Is it just us, or is June the best month of the year? The sun is shining, you’ve got the whole summer ahead of you and, hopefully, a trip or two planned to look forward to. This year, June also brought us Glastonbury, the all-important lead-up to the UK general election, and – you guessed it – loads of brilliant digital PR campaigns.
With that said, it’s time for our digital PR spotlight for June 2024. As always, grab yourself a cuppa (wait, it’s June now – make that an iced tea) and take a look at three of our top picks:
Post Office: Holiday Money Report 2024
Each summer, the Post Office releases the results of their ‘Holiday Money’ analysis, which reveals the best destinations worldwide when it comes to value for money.
The good news? This year’s Worldwide Holiday Costs Barometer, published in the report, found prices for meals, drinks and other tourist items have fallen since last year in 25 of the 40 resorts and cities surveyed – a cheap year for holidays, then.
Hoi An, Vietnam took the top spot for 2024 for the best value destination for the first time. Next up was Cape Town, South Africa and, third, was Mombasa in Kenya. Surprisingly, the Algarve in Portugal took the fifth spot – beating the likes of Thailand, India and Bali.
So far, the campaign has secured 243 links to its landing page, though many of these are historic as the page is updated each year.
Standout coverage
- Daily Mail (DA 94): Revealed: Vietnam is the destination where your pound will stretch the furthest in 2024
- Mirror (DA 94): World’s best value holiday for Brits has £1.16 beers and 32C weather in May
- The Sun (DA 94): EUR ON The stunning stretch of European coastline that is now the best value holiday destination for Brits
- Metro (DA 92): ‘Stunning’ destination is Europe’s cheapest holiday spot
- Time Out (DA 92): This is officially the most affordable holiday destination in 2024
- CN Traveller (DA 88): This Is Officially the Top Best-Value Destination in the World in 2024
Why it worked
The Post Office updates and releases its ‘Holiday Money Report’ every year. By making this an annual campaign, they stay on the radar of relevant publications, who come to expect (and even plan for) this story annually. Plus, over time, they’re likely to have developed relationships with journalists, who continuously cover the story.
It’s fair to say that being a brand as well-known as Post Office brings instant trust and credibility, too. People, including journalists, may be more likely to trust their travel recommendations than those from a random source. This credibility can be a huge driving factor when it comes to securing coverage.
The fact the campaign covers destinations all over the world influences its success, too. Journalists are more likely to cover stories that are relevant to their local audience, leading the Post Office to gain global coverage such as Idealista, Viaggi and Euro News.
Lastly, we all know that travel can be expensive, and that in 2024, much of the UK is looking for ways to make their money go further. By highlighting the best value destinations, the Post Office instantly resonated with a large audience. Plus, the topics of travel and money are both highly relevant to the Post Office, who is one of the UK’s leading travel money and insurance providers.
Airbnb: Look what she made them do: The Swiftie influence on European travel
Taylor’s 2024 tour, Eras, taking place this summer, is the highest-grossing tour ever – cashing in at a staggering $2.165 billion by the end of the year. But it’s not just Taylor’s pockets being lined. The tour has complemented the travel industry too, leading to a surge in Airbnb bookings all over the world.
AirBnB created a campaign outlining the influencer the Eras tour has had on their business. Key takeaways included the fact that searches for stays on Airbnb by Americans during European dates of the tour have surged nearly 70%, that American guests account for nearly a third of European Airbnb bookings during the tour, and that over two-thirds of nights booked are by women. Interesting, right?
Unsurprisingly, the media lapped up this news, meaning AirBnb have secured 48 links to their landing page alone, alongside plenty of unlinked brand mentions.
Standout coverage
- Mirror (DA 94): EXCLUSIVE: Taylor Swift fans forced to pay up to £769-a-night for AirBnB stays on gig dates
- CNBC (DA 93): What Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour says about ‘passion tourism’
- Express (DA 93): Taylor Swift Eras Tour shows raises Airbnb prices by 500 percent – is your area affected?
- The Points Guy (DA 83): The Taylor Swift surge in business includes European and US Airbnb bookings
- IndyStar (DA 82): Taylor Swift’s Indianapolis Eras Tour shows drive record hotel, short-term rental demand
- The New York Sun (DA 69): Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour Surges Airbnb Demand, Prompts Slew of New Owners To Put Up Their Homes
Why it worked
This is newsjacking at its finest. Newsjacking is the act of leveraging a news story to gain visibility for your brand. The world’s gone crazy for Taylor, so Airbnb simply capitalised on that existing hype, using their own, readily available data.
By associating themselves with the tour’s success, they managed to piggyback off the excitement and reach a wider audience. At the same time, the campaign naturally highlighted all that Airbnb has to offer, positioning them as a solution for fans travelling to see Taylor Swift and event-goers in general.
Taylor’s current – immense – popularity also played a role here. ‘Swifties’ are likely to share anything and everything related to Taylor, meaning Airbnb had an engaged audience simply by mentioning her name.
It was also a positive story, highlighting the positive economic benefits of the tour for the travel industry and how it benefitted local economies. This is still much needed for the travel industry, which was majorly impacted by the pandemic.
Tinder: Give an X
You didn’t think you’d escape this month’s post without an election-themed campaign, did you?!
Tinder, a dating app, partnered with the charity My Life My Say to support the ‘Give an X’ campaign, which encouraged young people to get involved in the upcoming UK election and stay informed. Tinder added a ‘Swipe Card’ into the app, which gave Tinder users access to digestible, easy to understand and – importantly, impartial – guidance to help them make an informed decision for July’s election.
Tinder bolstered the campaign with its own survey, which revealed that approximately one in five (21%) have ended a relationship, or saying they would do so, if their partner was not politically engaged. They also found that over a third (36%) feel comfortable discussing politics on the first date.
This topical campaign gained 16 links to the landing page, but more importantly, encouraged thousands of young people to become politically informed.
Standout coverage
- EuroNews (DA 92): Tinder-style app allows voters to swipe for electoral mates
- ITV (DA 89): The Manchester campaigner using memes, Snapchat, influencers and Tinder to urge young people to vote
- Mobile Marketing Magazine (DA 67): Tinder launches in-app General Election campaign
- Marketing Week (DA 67): ‘The future is in your bra’: How brands are encouraging people to vote
- Marketing Beat (DA 37): Tinder calls on young singletons to make their voices heard on election day
Why it worked
Tinder, the app synonymous with swiping for dates, took a surprising swipe at a potentially divisive topic: politics. This campaign cleverly linked the concept of finding a compatible match on Tinder with finding common ground on political issues.
The timing couldn’t have been better. Launched just before the election in June, it resonated with young voters actively using the app. Tinder, not typically associated with politics, became an unexpected platform for political information.
Alongside this, Tinder’s survey results meant journalists had a fresh angle to discuss – the link between dating and political compatibility. This meant the campaign not only encouraged young people to become more politically informed but also provided valuable insights into the connection between dating and political views.
