January 2024: it was a New Year, a new you and it brought us loads of new Digital PR Campaigns too. That’s right – it’s only Q1, and we’ve already been spoiled for choice for our first campaign spotlight of the year. So get comfy and grab a hot drink as we reveal the three digital PR gems that kicked off our 2024 with snappy headlines and quality links. We’ll look at what they did, why they worked and the coverage they gained as a result.
Mental Health UK: The Burnout Report
January 2024 marked a big moment for Mental Health UK, the registered UK charity, as they released their very first annual burnout report.
The charity surveyed 2,060 UK adults in December 2023 and revealed that one in five working adults needed to take time off work in the past year due to poor mental health caused by pressure or stress. Worse still, a shocking 91% of respondents reported experiencing high or extreme levels of stress.
Mental Health UK are now calling for employers to do more to support their staff, and for the Prime Minister to convene a national summit to determine how we can create healthier UK workplaces.
Powerful stuff, right? Unsurprisingly, this campaign instantly hooked the media, with the document having garnered 48 links to date, with an additional 7 links to their blog. We suspect this will increase over time, as their unique data will provide much-needed data for journalists covering work-related mental health or wellbeing stories.
Standout coverage
- Guardian (DA 95): UK risks being ‘burnt-out nation’ due to poor mental health, charity says
- European Trade Union Institute (DA 60): UK at risk of becoming a ‘burnt-out nation’
- Happiful (DA 58): Are we a burnt-out nation?
- HR Zone (DA 54): Catastrophe looms: Skyrocketing employee stress levels paint a terrifying picture of the workplace tomorrow
- Startups (DA 43): Gen z and millennials are feeling the strain: how can employers help?
Why it worked
Firstly: relevance. This campaign resonates deeply with a UK-wide audience. As nine out of 10 UK adults acknowledge experiencing extreme workplace stress, the campaign addresses a topic immediately relevant to the majority of the country’s population.
The timing was on point, too. January naturally prompts reflection. It’s a time when many of us take a moment to look back on the past year and pinpoint how we can improve our wellbeing. Often, this includes a change in workplace or career, which ties nicely into the theme of the campaign.
Lastly, the campaign is supported by compelling, original data. We already know that journalists appreciate data as it brings credibility and accuracy, but the data in this campaign is particularly impactful. Mental Health UK was able to reveal that nine out of ten adults experienced high or extreme levels of stress last year, and that one in five workers needed to take time off work due to poor mental health. They instantly quantify the prevalence of burnout and highlight the seriousness of the problem at a national level.
RightMove: Where’s the happiest place to live?
In January every year, RightMove releases the results of their ‘Happy at Home’ campaign to the press, which reveals the happiest places to live in Great Britain, based on an end-of-year survey of a whopping 26,000 residents.
In 2023, the borough of Richmond upon Thames in London took the top spot – surprisingly, this was the first time an area in the capital placed first. The city of Winchester in Hampshire took second, while Monmouth in Wales placed third.
Notably, the latest campaign’s results showed that the most important contributors to happiness were feeling a sense of pride, belonging and community, as well as access to green space and nature.
So far, the campaign has secured 311 links to its interactive map landing page, with another 411 to its blog, which details the top 10 list.
Standout coverage
- Independent (DA 94): Britain’s ‘happiest place to live’ busts the January blues
- Express (DA 93): The pretty little town voted as the happiest place to live in UK – by its own resident
- Mirror (DA 94): Beautiful market town next to spectacular national park is one of UK’s happiest places
- Which (DA 89): Revealed: the happiest places to live in Great Britain in 2023
- Birmingham Live (DA 89): The 7 miles separating the ‘happiest and unhappiest’ towns in the West Midlands
- Manchester Evening News (DA 89):The Greater Manchester areas named amongst the ‘happiest places to live’ in UK
Why it worked
RightMove update and release new results to their ‘Happy at Home’ survey each and 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 every year. Plus, over time, they’re likely to have developed relationships with journalists, who continuously cover the story.
The regional aspect also influences the virality of this campaign. As we know, journalists are more likely to cover stories that are relevant to their local audience. This campaign covers areas all over the UK, allowing RightMove to pitch to regional journalists with a highly localised angle. This year, for example, they gained coverage in many of National World’s regional websites (such as Liverpool World), alongside the Reach PLC network (such as Devon Live).
It’s fair to say that being a brand as well-known as RightMove brings instant trust and credibility, too. Rightmove boasts being the UK’s number one property portal, with over one million properties listed at any given time, meaning journalists can trust the data they provide within the property niche is authentic and trustworthy.
Lastly, this campaign is specifically tied to the home environment, which everyone can relate to, making it inherently engaging and shareable. It also focuses on happiness, which journalists may be especially keen to cover in January, which represents a fresh start for many people.
Hitched: The Average Cost of a Wedding in the UK
Hitched, the UK’s leading wedding planning website and app that aims to help people organise their wedding, surveyed over 1,800 couples to find out what the average UK couple spent (or planned to spend) on their wedding in 2023.
Their data uncovered that the average cost of a wedding in 2023 was a whopping £20,700, up from £18,400 in 2022, due to inflation and the rising cost of living. Interestingly, they found that nearly half of all couples (47%) went over their initial budget.
Hitched also included a price breakdown to help those planning weddings get a feel for how much they should expect to pay for their venue, photographer, food, flowers, dress and more.
So far, Hitched have gained an impressive 411 links to their landing page, which (similar to the RightMove campaign) includes historic links from previous year’s campaigns.
Standout coverage
- Mirror (DA 94): ‘Cheap’ bride slammed after charging guests £50 to attend wedding – and still wants a gift
- Mirror (DA 94): Poundland is selling ‘iconic’ £1 engagement ring – but bargain hunters are divided
- Expatica (DA 73): Getting married or having a civil partnership in the UK
- Money (DA 65): How high-interest savings accounts can help to fund your wedding
- HSBC (DA 64): Top tips for planning a wedding
- Hargate Hall (DA 25): 4 Reasons Why A DIY Wedding Is Better Than Any Other Type Of Wedding
Why it worked
Given the ongoing cost of living crisis across the UK, couples are finding it increasingly challenging to fund their wedding in a way that’s affordable and doesn’t land them in significant debt, making this campaign extremely topical and relevant.
Highlighting cost trends and shifts in spending habits can make the story more engaging and spark discussions – and by comparing the cost of a wedding in 2023 and 2022 and uncovering a significant (though expected) increase, Hitched did exactly that.
Similar to the RightMove, trust and credibility also plays a role in this campaign. Hitched is the UK’s leading wedding planning website, known and trusted by brides-to-be all over the country, which allows their data and insights to hold weight amongst journalists and their audience.
As the campaign focuses on two highly popular topics – personal finance and weddings – Hitched were able to target a wide range of publications. This meant they were able to land links in the national press, financial websites and even wedding venue/photographer websites (which, although may be lower authority, are highly relevant).
Lastly, as mentioned with RightMove, annual campaigns stay on the radar of relevant publications, who come to expect (and even plan for) the same story every year. Hitched review and update their landing page every year, allowing them to build up a backlog of historical links, build authority and rank first for the term ‘average cost of wedding UK’, amongst many other relevant search terms.
