PR campaign trends: Spring forecast at North
PR campaign trends: Spring forecast at North https://northstrategic.com/wp-content/uploads/pexels-armin-rimoldi-5553096-1024x682.jpg 1024 682 Jonathan Forani https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/0224c5ae9357da0ca0dcbe96be87c430?s=96&d=mm&r=gBy Sarah Stewart-Browne, President
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As spring begins, the year in PR is coming into focus. With three months under our belt at North Strategic, four key themes have emerged among the work gaining the most traction for our clients.
Here’s a brief look at PR campaign trends for 2023
Collabs: Think beyond ‘influencer’
Influencer relationships are still key to securing impressions in 2023, but more brands are thinking beyond traditional “influencer” engagement and going bigger — “collabs” aren’t just for pop stars and hip-hop artists.
Fashion brands are leading the way with collaborations that make powerful statements. Our long-time client Canada Goose has combined the influence and artistry of its brand with significant figures of the art and design space in its recent collabs. Multimedia artist Paola Pivi’s eye-catching polar bear installations aligned perfectly with the brand’s work with Polar Bears International, and the streetwear styles of Canadian designer Chris Gibbs of UNION LA synced up well with the iconic Canada Goose NBA partnership. The combined creative forces make for PR campaigns with real influence.
Gamification: Get engaged
While the social media landscape shifts all the time, the power of a gamification and a good “challenge” for users has remained consistent. Getting Canadians engaged with a brand means capitalizing on their competitive impulses.
Our client Sleep Country Canada made the idea of rest, wellness and sleep habits not only educational for Sleep Awareness Month in March, but also fun. Enter the “248 Hour Sleep Challenge,” a social media campaign to encourage Canadians to get eight hours of better, higher-quality sleep every day for the entire month. Gamifying and quantifying wellness in this way made more social media users conscious of their sleep needs and about helpful sleep practices, an effective awareness and education strategy for the brand.
ESG: Community and social impact
Over the last few years, consumers have increasingly sought out more socially conscious brands that are transparent about their environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices. This reality will likely only become more and more potent for brands and consumers in the coming years.
At North Strategic, in addition to our own internal policies around diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), community and social impact, we are increasingly working with brands that have brought ESG into focus through their PR campaigns and through their internal corporate messaging.
For our client Kruger Products, this was a key focus with the launch of Bonterra, a bold new line of innovative and sustainably focused household paper products. Messaging around the launch of the new brand highlighted the way the world is changing and how Canadians can make a greater impact when they take steps together for a better planet. Moreover, at a community level, Kruger Products has continued to invest in initiatives like the Kruger Big Assist to make hockey more accessible to families in need of an off-ice assist.
Events: Together again
As the pandemic moves further into the rear view, one of PR’s most dependable strategies is re-emerging in full force: in-person events and activations. In 2022, North successfully hosted and executed some show-stopping campaigns, and this spring and summer will be even more exciting.
Last summer our client McCormick, and their French’s brand, broke the internet with the buzzworthy ketchup-flavoured ice pops, a campaign that included a small but mighty presence on the ground in three cities.
Over the recent holiday season, our client Heineken hosted a major kick-off event in the financial district in downtown Toronto. With a live band, celebrity host, and lots of in-person fun, the event celebrated The Closer, an innovative bottle opener that shuts down your work applications when you open a bottle of Heineken with it.
This year, you can expect to see North out there again for our clients in new and engaging ways. For ideas that travel, North Strategic can lead the way. Where will we take you?
Reach out to our teams to learn more about how we can help you tell your story.