February: During the month of love ❤️, there were plenty of reactive opportunities for digital PRs. Pancake day, Children’s Mental Health Week, Valentine’s Day (of course!), London Fashion Week and the BAFTA film awards, to name a few. From all of this came plenty of great digital PR campaigns, so here are some of our favourites. As always, we’ll be exploring what these brands did, why their campaigns were a success, and the coverage they gained as a result.
AirBnb: 2025 Spring Travel Trends
With spring on the way, AirBnb released its ‘2025 Spring Travel Trends’ report, reporting a huge shift in how people want to travel. They revealed the rise of ‘soft and slow’ travel – a move towards more mindful, wellness-focused trips that let people take their time and truly experience their surroundings.
Another key takeaway? Just in time for Valentine’s Day, they discovered that solo travel is booming, with searches for single-person getaways increasing by a huge 90% compared to last year. Interestingly, solo bookings are currently averaging an impressive 17-night stay.
They also revealed that pet-friendly travel is on the rise, with a 30% jump in searches for stays that accommodate furry friends, and a 40% increase in solo travelers choosing to bring their pets with them.
Standout coverage
- Mirror (DA 94): Top trending destinations among UK travellers perfect for pet-friendly getaways
- The Manual (DA 75): The top spring travel destinations, according to Airbnb
- Sunset (DA 77): Solo Vacations Are Spring’s Biggest Travel Trend—Here’s Why
- HospitalityNet (DA 74): 2025 spring travel trends revealed
- GlobeTrender (DA 47): Airbnb reveals spring travel trends for 2025
Why it worked
It goes without saying that airbnb is an authority in travel, but this campaign in particular succeeded because it tapped into several key consumer trends that are growing in popularity: slow travel, solo adventures and pet-friendly (everyone loves pets, after all) getaways. This meant that the report provided varied data points and insights, making it an easy and appealing story for journalists in different niches to cover.
The campaign’s emphasis on solo travel made it highly relevant to February’s seasonal moment: Valentine’s Day. By highlighting the rise in solo travel, the company framed solo travel as an act of self-love and independence. The result? The story instantly had a stronger hook, making it more compelling and shareable.
Lastly, the focus on pet-friendly stays was a smart move. Dogs are always a winner, so this angle not only widened the campaign’s appeal but also made it highly shareable across social media. Plus points? It’ll likely pick up more coverage in National Pet Month, which lands in April.
DuoLingo: RIP Duo! Mascot Death
RIP, Duo! This month, Duolingo pulled off one of the most talked-about digital PR stunts of the year so far. Anouncing the ‘death’ of its beloved green owl mascot, Duo, the popular language-learning platform, posted a dramatic statement across its social media accounts:
“Duo is dead. Probably waiting for you to do your lesson. We’re aware he had many enemies. Please respect Dua Lipa’s privacy at this time.”
The result? A viral hit, with thousands of reactions, memes and debates over what had actually happened to Duo. Within hours, #RIPDuo was trending across platforms. DuoLingo even asked users’ for their credit card details to sign them up for Duolingo Max “in Duo’s memory,” reinforcing the cheeky tone of the campaign.
Taking the stunt even further, Duolingo later released a grainy, black-and-white CCTV-style video showing Duo being hit by a Tesla Cybertruck.
Standout coverage
- Business Insider (DA 93): Duolingo killed its cartoon owl mascot for another ‘unhinged’ marketing stunt — except in one country
- The Independent (DA 89): Duo, the Duolingo owl, has ‘died’—leaving users in mourning (and somewhat relieved)
- TechCrunch (DA 92): Duolingo ‘killed’ its mascot with a Cybertruck, and it’s going weirdly well
- The Sun (DA 90): Duolingo sparks confusion with dead owl post and new app icon as brand begs fans for ‘privacy’ during ‘investigation’
- Mashable (DA 92): Duolingo ‘killed’ its owl mascot and the internet went wild
- Metro (DA 86): Duolingo owl ‘killed’ after Tesla Cybertruck crashes into mascot
Why it worked
Duolingo’s campaign was like a viral PR masterclass. The brand has long been known for its playful personality, and this campaign took that to the next level. By ‘killing off’ their mascot (RIP from all us of at Coveragely), they instantly captured the internet’s attention.
The initial post was cryptic, leaving fans of the brand wondering what on earth happened to Duo. This encourage users to react, speculate and create their own content in response, hence its virality. In fact, the hashtag #RIPDuo trended globally, driving huge organic reach.
Another smart move was tying the campaign in with Dua Lipa, telling their users to “Respect Dua Lipa’s privacy”. Wondering the relevance? It’s all down to the continuous confusion between the pop star’s name and the brand’s own.
The brand later released the ‘murder footage’, making the campaign an even bigger hit and prolonging the conversation. It was almost like a true crime mystery, tempting fans to actively participate in the campaign and spark up their own theories. The result? More posts, more conversation, more coverage.
Experian: Financial red flags
February is the month of love, creating the perfect for Experian’s ‘Financial Red Flags’ campaign. The aim? Raise awareness about the importance of financial transparency in romantic relationships. The campaign revealed common financial warning signs that individuals often overlook in their partners when lust takes over, revealing that over half of Brits (52%) admitted to ignoring financial red flags in their relationships.
Common issues revealed by the survey included a partner’s unwillingness to discuss money (32%), being made to feel guilty about personal spending (21%), and secrecy around household bills (17%). Other concerning behaviours included partners regularly monitoring financial statements (15%), pressuring each other to overspend (12%), and even making intentional late payments (11%).
Standout coverage
- Express (DA 94): Valentine’s Day warning: The financial red flags you should never ignore
- Yahoo News UK (DA 96): When your Valentine’s dream turns into a financial nightmare – red flags to watch for”
- Wales Online (DA 87): Financial red flags Brits keep missing in their relationships
- Sidmouth Herald (DA 56): Brits urged to spot financial red flags in relationships
- Verge Magazine (DA 49): Experian partners with Anna Williamson to help Brits break up with toxic financial habits
Why it worked
When it comes to getting people talking, money and relationships is always a great duo. With Valentine’s Day presenting a key hook, Experian made an otherwise serious topic feel fresh, engaging, fun and relevant.
Everyone’s talking about red flags these days, but financial red flags are one many of us overlook. The result? It hit a nerve, making readers feel seen and eager to dive deeper, and gave the campaign that emotional feel.
Plus, journalists always love a good set of data. The fact that over half of Brits admitted to ignoring financial red flags? Instant headline material! Add in all the other stats, and they gave journalists from finance, lifestyle and dating niches an easy angle to run with.
Bringing in Anna Williamson, known for her role on popular Celebs Go Dating, gave the campaign even more credibility and relevancy. Her expertise in relationships instantly gave the findings extra authority.
