If you are also looking for a way for your business to communicate with the world, then public relations (PR) are only for you. Smart PR can boost your brand popularity, while poor PR can destroy its reputation. If a PR campaign is well planned and handled smarty, it can make your company trustworthy. Let’s look at how PR has helped brands grow.
Making your brand popular through PR
PR will help your company to catch the world’s eye in an impressive way. Let’s look at how some companies get massive popularity through PR.
1. Airbnb
By sharing authentic tales of hosts and guests rather than only advertising their service, Airbnb expanded. “Live There,” their campaign, urged people to experience locations as natives would rather than as tourists. People trusted Airbnb and preferred it to hotels because of this emotional connection.
2. Dove – Real Beauty Campaign
Dove’s “Real Beauty” campaign revolutionized the beauty business. They displayed actual ladies with a range of body types and skin tones rather than utilizing models. People were moved by this message of self-love, which increased brand respect.
3. ALS Ice Bucket Challenge—Social Media Magic
One excellent illustration of how social media may quickly propagate a message is the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. In an effort to raise awareness and fund research for ALS, people doused themselves in ice water. It became a worldwide trend as celebrities and business executives joined in. Millions were raised for ALS research through the campaign.
When PR Goes Wrong: Lessons from Failures
Sometimes, brands fail in PR, and it damages their reputation. Here are some famous PR mistakes:
1. Pepsi: The Kendall Jenner Ad Controversy
In a Pepsi commercial, Kendall Jenner participated in a demonstration and handed a police officer a can of Pepsi. People thought the advertisement minimized protests and disregarded pressing social issues. Pepsi pulled the advertisement after receiving harsh criticism.
Lesson: Always understand the feelings of the audience before launching a campaign.
2. United Airlines – Passenger Dragging Incident
United Airlines was shown on camera pulling a passenger off an overbooked flight in 2017. Customers became more upset as the airline defended themselves rather than apologized. People stopped trusting the airline, and the value of its stock fell.
Lesson: If something goes wrong, take responsibility and fix the issue quickly.
3. BP Oil Spill—Poor Response
The environment suffered significant harm as a result of the BP oil spill. The CEO of the company declared, “I want my life back,” rather than concentrating on the catastrophe. This gave the impression that BP was indifferent to the harm it had inflicted.
Lesson: In a crisis, show concern and take action to solve the problem.
Here are some PR tips for your businesses.
Every single business, even if it is a small one, definitely needs smart PR. These are some easy tips for your business that make a huge impact.
Good Story: always share the real experience of your customers or inspiring brand messages instead of just selling products. It can really help people to trust the brand.
Good management of problems: things can happen anytime and anywhere, and ups and downs are just a part of the game. You should have good management to handle bad publicity or any crises.
Interact with the Right People: Build relationships with journalists and influencers who can help spread your message.
Use Social Media Carefully: Social media is powerful, but one wrong post can create trouble. Always think before posting.
Be Honest: If a mistake happens, admit it, apologize, and fix the issue. People appreciate honesty.
This blog showed how PR can boost your brand’s image and sales instantly, but also it handles poorly, and it can destroy everything in no time. Brands can lose customers and the trust of people, so play smart to choose the right PR for you.
