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In a gesture of kindness and sharing of love during a football match in Europe, teddy bears were literally thrown into the sky for young children to take home. A group of children from the Erasmus MC Sophia’s Children hospital visiting the Excelsior vs Feyenoord match in Rotterdam were treated to plush toys which were thrown to them from the section above them as a show of kindness to help them get through the various illnesses they were experiencing.

This was a campaign led by both clubs who had arranged for their fans to bring teddies to the matches and show a sign of giving to those in need and help to make their experience of coming to the football extra enjoyable.

The major PR tactic being used in this activity was merely just a stunt, but it was extra unique given it was the fans who were encouraged to participate as opposed to players or coaches.

I was engaged with the PR activity via my social media accounts as the stunt was something which was widely received by people around the world. 

I think this is a good, special form of PR given it was clearly pre-arranged by both clubs for their fans to come prepared for the stunt. Being seen in society to be performing a gesture of goodwill, especially to those in need like young children will generally mean you will receive a good wrap for the effort you have put in. This will be no different to a sporting organisation or the associated teams as they will be appreciated for the initiative they have produced for the young children who are no doubt going through hardship.

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With Tiger Woods’ recent victory at the Masters proving to be a sterling effort given his recent comeback tour. It prompted his long-time sponsor, Nike, to produce a short video celebrating his triumph. The video details the trials and tribulations of what he has gone through during his illustrious career tracing him right back to his childhood when he made the claim as a young boy, “I gonna beat Jack Nicklaus.”

The major PR tools being used in this celebratory video clearly was the use of ambassadors to drive home the narrative message of never giving up on your dreams and following through with what you really want.

Given it was big news at the time when Woods won his fifth Masters title, the news very quickly became popular on the social media feeds of many online sporting publications. Therefore, being such a big sporting event, I was naturally able to be engaged with it.

Although it was a short and simple campaign by Nike which celebrated the success of Woods, they were able to use their long-time ambassador to continue alongside other campaigns which they had been conducting with other ambassadors with the tag line, ‘Just Do It’, being the main message here. It was a good image to be promoting to the sporting world and Woods’ success will therefore reflect on the Nike brand in a positive way.

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A worrying stat that has become noticeable in today’s society is that 50% of adults and 80% of children have become inactive. We are a nation which has become obsessed with screens and watching sport rather than playing it. In an attempt to combat this issue, Sport Australia has launched ‘Move it AUS’ in conjunction with AJF Partnerships to inspire Australians to be more active.

With the promotional video, a variety of clips from the last century plus Cathy Freeman’s 400 metre gold medal run at the 2000 Olympic Games was created as a way of encouraging Australians to exercise for at least 30 minutes a day. By exercising for this amount of time, it would do well to improve your health as it can reduce the risk of heart disease, osteoporosis, diabetes and cancer.

The major PR tools and tactics being used in this campaign are video, interviews and research. Comments were sought from AJF founding partner and ECD Adam Francis which were presented in an article written about the PR activity. The research about the changing trends in recreational activity and general health of most Australians was conducted by unnamed independent body.

I engaged with this activity on my social media accounts given the campaign is heavily promoted via this platform.

Overall, I believe this was a good form of PR to be projecting to the public as it encourages people who are guilty of not doing enough exercise take action for their lack of exercise and do something to improve their lifestyles. The accompanying research regarding the amount of people who do not get enough exercise was quite interesting as it gave the campaign the extra notoriety it needed to give its audience the wake-up call it needed. However instead of the message being something that would condone people, it was delivered as a way of giving people a positive alternative which will be well received by many.

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Given the remarkable achievements that have been done in the AFL over the last couple of years, it inspired the league’s media team to release videos last year of some of the best football stories from the 2017 season. This series continued into the 2019 season with two of the most popular videos showcasing the stories of Collingwood’s Mason Cox and his rise to stardom in the AFL as well as the two sides of the West Coast/Collingwood story throughout the Grand Final.

Both videos showcase the same sentiment of ‘Don’t Believe In Never’, given they demonstrate how each side needed to overcome obstacles of pressure, heartache and self-doubt to achieve the successes they did.

The major tools and tactics used in this campaign were major storytelling athletes who had inspiring stories to share to sports fans to show that persistence is all it takes when you are trying to achieve something.

Being an avid footy follower, I was easily engaged by this campaign as it appeared on my social media accounts and the official AFL website as a way of promoting the beginning of the season to football followers.

I believe this is a very good form of PR for the AFL to be projecting to its stakeholders as it conveys the narrative theory to its industry that anything is possible when they try their hardest at the game. The ‘Don’t Believe In Never’ caption also projects really well to its viewers as it inspires them to be imaginative when thinking about what could be possible for their football team in the upcoming season. It is a smart form of marketing too as it enhances people to believe that a variety of outcomes can be possible.

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As part of the Breast Cancer Awareness Month last September, Serena Williams was utilised in a PR campaign to remind women of the importance of getting themselves self-checked on a regular basis. Williams was strategically used in a campaign video where she sang some lyrics of the song ‘I touch myself’ while naked. The aim of this video was to reach out to women to encourage them to take pride in their health and make sure that the threat of cancer does not creep into their lives.

The use of an ambassador like Williams was a good way to entice women to take action. Her outspoken nature on different scenarios is further proof of that and will do more to convince women to follow her lead and the campaign for which she is leading.

I was alerted to this campaign on my Facebook page given that I follow the sport of tennis for which Williams is popular in. 

I was impressed by the powerful message that Williams is conveying to her viewers as she is sending the message to the world that breast cancer is a serious health concern for women and actions should be taken to ensure that it does not become a part of their lives. This form of PR was an excellent activity to be conveying to the world and can set a precedent to the world for how a PR campaign can work in the future.

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The Liverpool Football Club have had an association with the Carlsberg beverage company for a number of years now. The firm decided to release a limited edition red beer brewed specifically for Liverpool fans to celebrate legendary manager Bill Shankly’s decision to play in an all-red kit.

This was a good form of PR led by Carlsberg as they used Liverpool players in a short film to promote the new range of beer. Having them involved in the advertising of the product will give soccer fans the extra incentive to purchase it given it has been produced as part of their extending association with the famous soccer franchise.

I was engaged with this activity through the Liverpool social media page given I am a follower of the football club myself and was impressed by the level of detail with regard to how well the video was produced.

Overall, I believe this was a good form of PR for the football club. Having the ability to see an opportunity from the actions of the team manager and implement it into their own products is a smart business play which can be used as a once off promotional tool. For Carlsberg to turn the colour of their beer to red provides an easy incentive for Liverpool followers to get on board and purchase the beer.

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A Spanish football team made up of migrants have taken a stand against racism by wearing guernsey’s with racial slurs printed on the back of them. Racists comments the team has been subjected to in the past such as, “Monkey”, “Slave”, “Gorilla”, and “No papers” replaced the players surnames on the backs of their t-shirts for the final game of the season. The activity highlighted the toll in which racism was having on the team and therefore decided to stand up for it.

The major PR tool used in this campaign was a photo opportunity of the players having their backs turned to the camera and showing off the racist names on their shirts. Having such a powerful image to display to the public show how much of a big issue it is and therefore action should be taken on it.

I was engaged with this campaign through a post on my Facebook page alerting me a stand against racism due to the level of popularity it received and was impressed by it.

The purpose of this PR campaign was to highlight the issue of racism in European soccer and try to combat the problem, given it is a sensitive issue not only to them but others in society as well. This was a powerful and effective image which was presented to the public and shows their case very well.

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As part of his team’s naming rights sponsorship agreement with Shell and an extending arrangement with Ford Australia, Scott McLaughlin is providing the opportunity to his loyal fans to win a brand new Ford Mustang GT which he has customised with special features on it. Additionally, there is also a $100 gift card to be won each day for the entirety of the campaign.

Those interested in entering the competition are encouraged to do so by filling their car up with petrol at a participating Shell service station with 30 litres or more and then using the receipt from the transaction to enter the competition and fill out the entry form.

The major PR tools and tactics used in this PR campaign was the utilisation of McLaughlin, given his popularity and success as a racing car driver. Having him as the poster boy for a giveaway competition like this is a smart way of marketing the campaign, given the esteem he is held in the racing and motoring industry. His popularity gives participants an incentive to be a part of the competition purely based on the fact he is leading it. Had he not been the face of it, Shell may find it difficult to promote their campaign in such a way.

I was alerted to this campaign via the radio, given they were advertising the campaign on there. Later on, the campaign was advertised on social media and the Shell website, encouraging viewers to sign up. 

While this was a good form of PR activity with appropriate use of ambassadors providing an extra incentive for people to sign up to the competition, I feel that more could have been made of the campaign. In my opinion, Shell and Ford could have made better use of this activity by setting up a stand at a prestigious venue such as Federation Square with a picture opportunity of McLaughlin with the car to give the campaign that extra notoriety. This way, it can give fans the opportunity to come out to see the activity for themselves and grab a ‘photo op’ with him too. With media being invited to the event and the chance for them to interview Scott, it would provide the opportunity for the campaign to gain further coverage and generate more respondents of people signing up to the campaign. But otherwise, it was generally a well conducted campaign.

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Chloe Molloy has had a sponsorship agreement with Special K for a period of 12 months now. This is part of the organisations strategy of entering the market of being involved in women’s sport, health and fitness.

In this instance as an ambassador, Molloy has posted on her own Instagram page promoting a free training visit by herself and other Special K ambassadors to a football club with the chance to also win $3000 for the club they visit. For participants to be involved, they will need to purchase a Special K product, register online and explain in 25 words or less how their footy team stays strong throughout their season. The theme of ‘stay strong’ in this PR campaign is replicated through the Special K organisation and their ambassadors too as they try to promote their cereal product as being a healthy choice for people to remain in good shape and ‘stay strong’ as a result. Chloe echoes these messages in her Instagram post by using the hastags of #eatstrong #staystrong and #powering you to convey to her followers that choosing the Special K product as a meal choice for breakfast in the morning is a wise one.

The major PR tools and tactics being used by Special K to promote their product and the competition is through the use of ambassadors like Molloy to help sell it to the community. Having popular footy figures like Molloy act as an ambassador will help to promote the competition as it will give people an incentive to purchase the Special K cereal and sign up to the program.

I came across this PR campaign via my news feed on Instagram given that I follow Molloy on social media. I also walked past a bus stop while on holidays for a weekend in the Adelaide CBD and noticed a poster which had Special K using her to promote their brand. The fact that I spotted this for a second time impressed me as the organisation are leveraging Molloy’s popularity in more ways than one which shows that they are keen to get their brand out there and promote all the positive things about their product to society in general.

Overall I believe this was an outstanding form of PR as Molloy and the Special K brand were able to clearly get the message across to their audience of the benefits of what’s involved for them if they purchase their cereal. The images used by the Special K brand were tactical as they got Chloe to wear a Special K branded head band and hold their cereal box in one photo while also holding a Special K branded product in the second image displayed at the bus stop. Doing this means that Molloy is clearly displaying to her own audience that choosing the Special K cereal is the right choice for a breakfast meal and as such, people will sign up to the promotion purely because of her appeal.

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On Sunday 6th January, the Red Bull Holden Racing team launched their 2019 season and the new race car livery in style during an event at the Dalby Aerodrome in Queensland. 

Headlining the campaign was recently retired champion Craig Lowndes who in addition to an endurance driving role with the team is also employed as their ambassador. The organisation strategically used Lowndes to help with the launch by letting him do drag runs up and down the aeroplane runway, in accordance with performing burnouts with blue smoke coming from the rear tyres. At the completion of this stunt, Lowndes signed autographs for the supporters who turned out and spoke to all media outlets about the upcoming season.

The team released a media alert via their social media channels to invite fans, photographers, journalists and other forms of media to attend the event. It was a massive turnout with Lowndes’ likable character an easy excuse for media and thousands of supporters to willingly go out of their way to attend the season launch. At the completion of the event, various forms of media outlets wrote stories about the event, detailing how good the car looks and how ‘Lowndesys’ appearance at the event made for good coverage.

Being heavily consumed by motor racing. I was easily alerted to this PR activity on my social media platforms in late December and subsequently impressed by the PR tools and tactics used by the team in order to get fans to attend the season launch event. If I lived in Queensland I would have attended the event myself!

This form of PR activity was an outstanding way for the organisation to reach to their supporters at the beginning of the new year and get them excited about the season ahead by showing off the colour scheme of their race car. The main messages of the PR campaign were projected very well during the launch event as the team and Lowndes in particular were able to explain in detail of their thoughts on the look of the new car and how they hope to continue their success for the season. Additionally, the positive reactions from fans present at the track and on social media channels further enhanced the organisations success of the campaign given there was widespread approval of the livery before the first race of the season seven weeks later.