January: We made it! The longest month of the year has finally ended and there’s plenty to look forward to., January can be tough for many reasons – it’s the end of the holiday season, and we’re suffering through cold, long and dark days, along with the potential financial stress after overspending during Christmas.
Despite a somewhat turbulent month, there were still lots of great digital PR campaigns to choose from. 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.
Dominos: ‘Cosy Cookie’ – a wearable beanbag
Battersea Power Station had a ‘cracking’ makeover, thanks to the creators behind Wallace & Gromit and Apple.
Every day from 5 pm up until 10.30 pm throughout December to New Year’s Eve, a pair of Christmas trees will light up the two towers on the landmark’s river-facing side. In a short animation, visitors to the power station will see the two iconic characters decorate their giant trees in their styles. Aardman, the studio and creator of Wallace & Gromit, paired up with Apple and used an iPhone 16 Pro Max to create the short.
Despite launching in December alongside tons of other festive campaigns, the campaign managed to secure over 70 pieces of coverage in major national and trade publications.
Standout coverage
- The Sun (DA 94) COOKIE CUTTER: Domino’s creates wearable beanbag outfit helping Brits to stay warm without putting the heating on
- Famous Campaigns (DA 53): Domino’s launches the ‘Cosy Cookie’ wearable beanbag
- Daily Mail (DA 94): Domino’s fans left in stitches over brand’s bizarre merchandise: ‘This is iconic’
- Verge Magazine (DA 49): DOMINO’S LAUNCHES LIMITED-EDITION WINTER WEARABLE BOUND TO BAKE YOUR DAY!
- Trendhunter (DA 81): Cookie-Themed Wearable Beanbags
- National World (DA 62): Domino’s creates ‘Cosy Cookie’ wearable beanbag to help Brits snuggle up at home
Why it worked
What’s not to love? A giant cookie to snuggle up in to help curb those winter blues. The brand decided to combine two things they know Brits love; staying cosy and comfort food, and it just worked.
Domino’s are no strangers to big PR campaigns, and this one was no different. The unique essence of the item got people talking, while the limited edition aspect helped create a sense of urgency and exclusivity among fans of the pizza brand. Resulting in people scrambling to sign up to the website to get a chance to win the beanbag. It’s a win/win for Domino’s too, as they will have most likely secured thousands of email addresses ready for any future marketing campaigns, brilliant.
Competitions like this always do well too, not only with fans of the brand who want to get their hands on the item but also with the media who want stories that are unique and interesting to cover. They naturally generate a lot of drama, excitement and intrigue, not only boosting brand awareness but increasing traffic both to the title covering the story and the campaign landing page. This interest is further amplified once the competition is over with people looking to find out who won, fostering high engagement and providing multiple narratives for journalists to report on.
Bensons for Beds: What a sleepless Brit will look like
It wouldn’t be a January campaign without a mental health or sleep angle, and this one is genuinely horrifying.
Bensons for Beds used AI to create Hannah – a 45-year-old projection of what sleep-deprived people will look like in 2050. She has chronic back pain, thinning hair, sagging skin, swollen legs and red, baggy eyes. The campaign focused around Brits’ lack of sleep, stating that we currently only get an average of six hours per night, and aimed to raise awareness around the importance of making time for a good quality sleep.
Partnering with a doctor, they predicted what we’ll look like in the future if we don’t prioritise our sleep and shared some tips for getting a good night’s sleep. They also shared some advice for those worried about their lack of sleep and the potential health concerns.
The campaign managed to secure numerous links in a variety of top tier national and regional titles such as the Daily Mail, The Scotsman, Ladbible and the Lancashire Telegraph.
Standout coverage
- LadBible (DA 83): Haunting images show what six hours of sleep a night will do to your body
- The Scotsman (DA 90): Startling AI model projects what people with sleep deprivation will look like in 2025
- Daily Mirror (DA 94): Horrifying images show how you might look if you only get six hours of sleep a night
- New York Post (DA 93): The shocking toll of getting just 6 hours of sleep per night revealed in horrifying images
- Daily Mail (DA 94): What six hours of sleep a night will do to your body: Swollen eyes, thinning hair and chronic back pain
- JOE (DA 76): AI model reveals what people who sleep six hours a night will look like in 2050
Why it worked
This campaign was unique, interesting, and, let’s face it, downright scary. It also coincided with a month all about mental health and general wellbeing, which helped provide a hook. With many setting goals and new years’ resolutions, this campaign was perfectly timed for that audience as it pleaded with people to improve the quality of their sleep.
The AI-generated images released with the campaign are highly realistic and visually appealing too, which helped to capture attention within the media to cover the story and drive engagement with readers.
Alongside this, the brand partnered with an expert to provide sleep tips and advice. Using an expert helps bring specialised advice to the campaign, lending credibility to a campaign and making the message more believable. Experts usually have a deeper understanding of the industry, allowing them to offer a unique perspective.
With this campaign, for example, the bed brand may not be seen to have the authority to provide actual medical advice. Therefore, by partnering with a doctor, they’re able to provide more niche and specialised advice. This gains trust not only among people reading the advice but within the media. They’re more likely to cover stories with tips if they feature a qualified expert.
EasyJet: The Great British Holiday Audit
January is known as one of the best months for travel campaigns – everyone is truly over the festive season, fed up of long, dark days and longing for some sun. This is why you’ll see holiday adverts as early as New Years’ Day, and EasyJet decided to capitalise on this with their latest survey; Great British Holiday Audit.
The survey revealed plenty of angles for the media to choose from, including how Brits will travel in 2025, how much they’ll spend plus where they’ll be travelling to. It also highlighted the top 15 travel trends of 2025 including ‘Low Cost Luxe’, ‘AI-tinery planning’ and ‘Holiday Hopping’.
It was successful too – the survey results were featured in major news outlets such as Travel Gossip, The Sun, TTG, Travel Daily Media and the Daily Mirror.
Standout coverage
- The Sun (DA 94): JETTING OFF Exact number of holidays Brits will take this year is revealed
- The Southern Reporter (DA 49): Brits lose four annual leave days to life admin, easyJet Holidays research reveals
- Travel Daily Media (DA 62): The Great British Holiday Audit
- TTG (DA 62): BRITS READY TO ‘TRADE UP’ TO FIVE-STAR ‘AFFORDABLE LUXURY’ IN CHEAPER DESTINATIONS
- Travel Gossip (DA 30): Holidays more important than ever for 97% of Brits
- Wales Online (DA 90): Brits lose four annual leave days to life admin, research reveals
Why it worked
This not only had the seasonal angle but a big brand behind it too. The media will always cover a story from an already trusted brand because they know it will generate clicks.
Big data campaigns provide multiple angles and narratives for the media to choose from, this means more stories and more content for the publication. The fact that the survey provided a list of the places where people will be holidaying meant that there’s a visual aspect too, as the places can be mapped to capture attention.
Not only is it visually appealing, but it means there’s a regional angle for the places mentioned in the survey. This helps to get the story in front of a wider audience.
On top of this, it was launched at the perfect time. With everyone looking for an escape from dark days and cold weather, this is when people are actively looking to book holidays to give them something to look forward to.
