Matt Seabridge
19 December 2024
Digital PRs Share Their Favourite Campaigns From 2024
As 2024 draws to a close, and everyone starts to reflect back on the year that has been, I thought it would be good to take a look at some great sources of creative inspiration that has come via the Digital PR industry this year.
So I asked some of my Digital PR friends (oooh PR Friends 👍) to share their favourite campaign that they've worked on this year.
Check out all the submissions below for some great sources of campaign inspo 💡
World's Bluest Waters by CV Villas
Submitted by
Maddie Davies, Digital PR Manager at Propellernet
Top Piece of Coverage
https://eu.usatoday.com/story/travel/destinations/2024/04/03/beaches-with-bluest-water/73108066007/
Campaign Overview
As most holiday anecdotes involve swimming in ‘the bluest water you have ever seen,’ we wanted to finally settle the debate and reveal where in the world actually has the bluest sea.
We took unedited Google map screenshots of two hundred beaches around the globe and used a colour dropper tool to find the RGB code of each body of water.
This was then cross-referenced with the RGB code of the world’s bluest shade of blue (YInMn Blue), which was officially declared the bluest shade of blue in 2016 by Oregon State University.
Then, by using the colormine.org calculator, we worked out which locations’ water was closest to YInMn Blue, crowning it the world’s bluest shade of blue.
Campaign Results
We secured 320 pieces of coverage, with 108 direct category links into the client's 'Greece villas' page.
Average domain authority of all coverage was 67, demonstrating the quality of coverage.
As a result of this single campaign, our client is now in position one for 'Greece villas' - beating the likes of Airbnb and Booking dot com for the first time - and their visibility is at an all time high.
What Worked Well and Why
We believe there are a couple of main reasons that this story performed so well. First, swimming in the sea and experiencing 'the bluest water ever' is a shared experience that a lot of people can relate to. So, we knew the connection was there.
Secondly, the methodology is very unique and we genuinely hadn't seen this done anywhere before. In today's media landscape where there are fewer journalists and a lot of PRs, unique methodologies are a sure-fire way of piquing the interest of the journos we pitch to.
Ola Jordan’s Weekly Strictly Commentary by Mecca Bingo
Submitted by
Robyn Munro, Digital PR Manager at Vega Comms
Top Piece of Coverage
Campaign Overview
We identified a gap in the market for a former Strictly professional to comment on the show, so I researched ex-Strictly pros and picked Ola Jordan. I picked Ola because I thought she was perfect for Mecca Bingo’s target audience.
We interviewed her every Monday morning about the show the previous weekend; discussing the dances, the judges’ scoring, if she agreed with the bottom two and also if she agreed with who was eliminated.
We also utilised Ola by using her prediction of who she thinks would be at risk each weekend in a combined press release approach. We used Mecca Bingo and Grosvenor Sport odds with a quote from a spokesperson explaining the latest odds from Grosvenor Sport, which went out to journalists every Friday. This secured an additional 73 pieces of coverage for Grosvenor Sport, taking our current tally for Strictly 2024 to over 300.
Campaign Results
After ten weeks of interviewing Ola, in total, we have achieved:
231 pieces of coverage
196 links
14.9 million estimated views
An average DA79
3.62K social engagement
What Worked Well and Why
It worked well because journalists love Strictly, it works well for their KPIs and when they know it’s going to land in their inbox at the same time every Monday it’s making their life a little bit easier.
Also, Ola wasn’t afraid to hold back on her opinions, which is what you want. You don’t want someone who sits on the fence or isn’t a bit controversial. She was great, easy to work with, and she’s an expert in her field, so she knows what she’s talking about.
It got recognition from Mecca Bingo’s CEO, which we were (and still are) really proud of, and it got some impressive results including The Independent. The buzz from any link never goes away, but that one was even sweeter. I appreciate every journalist who covers my pitches, but I’ve included that as my top piece of coverage because, from experience, it’s notoriously difficult to get iGaming brands in those types of publications.
The Quietest Places in the World's Loudest Cities by Earth.fm
Submitted by
Olivia Lott, Senior Digital PR Consultant at Lakeview Digital (Freelance)
Campaign Page
https://earth.fm/the-quietest-places-in-the-worlds-loudest-cities/
Top Piece of Coverage
Campaign Overview
WHO describes noise pollution as an "underestimated threat", and has serious long-term impacts on our health—but with 80% of the population living in urban areas, it's hard to escape. This campaign pinpoints cities in the US, UK, and mainland Europe where people are most exposed to noise pollution, and highlights their most peaceful places.
Earth.fm's founder said: "We recognise that, for most of us, it’s a privilege to regularly leave the city in search of birdsong, flowing rivers, and rustling leaves, which is why we wanted to find out where some of the most calming spaces are within easy reach."
Campaign Results
200+ links from 80+ referring domains (av. DR 64)
Links earned contributed to all-time-high global organic traffic to the Earth.fm site
What Worked Well and Why
End-to-end involvement was a huge key to this campaign’s success—I first delivered a thorough Digital PR competitor analysis and strategy, before developing campaign ideas for the team to choose from. I was hands-on at every step, from briefing research and onsite copy to working closely with devs and designers to create a beautiful, bespoke page, before managing the entire outreach process.
The evergreen nature of the idea, and the granular research, meant I could continuously target regional titles. I also love that this campaign has outreach potential beyond the media, allowing it to earn links from places featured in the research, like Portland Japanese Garden and Fort Worth Botanical Garden.
Finally, it helps so much when the talented team of specialists you're working with makes collaboration a joy, and you have a personal affinity with the brand—that's the secret sauce.
Official Partner for the Oasis 2025 Tour by Twickets
Submitted by
Jessica Maccio, Digital PR Consultant at Jessica Maccio Ltd (Freelance)
Campaign Page
https://www.twickets.live/en/tour/oasis-1828444849901146112/1828444849901146112
Top Piece of Coverage
Campaign Overview
In August we announced Twickets as the official ticket resale partner for the Oasis world tour using a series of press releases, media interviews and reactive PR activity. We aimed to secure brand mentions, build trust in the Twickets brand, drive traffic to the website and encourage newsletter sign ups.
Campaign Results
412 pieces of media coverage, including every UK news outlet and high authority sites including NerdWallet and Tom's Guide.
The Oasis tour page on the Twickets website received over 11 million views. This spike in attention also drove a 30% uplift in overall ticket listings compared to the same period last year, with revenue for the business increasing by 50% year-on-year (September 2023 vs September 2024).
The platform has seen its fan base expand significantly, with over 175,000 newsletter signups since the Oasis announcement. Site traffic has increased by 330% year-on-year.
What Worked Well and Why
Outside of being proactive with press releases, I monitored the news (day and night!) for articles about the Oasis tour and made sure to contact the journalists if Twickets hadn't been mentioned.
We were quick to respond to incoming requests for comments and information from media, and we received further media coverage off the back of any radio interviews with Twickets founder, Richard Davies.
When I first started working with Twickets, I shared with them the most searched for brand related question for them was 'Is Twickets legit', and having a band like Oasis lead with the message that fans should only use Twickets for resale, has massively helped build trust in the brand and give Twickets the exposure they deserved.
B Plates by Scrap Car Comparison
Submitted by
Richard Paul, Creative Director at Propellernet
Campaign Page
https://www.scrapcarcomparison.co.uk/blog/the-b-plate/
Top Piece of Coverage
https://www.ladbible.com/news/uk-news/car-drivers-b-plates-bad-parking-uk-769111-20241210
Campaign Overview
Scrap Car Comparison’s mission is to help drivers to take better care of their cars, and to be better drivers themselves – so that they can avoid damage and put off the eventual need of having to scrap their cars.
However, one issue that crops up with a lot of drivers, is bad parking. In fact, we found that 48% of drivers in the UK feel they could do with further training or assistance when it comes to parking – and many others say they feel stressed or embarrassed about their parking. On the flipside, seeing a poorly parked car can fill some people with rage.
As a result, we developed a solution for everyone: the B plate. Just like an L plate lets other motorists know you’re a learner driver, or a P plate that you’ve just passed, the B plate lets drivers to hold their hands up and say sorry for their bad parking skills. Available via the Scrap Car Comparison website, it’s the perfect gift for anyone that has trouble with their bay or parallel parks!
Campaign Results
As I say, this campaign is still going but some highlights so far include:
Coverage and links on the likes of LadBible, the Mail, Joe, Express, GB News, The Manc and international publications etc etc.
Social pickup on social channels such as Joe, Proper Manchester and more
Increase in traffic to the Scrap Car Comparison website directly attributed to the campaign
What Worked Well and Why
This is obviously a tongue in cheek campaign, but it’s one that is creating conversation, as it touches on a topic that resonates with all drivers – whether they’re confident about parking or not. While L and P plates are very UK centric, the campaign is even picking up links internationally, showing just how much it is resonating with drivers and journalists.
However, I feel a real win with this one, is how it highlights that you don’t need to spend tons of money in digital PR, to create something that sits outside of the more ‘standard’ data formats. All we required for the core of this story was some stickers, our colleagues cars and a quick, cheap photoshoot – and from that, we’ve got people talking about bad driving/parking and searching for the brand. Sometimes simple executions can be the best!
The World's Most Disappointing Masterpieces to Visit by CouponBirds
Submitted by
Ruth Barrett, Senior Digital PR Consultant at Root Digital
Campaign Page
https://www.couponbirds.com/research/disappointing-masterpieces
Top Piece of Coverage
Campaign Overview
We scraped 18,176 online reviews that mention 100 of the world's most famous artworks and the museums that house them to find out which experiences were most disappointing and those that exceeded expectations.
A number of positive and negative words and phrases were identified, accounting for misspellings and conjugations. Those with less than 50 reviews were dismissed, leaving 41 paintings. The study then calculated the percentage of negative and positive mentions to uncover the world’s most disappointing masterpieces.
Campaign Results
223 pieces of coverage, 110 linked with an av DR of 63
The Louvre are now considering moving the Mona Lisa to a new location to give visitors a better experience following the review data included in the campaign and covered heavily by the press.
32.7% increase in organic traffic during the outreach period.
2.5k onsite views
What Worked Well and Why
It was a slow burner at initial outreach, but once our focus shifted to Paris, and the Mona Lisa at the Louvre being the most disappointing artwork in the world, the pace shifted.
The campaign tapped into a particularly resonant aspect of travelling that we’ve all experienced, expectation versus reality. Those who have seen the Mona Lisa in the Louvre can no doubt appreciate its beauty, but may have been surprised by how small it is, and as our data shows, it can be an extremely underwhelming experience for some.
By using existing online reviews, we were able to ensure the credibility of the dataset remained intact, and that the weighting was fair which gave journalists confidence in our research which no doubt helped garner results.
The Christmas Dinner Scone by The Cornish Company
Submitted by
Damian Summers, Head of Digital PR at Impression
Campaign Page
Top Piece of Coverage
Campaign Overview
The aim of this campaign was to bring a company passionate about its heritage and culture into Christmas. We took something everyone in Cornwall has a strong opinion on - scones - and combined that with a UK-wide non-negotiable - Christmas Dinner - to disrupt Christmas.
Campaign Results
All scones sold out in under 48 hours following initial coverage in The Guardian, Mail Online, Telegraph.
We saw an ~80% increased conv. rate vs the avg from the scone product page traffic.
The paid social activity which supported saw +222k page engagements across socials.
What Worked Well and Why
For a product stunt to work it has to be emotive and have a reason to exist. This campaign ticked both boxes, it interfered with two traditions that people feel strongly about and existed based on data that suggests Christmas Dinner is stressful.
Our approach to launch through gauging reactions on socials first, supported our angle of division. Because we actually developed and manufactured the product, we launched it exclusively with select journalists to get the ball rolling. It's fun, divisive and feeds into a nationwide desire to complain, mock itself and not veer away from tradition.
Worlds Best Drivers by Compare the Market Australia
Submitted by
Eirini Theodoridou, International PR Manager at connective3
Campaign Page
https://www.comparethemarket.com.au/car-insurance/features/worlds-best-drivers/
Top Piece of Coverage
https://motor.elpais.com/conducir/en-que-paises-se-conduce-mejor-y-peor/
Campaign Overview
We examined driving conditions across 22 countries, ranking them based on factors like road quality, motoring expenses, congestion, and safety. The aim of the campaign is to educate readers on the best and worst places for driving while promoting the importance of comparing car insurance options to manage costs and improve financial security.
Campaign Results
Campaign was covered by international publications across Europe, South Africa and North America with non-English speaking countries translating our original content.
Campaign originally pitched in February 2023, and it drove backlinks for a year organically.
Average DA of all linked coverage is 59
For the term ‘world’s best drivers’ our study is Google AI’s suggested answer
What Worked Well and Why
The "World's Best Drivers" campaign gained 50+ backlinks from numerous international publications by leveraging globally relevant data on driving conditions which sparked interest across diverse audiences. Additionally, its visually appealing, data-driven ranking format made it highly shareable and credible, encouraging media outlets in each country to reference the study as a unique, informative resource.
This campaign also resonated strongly with Compare the Market Australia's car insurance offering as it aligns with their mission to help consumers make informed decisions about their motoring costs and safety, enhancing the campaign's relevance.
FOI Data Reveals the University Students Caught Using AI by AIPRM
Submitted by
Helena Maniglia, Head of Digital PR at Reboot Online
Top Piece of Coverage
Campaign Overview
We created a campaign to establish AIPRM as a thought leader in technology by analysing AI's impact on education - a timely topic in the industry due to the increase of AI usage among students. Using data from 150 Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to UK universities, we wanted to find out how many students received an academic penalty due to the use of AI (2022-2024).
By combining in-depth, data-driven insights with expert commentary on AI ethics in education, we provided journalists with an interesting talking point, increasing the likelihood of them linking back to the client.
Campaign Results
70+ high quality pieces of coverage to date
Coverage highlights: The Times, Daily Mail, Sunday Post, The Tab, DIGIT, Yorkshire Evening Post, Scotsman, The Mirror, Manchester Evening News
The average DR was 61
What Worked Well and Why
Combining trending themes with unique FOI data gave journalists an evidence-based story while establishing AIPRM as thought leaders in the AI industry.
We strategically expanded our media outreach to national, regional, and student publications while keeping AIPRM's AI expertise central.
Expert commentary on AI ethics enhanced AIPRM’s brand authority while engaging both technology and education professionals.
Bathroom Confessions by Faith in Nature
Submitted by
Lou Ali, Head of Digital PR at Honcho
Campaign Page
https://www.faithinnature.co.uk/blogs/notes-on-nature/bathroom-confessions
Top Piece of Coverage
https://www.indy100.com/viral/expert-warns-against-phone-in-shower
Campaign Overview
For our client, Faith in Nature, we thought it would be fascinating to uncover the bathroom habits of the British public. Our intention was to carry out a survey to uncover some pretty deep stuff around are people trying to save water and money when having a bath or shower, how do they like to unwind, what bits do they (or don’t they) wash.
However, when we were writing up our survey, loads of bathroom related topics came to mind, which was great because when the results came back, we had a plethora of interesting, fun and surprising (and to be honest, quite disgusting!) angles to go out with to ensure this one hero campaign would work hard for us – and it did!
Campaign Results
This campaign earned 52 pieces of coverage and 39 backlinks with an average DA of 61 from publications including The Daily Mail, The Mirror, Glamour, Indy100, MSN, Yahoo, MyLondon and the Daily Record.
Increasing rankings for hero terms such as ‘Body Wash’, ‘Shower Gel’ and ‘Shampoo’ moving them into top three rankings from page 2 – on top of that, we doubled the number of keywords the brand was ranking for throughout the site – just through Digital PR!
This was one campaign, which was part of a series over four months, where we increased site session by 77%
What Worked Well and Why
I will be a fan of hero campaigns until I die – by planning out your campaign in advance, you can be a lot more strategic about the keywords and other internal pages you want to target, and this did just that by increasing rankings for hero keywords. By carrying out a survey, we were able to create loads of different angles which we knew would appeal to different types of publications.
And finally, the visuals were FIRE! I work hard with my team at bringing data to life, beyond simple bar charts, and they are great at it – but these ones in particular are some of my favourites, since they were so creative, so on brand and so easy to digest.
Closing Branches Across U.S by Self Financial
Submitted by
Darren Kingman, Founder of Root Digital
Campaign Page
https://www.self.inc/info/closing-bank-branches-us-report/
Top Piece of Coverage
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2024/09/17/bank-branches-closing-study/75265819007/
Campaign Overview
Using existing commercial bank data from Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and Census data we analysed the number of bank branches nationally and per state over time compared to the respective state population which uncovered possible trends in bank numbers over time based on data from 2012-2022.
A separate survey was conducted on behalf of Self Financial in July 2023 polling 1,046 Americans who use banks (both physical and digital) to gain thoughts on traditional banking and their opinions on the changing world of banking.
Campaign Results
97 pieces of coverage, 77 linked
79% linked with an av DR 69
USA Today TV coverage
What Worked Well and Why
The report taps into the public consciousness. Banks closing is something we all know is happening, but it’s not always clear how this impacts people on an individual level. This campaign showed that physical bank branches could be extinct in the U.S. by 2041, in addition to the states that were most affected.
The campaign got people talking about access to physical banks and the cause and effect of the issue. It has national and local appeal, which continues to be part of conversation in the press. To put a date on when physical banks will close worked wonders for us and was the main newshook that the press latched on to.
It worked well because we took existing datasets, some from 1934, and compared them, further supported by a survey of Americans, essentially creating something unique that journalists cannot replicate. By using a polynomial regression model we could then accurately predict potential trends in bank numbers over time based on data from 2012-2022.
This created a dataset that stands the test of time and acts not only as a campaign, but a trusted source of information for the press. It continues to pick up coverage as it’s part of a national conversation and an ongoing issue.
World’s Friendliest Nations by Remitly
Submitted by
Abi Bennetts, Digital PR Director at Propellernet
Campaign Page
https://www.remitly.com/gb/en/landing/worlds-friendliest-nations
Top Piece of Coverage
https://eu.usatoday.com/story/travel/destinations/2024/06/23/friendliest-countries-rank/74130927007/
Campaign Overview
Whether you're visiting a destination for the first time or moving to a new country, the friendliness of people can make such a difference to your experience.
To reveal which nations are the most friendly, we conducted a global survey asking respondents to answer questions from the 'agreeableness' section of the Big 5 Personality Test.
Campaign Results
200 pieces of coverage, including 97 links (80% of which are follow). 55% of links were from new linking domains.
What Worked Well and Why
The friendliest countries topic is one we see covered in the press time and time again but is hard to attribute an actual metric to, with lots of previous stories relying on surveys or anecdotal experiences. By using a psychological test, we were able to attribute average scores to different countries based on their supposed friendliness, and press appreciated the tangible scoring system/methodology, as well as the new approach to a well-worn topic. The topic sparked debate across the countries we pitched to resulting in some brilliant coverage globally for our client Remitly.
The most talkative cities in France by Preply
Submitted by
Gideon Katz, Digital PR Strategist at Distinctly
Campaign Page
https://preply.com/fr/blog/les-villes-francaises-les-plus-bavardes/
Top Piece of Coverage
Campaign Overview
To discover the most talkative cities in France, we surveyed 1500 residents in 15 of France's largest cities on the frequency at which they adopt a series of 'talkative' behaviours, how often they speak to people and their views on other French cities.
We analysed the survey results to assign each city a score between 1 and 100, with 100 being the most talkative, and to find the most talkative generation and occupation.
Campaign Results
30 pieces of press coverage
14 DR 70+ links across French national, regional and lifestyle press
TV news coverage on BFMTV
What Worked Well and Why
A survey provided us with unique data points, broken down by demographics such as city of residence, age and profession. This allowed us to outreach a number of pivots and angles to different verticals and regional publications.
The campaign topic was directly linked to our client, who focus on language and communication across France, ensuring relevancy for journalists.
The nature of the campaign was very familiar and relatable, making it a suitable campaign for French journalists, who are not as used to receiving campaigns from PRs.
Time spent watching the Euros by Leightons
Submitted by
Mark McMeekin, Head of Digital PR at NOVOS
Top Piece of Coverage
https://www.indy100.com/science-tech/hear-better-worse-without-glasses-tiktok
Campaign Overview
Jumping on a TikTok trend where users were shocked to find their hearing improved when they removed their glasses and their sight improved when they turned music down, we wanted to place our client at the heart of the trend by offering key expert commentary.
Campaign Results
We were able to build 9 links to our key target PLP
We landed links on 8 brand new domains
7 links of the 10 secured scored over 50 with our link relevancy score
What Worked Well and Why
We were timely with our story and we utilised a huge trend on TikTok, that coupled with key credible expertises made it a no brainer for journalists to cover. The fact we were able to build links to a key target PLP contributed to wider SEO performance too, which underpins all of the work that we do.
The Gender Workwear Gap by MyWorkwear
Submitted by
Emma Robinson, PR Strategist at connective3
Campaign Page
https://www.myworkwear.co.uk/company/the-gender-workwear-gap/
Top Piece of Coverage
Campaign Overview
The campaign highlights the least inclusive industries for women, with a focus on the gaps in workwear and what more needs to be done to create more inclusive female workwear.
The campaign investigated workwear inclusivity, gender pay gap, menopause leave, and maternity pay offerings for a range of industries, from manufacuting and construction to corporate and hospitality.
Campaign Results
Majority of the results included a link to the target blog page
Results on client’s target sector publications (construction, manufacturing) – reaching target audiences
Linked features on publications with an average DA of 50
What Worked Well and Why
Journalists linking to target supporting blog – we ensured it was extremely detailed, included tonnes of additional data and comment.
Landed features on a range of sector specific publications – we ensured we tailored each version of the release to that sector so that it didn’t feel like a ‘copy and paste’ job, but included hyper-relevant information and data for those specific sectors)
Europe's Best Hidden Gems by italki
Submitted by
Shannon Cummings, Senior Digital PR Executive at Kaizen
Campaign Page
https://www.italki.com/en/blog/europes-best-hidden-gems
Top Piece of Coverage
https://metro.co.uk/2024/05/04/hidden-gem-breathtaking-beaches-apt-slower-travel-20775176/
Campaign Overview
There's nothing worse than jetting off expecting a peaceful and easy-going holiday, only to be met with crowds of tourists and endless wait times for your bucket-list itinerary.
So to help travellers find the peace they crave, we dove into data to highlight the best-hidden gems in Europe- perfect for anyone seeking a quieter escape.
Campaign Results
The campaign secured 35 pieces of coverage including 30 recorded links and 5 brand mentions with an average DR of 65.
What Worked Well and Why
This concept fits seamlessly into the summer news cycle, particularly tapping into the conversions around 'hidden gems' and quieter travel
Thanks to all of the amazing legends that shared their campaigns and insights for this post.
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IDEATION, RESOURCES
