10 Yetis Examples of Good and Bad PR - Monday 7th July 2020

It’s the first good and bad PR of July, and subsequently the first good and bad PR of a new era, whereby you have to sign away your life in return for a pint. Yes, it’s the first week after ‘Super Saturday’ or ‘Super Spreader Saturday’, depending on your stance and behaviour, so happy Monday to those of you that stuck to social distancing whatever your activity.

Good PR

Anyway, on to more pressing matters; I like to think that if it weren’t for the absolute sh*tstorm that is 2020, this year would be known as the year of the teabag, where hot beverage connoisseurs began fighting back at angry people on social media and started fighting for justice (see ‘Sue, you’re shouting at tea’ for reference).

In continuation of fine form, PG Tips has vowed to go plastic-free by next year – the first major tea brand to do so. Long-time environmental trailblazers in the tea world, PG Tips was also the first large tea company to introduce fully-biodegradable bags. Hopefully other big names will follow, given the apparent camaraderie in the land of tea.

Nothing screams good PR like a taboo-smashing campaign on an important topic, and this is exactly what Bodyform has done in its latest ‘Womb Stories’ ad.

In a three-minute video, the brand covers the side of periods that are often not talked about – such as endometriosis, miscarriage and menopause – and offers a true account of periods. The company is aiming to get people talking about issues that are difficult and often seen as taboo. Whilst I can’t pretend to understand the complexity and pain involved, I can appreciate the worth and boldness of the campaign.

This next idea – though fairly small – was something I thought was a really nice initiative, and a great way to support local businesses; the ‘Neverspoons’ app shows people wanting to go to the pub where they can drink without going to a Wetherspoons, whose owner was embroiled in controversy when (amongst other stuff) he was a dick to his staff during lockdown.

The app encourages people to support local and independent businesses (if safe to do so), rather than put money in the pocket of a big, evil, conglomerate, and therefore is worthy of a shoutout.

Bad PR

Modern day slavery is still, sadly, a massive issue, and has a particularly problematic link to fast-fashion. Its prevalence reared its ugly head recently, when Boohoo was called out for supposedly paying staff in one of its Leicester factories a measly £3.50 per hour. Worse still, the factory in question has been accused of poor working conditions, and was located in a city with a newly enforced lockdown.

David Walliams – who has come under much criticism for the characters he portrayed in Little Britain and other shows, has now been attacked for his books. The comedian-cum-writer has been attacked for enforcing troublesome stereotypes in his children’s books, including sexism and classism. Not the best year for ol’ David, coronavirus aside.