Let’s stick with the good PR theme this week, shall we? It’s more important than ever in these dark times to keep a focus on positivity and the good that’s going on in the world, so without further ado…

Good PR

The Body Coach

Joe Wicks, aka The Body Coach, is doing his bit to get people through lockdown and he’s getting lots of really decent press off the back of this. Every Monday to Friday morning at 9am GMT, he goes live on his YouTube channel for ‘PE with Joe’. Initially it started out being aimed at kids and families due to the schools shutting down, but quickly lots of adults joined in the fun too; I was one of them and, let me tell you, it was ruddy tough! And yes, I did partake in the bunny hops and Spider Man stretches.

Offering a free resource to people in their homes at a time when exercise is especially important physically and mentally has scored Joe some major brownie points and even though the PR part of me knows that this could’ve all been for personal gain, you can just tell that it’s not about that at all.

Yes, hundreds of thousands of people have been joining the live workouts on a daily basis (on the day I joined in, I think it peaked at 750k), and he’s gained more than ONE MILLION additional subscribers on YouTube since launching the workouts; but he’s also donating every penny earned via AdSense on his videos (which currently exceeds £80k) to our wonderful NHS.

The videos so far, which are of course available to take part in after the live stream, have gained millions of views from around the world and Joe’s Instagram has grown by hundreds of thousands of followers. In a live video on Instagram this week, he opened up about feeling anxious and down during this lockdown, which is another important message he’s getting out there into the open. Add all of that to the fact he’s had wrist surgery in the middle of this PE with Joe initiative and still kept going through it makes him an everyday hero for sure!

Snapchat’s Social Distancing Lens

There are various ways that organisations, stores and such like are encouraging and helping people to keep their distance from others when having to venture out, but now Snapchat is hitting headlines for a new lens/filter that uses augmented reality (AR) to do the trick.

It's aptly called ‘My Social Distance’ and was developed with the help of the World Health Organisation (WHO). When activated, it uses the phone’s camera to visualise the space needed to be left between you and other people and maps it out in a circular pattern on your screen to follow. When the circle is green, all is well; but it turns steadily red as people get closer.

There is a second lens that was also developed which focuses more on important safety tips, such as covering your cough, washing your hands and staying home; and it links out to the WHO website’s page on advice for the public. Nice touch.

M&S and Aldi

With much bad news circulating of employers and businesses that have seemingly let staff down amid the Covid-19 outbreak, I thought it would be good to highlight some that are rewarding staff.

Supermarket chain Aldi has announced a 10% bonus for staff to thank them for all of their hard work keeping the nation stocked up with supplies, which has resulted in lots of positive press.

M&S has followed suit, offering a 15% bonus to store and warehouse workers to show their appreciation; as well as ensuring all furloughed workers are paid in full.

Tesco had already announced 10% staff bonuses all-round and I’m sure many more will offer a similar reward for the effort put in during these tough times.

Stay safe everyone and join us next week for more on the good going on in the world during these scary times!

Written by Shannon Peerless, managing director of 10 Yetis Digital.. Seen any good or bad PR lately? You know what to do @10Yetis on Twitter or andy@10Yetis.co.uk on email