Why awareness days still offer a strong news hook for PR

They say there’s no such thing as a new idea in PR.

In many ways, this is true. Sometimes results have more to do with recognition than novelty. 

I’ve been working in the profession for many years now and there are certain PR-led stories that are cyclical. Every year, they generate results.

Annual days, weeks or months, for example, have existed as a PR tool for some time. 

There are over 1,200 such events: the year kicks off on 1 January with International Day of Peace, Dry January and Veganuary and we end every year with National Champagne Day and Make up Your Mind Day. National Puzzle Day, Dirty Dancing Day and National Paperclip Day are just some of my personal favourites that take place in the interim.

They exist because they work. In April this year we saw an incredible 60% increase in revenue around Earth Day. Our PR teams in our six main markets (including the UK) were able to harness it as a hook for media coverage around our plantable pencils, both commentary and product-led, in consumer and B2B titles. We recognise that this is a massive international event that has little to do with plantable pencils, but as a sustainable brand we were able to tap into it, create a range and promote it.

Journalists and consumers are receptive

It would be easy for journalists to experience genuine fatigue over these days as there are so many, so they should be used sparingly in any PR campaign. But the fact that they still work shows that the media - and consumers - are receptive to them. 

There are other days that are very similar to Earth Day that have worked equally well for us. World Environment Day, World Oceans Day and Plastic Free July, Zero Waste Week and the European Week for Waste Reduction are all valid and valuable occasions for any sustainable brand or service to be aware of. 

As well as media opportunities, they provide a hook for case studies and cross marketing opportunities. We have worked with schools and conferences around some weeks, providing branded pencils to help other companies tap into the events with valid, circular products and awareness activities that get results through well-meaning activities.

Seasonal PR activity

Seasonal events are another classic example. Christmas in July is of course a calendar staple for any consumer PR and our UK team already received callouts in early June.

Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, the end of the school year all provide the opportunity to join the masses pitching prices and pictures to the writers. A gift list inclusion is a great result, if you can get it.

The weather is another PR classic. I’m Danish and I love the way the weather in Britain is almost a daily headline of its own: conversation around it is so embedded in the culture.

Weather and wellbeing

And again, there are certain weather themes that seem to come up every year in journalist call outs and requests: how to stay cool in the heat, how to dress in the heat, how to handle the rain in style, how to sleep in summer, how to handle hay fever.

Hay fever also links to another recurrent theme in PR. The ongoing rise of the health industry gives a wealth of PR opportunities for product placement and expert advice, being given several pages in the lifestyle magazines and increasing numbers of titles and online channels dedicated to the subject. 

Wellbeing is a dynamic market and one that Deloitte predicts will keep growing, providing yet more opportunities for advice, ingredient promotion and social value. Again, there are times of year where you can guarantee health hits: New Year, the run up to summer. It’s like the Easter DIY boom. An annual event.

While different products, services and systems all require a bespoke approach, these hooks provide the perfect way to maintain brand awareness between natural news: a reason to contact a busy journalist, a way to make your proposition more relevant and newsy.

Why online journalists love awareness days

An ever-evolving media landscape doesn’t need to mean we rid ourselves of the old tactics. If they still work well, we should embrace them as PR, marketing and sales tools. Online journalists are tasked with putting out several quality articles a day and are measured on clicks (sadly), but they still need solid reasons to include things.

What’s interesting is that they still work as hooks, year after year, and still get inches, and still get people talking. These special days, weeks or annual events provide the opportunity to provide expert advice, give top tips and hopefully generate links to buy or back to owned content. They also they give companies and journalists a reason to focus on activities that reflect what they stand for. 

When marketing activities are linked to specific dates and include something people can take part in, they are easier to understand. They provide more reasons for covering. And they are more likely to be remembered.

Stine Mynster is PR director at SproutWorld.