The good, the bad and the ugly – our favourite campaigns from April

Another month, another great bunch of campaigns. In April we saw the weather get brighter, and then go back to drizzle soon after. Yep, we cannot be-leaf it either. But let’s keep positive and breeze through some of our favourites from last month. Taken from our Tumblr page – Oh Holy Shet! – see below some of the best and worst campaigns from April. Oh holy shet! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbjDGIZWRlo Yay for Gillette - king of razors – which was lightning fast to jump on the back of the impending Avengers mania. The company launched a range of Avengers-inspired razors to mark the launch of the new film (we don’t know what that really means either). The brand has launched a series of videos which are currently making their way across your Facebook and Twitter feeds. They will blow you away (sorry for these poor jokes). It’s a clever way to make the most of sponsorship… other than product placement, it’s often difficult for brands to make the most of these deals. So kudos to Gillette for getting in there early with their ads! Result? Advertising genius Great PR from Betfair this month who gave London Marathon runners the chance to back themselves with a free £20 in a new charity campaign. By launching a new website (www.back-yourself.com), the betting giant allowed runners to put a £20 bet on whether they reached their target time. If they managed it, the runner had to send a screenshot of their official time to Betfair, who would send the winnings and the £20 stake to a nominated charity. Great idea, which has resulted in £35,000 raised for charity. Great work sunshine! Result? CSR champions Oh… holy shet https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Vv-U644E2Y Discussing a women’s body size is always a controversial – and for many a sensitive topic. Earlier this month on Loose Women, when discussing obese teenagers and the High Street promoting obesity with certain clothes sizes, ex-singer Jamelia made a comment about how people with unhealthy body sizes should have specialised shops to buy clothes from. And surprise surprise, Twitter rained on her parade and called Jamelia out as an idiot, with many requesting her to leaf the show. Jamelia has since apologised for what she has said, but the damage has been done. Sorry Jamelia – this is snow joke. Result? PR fail We also saw bad PR for Protein World this month, who placed adverts across the tube network asking commuters “are you beach body ready?” These adverts caused storm amongst the public, with many complaining that the campaign promotes negative body issues. The Advertising Standards Agency received a shed load of complaints, while a mass demonstration called “taking back the beach” also took place in Hyde Park last week in protest. Others angered by the ad shared the picture, using the hashtag #everybodysready, or defacing posters. A very chilly response if you ask us. Interestingly, brands have since been jumping on the bandwagon of Protein World’s blunder. Carlsberg placed its own advertising in tube stations, mimicking Protein World by asking the public whether they are beer body ready. All hail Carlsberg – good job! Result? Advertising controversy What’s been your favourite campaign from April? Let us know by tweeting us @Harvard_PR, or commenting below.