9 popular PR campaign examples
Posted: Thu Dec 05, 2024 4:32 am
From Barbie-themed ketchup to exploding owl butts, these PR campaign examples prove that with the right data, timing, and a bit of creativity, you can win coverage and drive real, measurable results.
In this post, you’ll see the data behind nine successful PR campaigns, and hopefully get some inspiration for your next press idea.
This list is a baustralia mobile phone number real mixed bag of PR examples – from newsjacking, to content repurposing, exclusive research, and kooky brand stunts – but one thing they all have in common is measurable success.
In each section, I’ll do a post-mortem of campaign performance, share some analysis tactics, and round-off with a couple of quick tips.
Sound good? Let’s jump in.
Barbiecue Facebook teaser PR campaign example from Heinz and Mattel
Eight months later, for Barbie’s 65th anniversary in April 2024, Heinz and Mattel dropped the official Barbiecue special edition sauce.
A screenshot of Barbiecue launch from Heinz on TikTok highlighting video engagement
Heinz first conceived of the PR stunt to build intrigue around the product months before it hit the shelves, then used public response as a litmus test for its success.
According to their submission in the Shorty Awards, they carefully coordinated their initial “teaser” drop to coincide with an uptick in audience discussions, following the film’s release.
Heinz Shorty Awards quote on the timing of their Barbiecue PR campaign
To date, the Barbiecue PR campaign has earned Heinz 118 relevant mentions in top-tier media outlets like Bloomberg, Yahoo, CBS News, and The Standard, according to Content Explorer.
A screenshot of Ahrefs Content Explorer highlightin 118 mentions of Heinz Barbiecue
With zero dollars in paid promotion, it also generated 38 million organic social impressions and doubled average engagement rates.
Quick learnings
Hijack trending cultural “moments”
Time your PR campaign launch with peak online conversation
Use teaser PR to gauge consumer demand and fuel future R&D decisions
2. Lush Saltburn bath bomb
Campaign
Saltbomb
Brand
Lush
Links earned
142
Campaign type
Newjacking/product release
Global search volume
1.3K for “lush saltburn bath bomb”
Search growth (YoY)
37K% for “lush saltburn bath bomb”
This is another great PR example of a brand capitalizing on a film, and waiting for post-event discussion to pick up before newsjacking.
Following a veerryy controversial bath scene in the film Saltburn, UK cosmetics retailer, Lush, jumped on the opportunity to insert their brand into a cultural moment.
In February 2024, three months after the film’s release, they released the “Saltbomb”, a special edition, Saltburn-themed bath bomb.
Parodying some of the film’s most risqué moments, Lush didn’t hold back with their product marketing.
A screenshot of Lush's Saltbomb product page
And we loved it.
The campaign led to 135 links, many coming from high DR (Domain Rating) publications, driving real, tangible organic traffic – including Global News, New York Times, Pop Sugar, and BBC.
Ahrefs Backlinks report showing 135 press links for Lush's Saltbomb newsjacking PR campaign
Press coverage actually went above and beyond this, because Lush’s products are part of a few publisher affiliate programs – but affiliate links are a little trickier to track.
Here’s an example of what I mean.
The site Allure wrote up a feature piece on the Lush bath bomb, but their affiliate link navigates to a third-party platform before redirecting to Lush’s product page.
A screenshot of an affiliate link from Allure to Lush
For that reason, the link doesn’t show up in Ahrefs’ Backlinks Report.
Ahrefs Backlinks report showing zero links from Allure to Lush
Instead, I found it by monitoring campaign-specific keywords in Content Explorer.
Ahrefs Content Explorer showing press coverage from Allure for Lush Saltburn Bath Bomb
Beyond press and affiliate publicity, the Lush PR campaign was a winner on social media.
The photography and product descriptions made it perfect for meme-ification, which added thousands of views and impressions.
A landing page on TikTok for "Saltbomb Lush" with high view-count videos highlighted
It also won big in search, with global keyword volume reaching 1.3K…
Ahrefs Keywords Explorer showing 1.3K Global Search Volume for "Lush Saltburn Bath Bomb"
And the product landing page earned up to 800 monthly organic visits in its first month.
In this post, you’ll see the data behind nine successful PR campaigns, and hopefully get some inspiration for your next press idea.
This list is a baustralia mobile phone number real mixed bag of PR examples – from newsjacking, to content repurposing, exclusive research, and kooky brand stunts – but one thing they all have in common is measurable success.
In each section, I’ll do a post-mortem of campaign performance, share some analysis tactics, and round-off with a couple of quick tips.
Sound good? Let’s jump in.
Barbiecue Facebook teaser PR campaign example from Heinz and Mattel
Eight months later, for Barbie’s 65th anniversary in April 2024, Heinz and Mattel dropped the official Barbiecue special edition sauce.
A screenshot of Barbiecue launch from Heinz on TikTok highlighting video engagement
Heinz first conceived of the PR stunt to build intrigue around the product months before it hit the shelves, then used public response as a litmus test for its success.
According to their submission in the Shorty Awards, they carefully coordinated their initial “teaser” drop to coincide with an uptick in audience discussions, following the film’s release.
Heinz Shorty Awards quote on the timing of their Barbiecue PR campaign
To date, the Barbiecue PR campaign has earned Heinz 118 relevant mentions in top-tier media outlets like Bloomberg, Yahoo, CBS News, and The Standard, according to Content Explorer.
A screenshot of Ahrefs Content Explorer highlightin 118 mentions of Heinz Barbiecue
With zero dollars in paid promotion, it also generated 38 million organic social impressions and doubled average engagement rates.
Quick learnings
Hijack trending cultural “moments”
Time your PR campaign launch with peak online conversation
Use teaser PR to gauge consumer demand and fuel future R&D decisions
2. Lush Saltburn bath bomb
Campaign
SaltbombBrand
LushLinks earned
142Campaign type
Newjacking/product releaseGlobal search volume
1.3K for “lush saltburn bath bomb”Search growth (YoY)
37K% for “lush saltburn bath bomb”This is another great PR example of a brand capitalizing on a film, and waiting for post-event discussion to pick up before newsjacking.
Following a veerryy controversial bath scene in the film Saltburn, UK cosmetics retailer, Lush, jumped on the opportunity to insert their brand into a cultural moment.
In February 2024, three months after the film’s release, they released the “Saltbomb”, a special edition, Saltburn-themed bath bomb.
Parodying some of the film’s most risqué moments, Lush didn’t hold back with their product marketing.
A screenshot of Lush's Saltbomb product page
And we loved it.
The campaign led to 135 links, many coming from high DR (Domain Rating) publications, driving real, tangible organic traffic – including Global News, New York Times, Pop Sugar, and BBC.
Ahrefs Backlinks report showing 135 press links for Lush's Saltbomb newsjacking PR campaign
Press coverage actually went above and beyond this, because Lush’s products are part of a few publisher affiliate programs – but affiliate links are a little trickier to track.
Here’s an example of what I mean.
The site Allure wrote up a feature piece on the Lush bath bomb, but their affiliate link navigates to a third-party platform before redirecting to Lush’s product page.
A screenshot of an affiliate link from Allure to Lush
For that reason, the link doesn’t show up in Ahrefs’ Backlinks Report.
Ahrefs Backlinks report showing zero links from Allure to Lush
Instead, I found it by monitoring campaign-specific keywords in Content Explorer.
Ahrefs Content Explorer showing press coverage from Allure for Lush Saltburn Bath Bomb
Beyond press and affiliate publicity, the Lush PR campaign was a winner on social media.
The photography and product descriptions made it perfect for meme-ification, which added thousands of views and impressions.
A landing page on TikTok for "Saltbomb Lush" with high view-count videos highlighted
It also won big in search, with global keyword volume reaching 1.3K…
Ahrefs Keywords Explorer showing 1.3K Global Search Volume for "Lush Saltburn Bath Bomb"
And the product landing page earned up to 800 monthly organic visits in its first month.