Good PR

Sony
Gamers around the globe have been given a glimpse of what the hotly anticipated Playstation 5 might feature this week, and they’ve not been disappointed it seems.

A new patent has found that the device, which is likely to be called the ‘DualShock 5’ might just be able to monitor users’ heartrates whilst they are in play, as well as their sweat secretion levels.

I know what you’re thinking. Sweat? How gross.

BUT… the possibilities of what this technology could mean in terms of the versatility of gameplay are very exciting, and by providing a much more immersive and interactive experience for gamers, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a new host of Sony fans once this is released to the general public.

Tesco
It’s a huge round of applause to Tesco this week, after it was announced that one of the UK’s largest supermarkets has introduced plasters in three different shades (light, medium and dark) in a bid to increase its diversity and cater to its wide range of customers stemming from a huge array of multi-cultural backgrounds.

The move by the powerful retailer follows in the footsteps of a large number of beauty brands – most notably Rihanna’s make-up collection ‘Fenty’ – that have set out to change how difficult a task it can be for women of colour to find foundations that complement their skin tones.

Let’s be honest, if you badly cut your leg, the last thing you want is to make the fact you’re covering up an injury obvious, so this new roll-out of versatile plasters will certainly be a crowd-pleaser for shoppers moving forwards. This is a perfect case of a brand listening to the needs of its customers and giving them what they want, after a Twitter user posted just last year that she was keen to find a ‘band-aid’ in her own skin tone.

Lidl
I’ll be honest with you guys. I’ve got a serious soft spot for budget supermarket Lidl.

I think the offerings are superior to Aldi, I used to live around the corner from one in my younger years, and there’s one about to open on my commute. It’s honestly pretty tragic how excited I am to be able to take a trip to a Lidl bakery on my way to work in the mornings!

Another tick to add to the ‘I Love Lidl’ list comes in the form of the retailer’s dedication to sustainability, including this week’s announcement that, from now on, all its fish packaging will be made from recycled plastic that would’ve ended up in the ocean otherwise.

According to reports, as much as 90% of the plastic packaging that reaches the ocean makes its way from coastlines in regions such as South East Asia, so the new initiative will focus on recycling discarded plastic located near areas like this to give it a new purpose away from contaminating our oceans.

Bad PR

Tesco
I know what you’re thinking.

I already gave Tesco Good PR above so I’m not allowed to also give it bad PR. Well it’s my column and I can do what I want. Plus it’ll act as a warning to everyone else that just because you impress us one week, it doesn’t mean you won’t end up on the naughty list the next!

Anyway, Tesco is featuring here due to the fact that customers have been reporting a series of issues with its online shopping service.

According to the Press Association, customers of the site looking to order their weekly shops on Tuesday were being locked out of their grocery accounts and unable to complete and pay for their orders due to some major glitches on the retailer’s website.

Despite Tesco claiming that it has now fixed the problem, customers are not happy that they’ve been left without their deliveries, with some even taking to Twitter to complain that they are still experiencing difficulty attempting to log in to their grocery account.

I wonder if Sainsbury’s or Asda suddenly experienced an influx of new customers this week?

Victoria’s Secret

A rebrand of the lingerie brand Victoria’s Secret to incorporate a more ‘woke’ image has left many feeling as though the company is offering its stakeholders ‘too little, too late’.

The company’s decision to show a more diverse range of beauty, using models of all different sizes and from a variety of ethnic backgrounds, is a seemingly shallow and money-making tactic. Another new move comes in the form of introducing looser and less risqué items, all well and good until you take into consideration the fact that the company is still run primarily by men, and doesn’t practice the female empowering messages that it preaches, like its up-and-coming competitor Savage X Fenty, another project from the singer Rihanna.

I’ll be honest, I haven’t been into a Victoria’s Secret store for years as I detested the extreme and unattainable ideas of ‘beauty’ that the brand portrays, and something this fickle and contrived isn’t about to change my opinion.

Written by Lauren Wilden, head of PR at 10 Yetis. Seen any good or bad PR lately? You know what to do @10Yetis on Twitter or andy@10Yetis.co.uk on email