10 Yetis Examples of Good and Bad PR - Monday 1st January 2020

Happy New Year everybody - in the office we've just about managed to figure out what day it is, but are still struggling with the year. Anyhow, as it's (apparently) a Monday, the wonderful Paige has put together the good and bad PR from the past week, so without further ado:

Good PR

Lidl

Lidl has scored a win on this week’s Good and Bad PR by saying it will remove cartoon characters from its own-branded cereal boxes in a bid to help parents choose healthier food choices. Of course, there’s nothing better than seeing a cartoon character as a child on a cereal box, but Lidl has said that it would stop children’s pressure of “pester power” for unhealthy breakfasts.

This is good PR for Lidl as it will make a good stand against childhood obesity – but perhaps they could be adding these cartoon characters to children’s fruit and veg packaging instead? Hm, maybe “food” for thought!

KFC

KFC has released its new vegan burger! With so many fast food chains now offering vegan options on their menus for ‘Veganuary’ – the British public are going mad for it. Some are excited for the release of the vegan burger; others however are not so happy that British consumers are putting money in the back pockets of a chicken company.

It’s good to see so many fast food chains now giving vegan options, that way, vegans don’t have to shop elsewhere or feel left out when purchasing from fast food companies.

Co-op

Co-op has also launched its new vegan range, ranging from steak bakes to mozzarella-type vegan cheese. The launch, called Gro, will be available at up to 6,000 Co-op and independent stores – with more than 35 meat free products.

Co-op has said that it’s “believed to be the largest ever product rollout of own-brand vegan products by a supermarket”. With so many supermarkets now offering vegan options, it allows consumers to have a broader option of products to buy. Instead of having to shop at one place for essentials and another for their vegan options, having all options in one place is not only better for the consumer, but also for the business.

FA Cup

The Football Association have asked fans, players and everyone else to “Take A Minute” to think about their current mental health at the start of football games.

According to the Guardian, in 2018 6,507 people took their own lives in Britain, an increase of 686 on the previous year. A video will be shown at the start of football matches to encourage people to take a minute to think about their mental health. The video also includes shots of various football athletes with the voice over provided by Prince William.

The British public have praised the notion, saying that it is a great idea and that it’s a minute they would happily wait before the matches.

Bad PR:

McDonalds

McDonalds gave away free McMuffins on Sunday; however, customers were left angry as the app had crashed to redeem the breakfast item. Customers had until 11am yesterday morning to claim them, but it wasn’t long before the McDonalds app was overcrowded and it came to a halt.

With the fast food chain quoting an article from The Sun, most of the replies were from customers asking why their app wasn’t working. One tweeter even said it had ruined their Sunday morning! I suppose McDonalds should have prepared for this one as it seemed almost everyone wanted to get their hands on a free McMuffin.