Good and Bad PR

Well hello there PR land and welcome to another instalment of good and bad PR. It’s been a while since I’ve been in the hot seat, but Andy is taking a well-deserved week off and so you’re stuck with me (Shannon) once again I’m afraid.

The headlines have been awash with news of the funkiest Met Gala outfits, the ‘will-they-won’t-they?’ winter lockdown rumours and Emma Raducanu’s phenomenal victory at the US open, but let’s have a little look at the latest examples of good and bad PR, shall we?

Good PR

Lidl

Whilst the Met Gala and Venice Film Festival red carpets were teaming with looks from the Diors, Versaces and Pradas of the world, there’s a new kid on the block and it’s time they moved over and made way.

Lidl (yes, you heard me) has launched a new fashion range in the UK that’s not so much inspired by its brand’s colours as it is completely (and loudly) plastered in it. Named ‘Lidl by Lidl’, the new range features shorts, socks, trainers and more in the unmistakable blue, red and yellow colour palette, giving off more retro vibes than a 90s roller-disco.

The range has apparently been a hit in other areas of the world previously, but was rolled out in those magical middle aisles in the UK yesterday (16th September). As would be expected from a budget supermarket chain, the items are very reasonably priced; with the trainers coming in at the bargain price of £12.99. There are already people who’ve previously got hold of them from other parts of the world trying to flog them on eBay for almost £600 (although I’m convinced that Lidl are probably behind that listing for another bite of the PR cherry). Queue more coverage.

The media pick-up is everywhere and there’s no doubt in my mind that the exclusive range, which there are apparently no restock plans for once it’s flown off the shelves, will have completely sold out by the time you’re reading this.

Emma Raducanu

In other news that I’m sure you haven’t missed, 18-year-old Emma Raducanu has made history by becoming Britain’s first female grand slam winner since Virginia Wade won Wimbledon in 1977. She lifted the trophy at the US open in New York on Saturday, banking £1.8m in prize money; but this is just the beginning, as experts have predicted that she could well become a billion-dollar megastar. Managed by IMG super-agent Max Eisenbud, who helped Maria Sharapova rise to become the world’s highest-earning female sports star for 11 consecutive years, the sky is the limit for the young tennis star.

With a Chinese mother, a Romanian father, and a Canadian birthplace, Raducanu (who moved to England when she was two years old) has international appeal and fully embraces her heritage, even thanking her Chinese fans in fluent Mandarin after her stunning performance. Watch this space, because this young athlete is about to take on the world with brand partnerships, merch releases and even more wins.

Bad PR

Nicki Minaj

Nicki Minaj has been on the receiving end of some serious shade this week after a tweet about the Covid vaccine earned her a telling off from Professor Chris Whitty and our very own BoJo.

She shared an anecdote around why her cousin wouldn’t get the vaccine after his friend claimed to have a less than pleasant “side effect” which, by the way, certainly was not a side effect.

Here’s the tweet:

In the latest Covid update news conference, Whitty chastised people like Nicki who share “clearly ridiculous” myths “designed to scare” and said “they should be ashamed”.

Boris then chimed in by throwing some shade at Minaj, claiming he wasn’t as familiar with her work as he perhaps should be; even though we all know he probably gets his twerk on to Anaconda at any given chance.

Nicki was loving life and even recorded a fairly hilarious voice note in response, in addition to the tweet above. Whilst anti-vaxxers will be chuffed with her propaganda, she’s been on the receiving end of a lot of hate for her misleading tweet, which for her own personal brand is never ideal.

Written by Shannon Peerless, managing director of 10 Yetis Digital. Seen any good or bad PR lately? You know what to do @10Yetis on Twitter or andy@10Yetis.co.uk on email.