Good PR of the week
 
Delite-ing the customer
 

Australian brand Fantastic Snacks wanted to see how far people would go to get a free product. So, it built a customised vending machine that instructed you to do certain actions in order to receive a free box of its rice cakes, calling it the Delite-o-matic.
 
From asking passers-by to press a button a number of times (one person is asked to press it 5,000 times) to having them “bow to the master” – the machine itself – the campaign is certainly unique. There’s something very funny and satisfying about watching somebody so apparently starved that they will spend a chunk of their day pressing a button or dancing in front of a crowd to receive a free bag or box of rice cakes.

The brand has also created a slick site, where you could play the online version of the game to win prizes, including a holiday to Fiji.

DKNY’s ill-kept secret
 

To announce the newly renovated store in London, fashion brand DKNY used a network of influential social media users including Jessie J, model Coco Rocha and marketer Peter Shankman to create buzz around an invitation to a secret event.
 
It was essentially scripted, the whole thing, from beginning to end, relying on FOMO – ‘fear of missing out’ – to spur the conversation on, with users asking what the DKNY invitation was for and how they could get one.
 
The fake conversation spanned many sites, starting off with a picture of a vague invitation taken on Instagram, which was then shared on Twitter. Soon, people were talking about it on Facebook, Tumblr and Pinterest. The campaign ended with @DKNY (a cleverly managed Twitter account from a fashion insider at DKNY, who calls herself DKNY PR Girl) checking in at the store using FourSquare, and sharing on her Twitter account, inviting followers to come along.

A clever campaign, the intention was to have social media “become the new press release“, according to the YouTube description.
 
Thanks to Faye Oakey for pointing this campaign out!

Bad PR of the week
 

This week, it has to be G4S – the security company that the army has been called in to bail out. The fall out from this will be in PR text books for years to come but in case you missed the priceless Select Committee discussion between Keith Vaz and G4S Chief Executive Nick Buckles, here it is again.

Vaz asks Buckles whether G4S still intends to claim a £57m management fee :

G4S’s swan song?
 

To complete a wretched few weeks for the security provider, the New Statesman unearthed this AMAZING G4S CORPORATE SONG, including lyrics such as “the time is now don’t make a mistake“. You couldn’t make this up...

 
Here are the lyrics:
 
You love your job and the people too
Making a difference is what you do
But consider all you have at stake
The time is now don't make a mistake
Because the enemy prowls, wanting to attack
But we're on the wall, we've got your back
So get out front and take the lead
And be the winner you were born to be
G4S! Protecting the world
G4S! So dreams can unfurl
24/7 every night and day
A warrior stands ready so don't be afraid
G4S! Secure in your world
G4S! Let your dreams unfurl
We're guarding you with all our might
Keeping watch throughout the night
 
Thanks to Willard Foxton, John Coventry, David Whitley and Sara Benwell for Tweeting with the story, song and lyrics!

Have you seen any good or bad PR?
 

Contact PR Rich Leigh with it by Tweeting him @GoodandBadPR or by emailing rich@10yetis.co.uk throughout the week and we’ll happily credit you for your trouble.
 
Good and Bad PR is a feature on the blog of 10 Yetis PR Agency.