In May, we enjoyed multiple bank holidays, the final instalment in the Mission Impossible series, and the Chelsea Flower Show. It was also Mental Health Awareness Month, World Asthma Day and Skin Cancer Awareness Month. All of which resulted in plenty of interesting digital PR campaigns for us to get inspiration 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 looking at the coverage they gained as a result.
Deliveroo: Top Takeaway Awards
Deliveroo has revealed the top UK restaurants of the year after holding their annual awards.
The winners of the food delivery platform’s annual awards were announced in May, and based on over 160,000 customer votes and the verdict of a panel of judges. Judges included Deliveroo Founder, Will Shu, food critic Jimi Famurewa, and Tilly Ramsay.
Each restaurant was judged on brand personality, food quality and value, packaging and presentation, customer reviews and loyalty, innovation and going the extra mile.
Winners were split across five categories including independent businesses on both national and regional levels, and a new category sponsored by darts sensation Luke Littler, who uncovered the nation’s best kebab. Trendy sandwich shop, Crunch, based in Spitalfields in London was crowned the overall winner. While the regional categories were won by a mix of pizza, cake and salad outlets.
Unsurprisingly, the campaign secured plenty of links from a mix of both national and regional media titles.
Standout coverage
- Daily Mail (DA 94): Deliveroo reveals top UK restaurants of the year – as a trendy sandwich pop-up in east London scoops the top spot
- The Argus (DA 81): Shiraz Persian Restaurant in Hove named in Deliveroo awards
- The National (DA 76): Best takeaways in Scotland named in Deliveroo awards – see full list
- Daily Record (DA 81): Scotland’s best fish and chips 2025 crowned along with top takeaways at Deliveroo awards
- Irish Mirror (DA 86): From best burger to tastiest pizza, Ireland’s best takeaways have been revealed
- The Irish Sun (DA 83): FOOD GODS The best 12 food spots in Ireland revealed at takeaway awards with over 160k votes cast
Why it worked
The campaign achieved success primarily due to its inherent newsworthiness. It came from a highly reputable and established brand, lending immediate credibility to help capture media attention.
The story’s positive nature was a key factor in its appeal too. Media outlets are consistently drawn to positive news, as they tend to generate higher engagement, including clicks, likes, and shares on social media platforms. The announcement of winners, particularly regarding a list of popular restaurants, creates a strong incentive for readers to engage and find out if their local favourites are included, resulting in increased traffic and interaction.
Splitting award wins into national and regional categories was a great strategy and meant that there were more opportunities for outreach. The regional awards angle provided an opportunity to conduct localised outreach, targeting specific communities and media within those areas. At the same time, the national award wins allowed for a broader outreach strategy, focusing on bigger publications. This dual approach significantly amplified the campaign’s reach and impact.
The combination of regional and national outreach initiatives also boosted brand awareness. By engaging with local audiences through regional awards and a national audience through broader recognition, the campaign successfully positioned the brand in front of a wider and more diverse demographic
Greggs X Madame Tussauds: The Greggs Sausage Roll
Madame Tussauds teamed up with Greggs last month to roll out the latest and probably most unexpected figure yet, the iconic Greggs Sausage Roll. Launched in celebration of National Sausage Roll Day on 5th June.
For a limited time only, the flakey, golden pastry has secured a spot in the Baker Street attraction’s Culture Capital Zone alongside the likes of Sir David Attenborough, Stormzy and William Shakespeare.
Handcrafted by Madame Tussaud’s studio artists, the one-of-a-kind replica sausage roll marks the first time an individual food item has ever been given the celebrity treatment. The process was exactly the same as human-figure creations, from sample measurements, to clay moulds, to wax sculptures and the handpainted details. Dozens of sausage rolls were studied to ensure they were able to capture their distinct, crisp, flakey layers and golden glaze…Is anyone else hungry?
The Greggs sausage roll is a British icon, so it’s no wonder this campaign was a huge success in national, regional and trade publications.
Standout coverage
- London Evening Standard (DA 93): Greggs sausage roll to go on display next to Sir David Attenborough and Princess Diana at Madame Tussauds
- BBC News (DA 95): What snack would you want to see turned into a Madame Tussauds waxwork?
- Verge Magazine (DA 50): MADAME TUSSAUDS LONDON UNVEILS A TRUE NATIONAL TREASURE: THE GREGGS SAUSAGE ROLL
- Secret Ldn (DA 64): A Wax Greggs Sausage Roll Is Coming To Madame Tussauds London In June
- Londonist (DA 77): Greggs Sausage Roll Immortalised As Madame Tussauds Waxwork
Why it worked
The Greggs and Madame Tussauds collab has been a major success so far, and will most likely continue to be until National Sausage Roll Day on June 5th. The success is mainly down to its iconic status, the unique nature of the collaboration and the fact that it was launched ahead of a national awareness day. The campaign also leverages the already high cultural recognition of both brands, further amplifying its impact.
The Greggs Sausage Roll is widely considered a British institution and is a lunchtime staple for many Brits. Greggs even has many international fans, with the likes of Teddy Swims picking up a Greggs when he was on tour and Taylor Swift putting orders in to feed everyone backstage when the Eras Tour came to the UK.
The collaboration is not only unique, but also the first-of-its-kind. This is the first time that an individual food item has been given the “celebrity treatment” at Madame Tussauds, making it a novelty, which further helps capture media attention.
Its placement in the attraction itself also adds to its appeal as a news story. It’s sitting alongside other cultural icons in the Culture Capital Zone, which further solidifies its cultural significance.
Lastly, both brands are well known and well respected, which helps to build trust and credibility around the campaign, and means that media titles are more likely to cover the story.
Cancer UK: Your clothing choices could be linked to melanoma skin cancer
May was Skin Cancer Awareness Month, and Cancer UK wasted no time in getting their message out with a campaign on how our clothing choices could be influencing where people are getting melanoma – the most serious form of skin cancer.
Data from 2018 to 2021 revealed the most common places that people were getting melanoma and the charity broke this down by gender to find a unique angle. It showed that nearly half of melanomas in men were diagnosed on the torso (back, chest and stomach), which correlated with the fact that many men go shirtless when the sun comes out. While in women, the most common area was the lower limbs (from hips to feet), correlating with the wearing of dresses, skirts or shorts.
This presented a great opportunity for the charity to increase awareness around skin cancer through first-hand accounts, how people can protect themselves and the signs you may have skin cancer.
The campaign was a success with plenty of coverage secured across a wide range of media publications, such as, national, regional, trade and lifestyle titles.
Standout coverage
- The Independent (DA 94): Scientists link skin cancer risk to the clothes you wear this summer
- MSN (DA 92): Scientists link skin cancer risk to the clothes you wear this summer
- MEN (DA 91): Experts reveal parts of the body men and women are most likely to get skin cancer
- Health Professional Academy (DA 30): Research suggests how we dress in the sun linked to skin cancer
- Express & Star (DA 72): Clothing choices may influence where skin cancer develops
- Daily Mail (DA 94): Doctors shocked at extreme new aesthetics craze that sends cancer risk soaring
- Metro (DA 93): Men and women are getting skin cancer on different parts of their bodies
Why it worked
Timely research, targeted messaging, and practical advice helped make this Cancer Research UK campaign a success. The campaign is backed with solid, recent data on UK skin cancer, and the fact that the brand has linked it to clothing, creates a unique angle that many of the media may not have covered before.
By addressing the distinct ways that men and women expose their skin to the sun, the campaign was able to deliver tailored messaging and practical advice that resonated with each group. This also helps with targeted messaging, as strategic outreach will have been done to hit gender-specific media publications. This targeted approach helps enhance the relevance of the campaign and impact of its warning and advice.
It’s timely too. Launched at the beginning of summer, during a heatwave, the campaign capitalises on a time when people are more likely to be spending more time outdoors and are potentially at risk. This relevant and urgent nature of the hook pushes the media to cover the story to encourage immediate behavioural changes and reduce the number of those getting skin cancer. ill be a girl. Helping to capture the media’s attention and head to the event to get their own content.
The campaign provided plenty of shareable visual content, including mummy and daddy pig celebrating in front of the lit up chimneys to capture the internet’s attention and internet meme culture.
