Every year, we like to revisit the inspiring PR success stories of social enterprises and conscious businesses that are breaking the mold and driving massive change in their industries. The three companies featured here had PR wins that really stood out to us this year. What will you take away from these campaigns as you plan your social enterprise’s approach to PR for the year ahead?
Chobani
In its ten year history, Chobani has always prided itself on doing good in the community, most evident in their messaging that “it’s always been more than yogurt.” In addition to making a product that tastes great, Chobani also wants its customers to have access to healthier options they can feel good about. This level of care is something that inspires passion in Chobani’s customer base — who could forget the user-generated “Real Love Stories” campaign a few years ago?
Now, Chobani is revisiting this love story in a new way. Enter: Chobani’s One for All campaign, which gives everyone in America the opportunity to try its newly-branded yogurt at no cost. The campaign celebrates Chobani’s tenth anniversary and immediately followed a November redesign of the iconic Chobani logo and packaging. According to a PRWeek interview with Chobani’s chief creative officer, Leland Maschmeyer, the simple fact that this expansive campaign exists is a huge win for the future of Chobani products. Calling it the “most integrated campaign [they’ve] ever done,” the campaign promises to reach a larger audience than ever before and become one of the best PR success stories in 2018. Chobani’s One For All giveaway ended March 4th, and we’re excited to see what the brand has planned next.
Patagonia
You probably already know that Patagonia has always been committed to preserving the outdoors and protecting our national parks, but they’ve never been as vocal about that commitment as they were this past year.
If you’ve been following the headlines lately, you might remember Patagonia’s The President Stole Your Land campaign, which is likely the most controversial PR success story on this list. In response to President Donald Trump’s order to reduce the size of national monuments in Utah, Patagonia immediately responded by changing its homepage:
Unsurprisingly, Patagonia’s decision to take a stand was both celebrated and criticized. Regardless, both sides of the argument took to social media using the hashtag #monumentalmistakes, garnering national attention for the brand. Patagonia’s passion and authenticity was clear and resonated with the company’s target market, making it one of Patagonia’s largest PR success stories to date. If you’re interested in learning more about the causes Patagonia supports, you can get involved with Patagonia Action Works here.
Kind
Kind’s messaging has always been powerful, and is what helped put them at the top of the healthy snack landscape in the first place. Founded in 2004, Kind was built on the idea that no one should have to choose between taste and health. Its recent More Than Nice campaign plays on the idea that there’s a difference between “kind” and “nice.” If you’re unconvinced, Kind released a digital spot following the lives of volunteers that sums the difference up perfectly. As one volunteer put it,“There’s no sacrifice in nice, kind requires it.”
This spot perfectly identifies what Kind wants you to think and understand about its brand. More than just “nice-tasting,” Kind offers its customers no additives and only ingredients you can trust and pronounce. Additionally, the brand is truly dedicated to spreading kindness through the KIND Foundation and its KIND Acts initiative. This campaign received positive responses from Kind’s customer base and was inspiration for the #moreKIND contest on social media, where users were invited to share their stories. You can learn more about the campaign here.
Every day, we use the power of PR to help organizations tell their most impactful stories. Now that you’ve learned a little bit more about some of our favorite recent PR success stories, take a look at how we leveraged the Great Books Foundation brand to attract national media attention.
