My Favourite Creative Campaigns Of October 2022

My life has been a bit chaotic recently (understatement of the year, but we move), so here I am with another tardy blog. This week conceded my favourite time of the year – autumn. Not only was it a good month for pumpkins, falling leaves and pretentious coffees, but October also brought us several great campaigns that definitely earn their place within my monthly round-up.

My Top 4 PR Campaigns Of October 2022

1. Eye-Catching Eastenders Highlights Climate Change

A campaign by the BBC – which reimagined the iconic opening shot of Eastenders into a bleak projection of our future with the banks of the Thames bursting and spilling out across the capital – has been in my drafts since the day I saw it. WHAT a message. Not only was the shot both incredibly poignant and harrowing, but it took advantage of the power shock holds in marketing.

The Eastenders opening credits are archetypal to the show. People find comfort in familiarity, so when that’s disrupted – it makes us stand up and take notice. The stunt was executed to point to the release of a new series of Blue Planet – but conveyed a much more important message at the same time. It’s time to stand up and take notice before this dystopian future becomes our reality. I love a campaign that works for the environment, and I adore David Attenborough. So this was a win, win!

2. Lettuce Never Forget October 2022

I was never going to be able to write this blog without honouring the most iconic character of the past month – a 60p lettuce that ashamedly got more press coverage than I think any PR campaign I’ve ever managed (😞). When Liz Truss moved into no.10 and proceeded to tank the pound and total the economy – many of us foresaw her swift exit from parliament. The Daily Star set up a live stream on 14th October asking “will Liz Truss still be prime minister within the 10-day shelf-life of a lettuce?”

The Daily Star lettuce has come out victorious in the battle of the year – to see whether it could outlast Prime Minister Liz Truss in #LizVsLettuce

[THREAD] pic.twitter.com/sP7QDgqcfr

— Daily Star (@dailystar) October 20, 2022

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Spoiler alert – she wasn’t.

Not only did the stream rack up hundreds of thousands of viewers and generated a lot of social media noise, it also attracted a tonne of press attention too. When Truss left office 6 days later, a lot of us thought back to the lettuce and its status. If you checked into the live feed that day, you’d have seen the vegetable donned in full celebratory gear. The Daily Mail even released a souvenir paper the day after. All good fun and undeniably the laugh we all needed in these turbulent times.

3. Henry Offers A Helping Hand

The cost of living crisis is scary but it’s really brought out the best in a lot of us. From big brands to small businesses, there are a lot of companies I could commend for their contribution to helping people through these uncertain times. The one that stood out to me though, was Morrisons. Throughout half term (a notoriously difficult time for parents who’re struggling), my local supermarket started offering out free discreet meals, acknowledging that not everyone feels comfortable taking advantage of generosity. To tackle this, but still offer aid, Morrisons and Heinz suggested people ‘ask for Henry’ to receive a hot meal, free of charge, with no questions asked. Anyone who knows me, knows how much I love simple acts of kindness such as these. Ever since I saw it, this was always going to be held in high regard not only within this blog post but within my heart too ♥️.

4. Bedtime With Harry Kane

CBeebies Bedtime Stories often makes headlines with its celebrity participants; some of its most notable readers include God of Thunder Chris Hemsworth, the Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton, everyone’s favourite bad boy Tom Hardy – and even the ultimate swoon that is Bridgerton-star Regé-Jean Page. I love how the channel has managed to craft a show that appeals to its obvious audience – the kids – but also to their parents too with clever casting choices. Harry Kane was one of the latest to appear on the show, to read a story about braveness called ‘The Lion Inside’ to our nation’s children. This debut coincided with World Mental Health Day and the launch of the footballer’s own charity. I love how the BBC are doing so much at the moment to make a positive impact in the world. From environmental activism, to looking after ourselves.

I love it all. And I love Harry Kane. So once again, win win win win win.

Where Else To Find Creative Inspo?

As I mention every month, there are a number of wonderful industry professionals who culminate weekly, fortnightly, or monthly newsletters that bring you all the best PR campaigns in the same place. If you like this blog I highly recommend you follow and read these too. They are…

• The Grapevine by Iona Townsley
• The Weekly PR by Bethanie Jane
• Work In PRogress by Abi Bennets

You can also check out…

• Creative Corner by Rich Leigh / Radioactive PR & Creative Moment
• Good & Bad PR by Andy Barr & PR Moment
• Famous Campaigns by Taylor Herring