Top of the PR Pops: October

Boo! October is a month packed full of events and we've unearthed some of the the most spooktacular campaigns from the world of PR and marketing. Check 'em out...

Zumba For Zombies

If, like me, you have an undying fear of the undead then fret no more because there appears to be a cure - Zumba for zombies!

Zumba, the popular dance fitness format, showcased its founder and a few employees—dressed up as Walking Dead extras—in a choreographed Halloween-themed routine. The digital short, launching this week on social media, follows up the brand's first-ever TV ads from last autumn, which showed people in everyday situations being overcome with an urge to twerk it out!

Why do we love it? I love Zumba. I love zombies. Oh, you want a marketing reason? We love the quirky and clever alignment of Zumba and October 31st. It just works!

What can we learn? Aligning with topical events is great, but one needs to do it properly and never just for the sake of it. When relevant, and with a little bit of planning, work the zeitgeist!

Tesco Spookermarkets

The supermarket giant, Tesco, has been terrifying unsuspecting shoppers in a number of its stores.

The aisles have been tricked out for Halloween, and its victims are treated to the likes of ghoulish butchers who jump out from behind the counter and ghostly shopping carts that tool around on their own. There's also a few severed limbs in fridges and faces amongst the loo rolls - creepy!!

Why did we love it? The video, which has already eclipsed 10 million combined views across Facebook and YouTube in less than a week, prompts users to watch additional clips, where they can learn how to carve Jack-O'-Lanterns and create other Halloween novelties, thus staying true to their "Every Little Helps" mantra.

Uber Takes Us Back To The Future

21st October 2015 was the day Marty McFly (of the film Back To The Future Pt II) traveled to. And to indulge us in marking the date, Uber partnered with Pepsi Max, offering free rides around London in a DeLorean and unlimited Pepsi Max thrown in for kicks.

Why did we love it? Firstly, because we like a themed experience! But also (puts marketing hat on) because it was timely, unique and symbolic. The two mega brands planned ahead to create a unique experience, piggybacking on what would inevitably be a trending topic. Plus, there was no need for them to build an audience exclusively for this stunt; they earned media coverage and swathes of attention on social media from a geo-specific group already actively following or writing about #BTTF.

What can we learn from it? Live experiences can be enthusiastically chivvied along by the natural tide of social conversation around a cultural event.

And the nominations are...

In not so spooky news, our internet-breaking campaign, Mynewsdesk Now, has been honoured with two nominations at Spinn – Sweden’s most renowned PR awards ceremony. And to say we’re pretty stoked would be the biggest understatement of the year!

The campaign, which followed 82 year-old Kerstin on her first steps into the digital era, was bigger than anyone at Mynewsdesk ever anticipated, receiving widespread coverage in the The Mirror, Washington Post, Reddit and beyond.

So keep your eyeballs peeled next month and cross your fingers for a real treat...!