3 knockout online PR campaigns of 2011

The web has evolved from a network of sites to a network of connected people. PR has had no choice but to evolve, and the best PR campaigns now incorporate a social element. Savvy online PR now means thinking way beyond the tweetable press release headline. Here’s a round of three truly innovative social PR campaigns to watch and learn from:

1. Rayovac: Rapid-response Twitter campaign

In a brilliant example of tailoring PR to the current climate, Rayovac timed its campaign to coincide with America’s biggest snow day, 2 February 2011. Working fast, the brand appealed to millions of housebound Americans with a virtual snowball fight and a two-day snow day ‘tweet-up’, inviting users to tweet about their local weather. The result of tapping into the frosty Zeitgeist? The effort generated 1,188 click-throughs to download the campaign widget, while Rayovac made its first appearance as a top ten global trending topic on Twitter.

2. Healthy Choice: Pairing a social coupon with blogger outreach

In a bid to grow its Facebook fan base, increase engagement and reinforce the brand’s reputation for value, Healthy Choice launched a coupon on its Facebook page. The value of the coupon increased as more people ‘liked’ the page, ultimately becoming a ‘buy-one-get-one-free’ deal. Facebook marketing was supported with blogger outreach, inviting relevant bloggers to purchase a Facebook ad and drive their audience to ‘like’ Healthy Choice and sign up for a coupon. An innovative, two-pronged online PR strategy got results: the Healthy Choice Facebook page grew from 6,800 to nearly 60,000 fans, while more than 50,000 ‘BOGOF’ coupons were snapped up.

3. KFC: The power of a single tweet

Competitions are an excellent way to fuel social PR activity. Take KFC’s innovative attempt to create buzz around the brand’s Colonel’s Scholars college scholarship programme. Working with Weber-Shandwick, KFC broke away from the traditional essay route, deciding to award a $20,000 scholarship based on a single tweet.

Broken via traditional media (USA Today), the scholarship tweet campaign caught the public’s imagination, generating significant TV news coverage and captivating the online world. KFC generated more than nine million social media impressions as a result of tweets made during the brief entry period. Some 2,800 applicants tweeted for their stab at the college scholarship, while KFC gained 20% more Twitter followers in just two weeks.

The winning entry came from 17-year-old Amanda Russell, whose tweet: “Hey Colonel! Your scholarship’s the secret ingredient missing from my recipe for success! Got the grades, drive, just need cash!” bagged her the $20,000.