharing impactful quotes from the movie to showing images of the movie that showcased diverse characters and storylines that resonated with a multitude of audiences. The Barbie Movie was able to create a campaign that effectively captured audiences’ attention all while creating a social movement that will be cemented in time.
The stories that we have explored here today have been great examples of demonstrating the power of PR and its ability to do more than just sell more products and promote brands. 2023 and 2024 has shown us how PR can and still is championing social causes, inspiring positive conversations, and ultimately, making a difference in the world. But the story doesn’t end here. As we look at these PR wins, what trends will emerge in the years to come? How can PR continue to push boundaries and redefine its role in the ever-connected world? The future of PR is exciting and full of possibilities. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go see the brand new TikTok trend everyone's talking about.
Citations
4 strategies influencer marketers can learn from the barbie movie. Aspire. (n.d.). https://www.aspire.io/blog/what-influencer-marketers-can-learn-from-the-barbie-movie
Dong-hwan, K. (2023, February 8). “celebrity forests” emerge as new k-pop trend in Seoul. koreatimes. https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2024/03/113_344912.html
Kim, S. (2022, November 19). While cop was talking, K-pop has been planting. The Lead. https://thelead.uk/while-cop-was-talking-k-pop-has-been-planting#:~:text=The%20data %20suggests%20that%20global,October%202022%20analysis%20by%20
Dr. Nichols, C. (2023, October 11). “I’ve cried every time”: Norwich City FC stuns the nation on World Mental Health Day. Creative Salon. https://creative.salon/articles/features/norwichcity-fc-samaritans-world-mental-health-day
Sun-hwa, D. (2023, January 2). “let’s plant trees”: SM Entertainment Spearheads Green Movement in K-Pop Industry. koreatimes.
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