The nights are longer, it’s all a bit chilly and – I hate to use the cliché – I just cannot believe it’s November!
As 2020 (finally) begins to draw to a close it’s been all go at Hatch HQ getting the last of our Christmas activities finalised as well as getting ready to kick off 2021 with a bang for our clients! We’ve launched a brand new platform to break the taboo around the menopause with a creative stunt in the UK’s top cities, as well as hosting the inaugural National Cheese Toastie Day and of course extending our work with the 2021 Rugby League World Cup.
But it’s not just about us – October was a month full of fantastic PR campaigns and social media moments, so let’s round up some of our faves…
Icons return to our screens – but not our high streets
It’s been 17 years since we saw BBC’s Changing Rooms gracing our screens – and Channel 4 announced its return this month with Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen back at the helm alongside presenting veteran Davina McCall. The news sent Twitter into a meltdown, with many recollecting the moment Linda Barker destroyed an antique teapot collection worth thousands.
Away from the screen, this month we saw a range of news outlets cover the story about Woolworth’s return – only to have the story nullified by a number of journos who had smelt a rat at the source. 12-hour old Twitter account @UKWoolworths was responsible for the news (which Woolworths owner Very said was ‘not connected with the brand’), asking the public to chip in with what they’d like to see in-store. The BBC later reported the story as a hoax.
It just wouldn’t be Christmas without…
Half a tree? That’s right – American catalogue retailer Hammacher Schlemmer has launched ‘half trees’ which sit flush with the wall behind, meaning you no longer have to decorate the back. Other brands are indeed available, with Amazon offering their own version for just £59.90 (a snip compared to Hammacher Schlemmer’s £200 price tag).
Aldi turns 30
Discount retailer Aldi is well-known for its quality content – and this month was no different. The 9th October saw in the 30th Anniversary of the UK contingent, and to mark the occasion it launched a hashtag and invited UK brands to ‘attend’ its birthday celebrations.
With the likes of Tesco, ASDA, Sainsburys, Co-Op and other major supermarkets chiming in, word got out and more and more brands began to react. Stalwarts like Specsavers, The Gym Group, Lynx and John Lewis all got involved – championing brand personality and cohesion in a marketing move that UK shoppers loved.
The US Election
The campaign trail is reaching its end, but of course it has had its fair share of drama. This month POTUS Donald Trump had his Twitter password guessed by a Dutch researcher (‘maga2020!’ – mustn’t have taken long). One of our favourite brand campaigns has included Hotels.com offering customers the chance to ‘live under a rock’ for just $5 until the election is over. Tempting? We think so!
Best of the rest…
Aunt Bessie’s celebrates its quarter century with a 25-tier Yorkshire Pudding tower standing at over 8ft tall. The Kazakhstan tourism board has announced it will adopt Borat’s ‘very nice’ catchphrase in its new marketing campaign, and over on Twitter, Innocent partnered with Heinz for a hoax launch of a beans-inspired smoothie. Tasty.
