Friday 7 August 2026: PR & Marketing Round-Up | Campaigns That Create Connection
Welcome back to this week's PR & Marketing News Round-Up from Visible PR.
This week’s standout campaigns prove that the best ideas often start with a simple insight, from the post-holiday panic of an empty fridge to the forgotten Allen key at the back of the kitchen drawer. We’ve also seen unexpected celebrity casting, cheeky reactive PR, creator-led entertainment and brands finding fresh ways to turn everyday moments into memorable experiences.
Whether it’s KFC giving posties “postage paid in chicken” or Disney opening its iconic characters up to TikTok creators, these campaigns show how relevance, humour and participation can turn a good idea into a great story.
Let’s dive into the campaigns making headlines this week…
Big Mo lands a very unexpected fashion campaign
Reebok has teamed up with EastEnders favourite Laila Morse, aka Big Mo, with rapper K-Trap for its latest Classics campaign. Built around the tagline “Some people don’t just wear Classics. They are Classics,” the collaboration celebrates recognisable British personalities and culture and we agree with the majority of the conversations online that this casting is genius.
Why it matters for PR & Marketing: This is a great example of a surprising partnership that feels completely right once you understand the shared brand values. Reebok has moved away from a traditional sports-led endorsement and tapped into nostalgia, humour and cultural affection to create a campaign that feels distinctive, authentic and highly shareable.
Taskrabbit turns an Allen key into currency
How many Allen keys do you have floating around in drawers or boxes at home? Well, they could be worth a pint at the pub! This week, everyday jobs marketplace Taskrabbit transformed a Shoreditch pub into The Allen Arms for one night, giving visitors a free pint in exchange for an unwanted Allen key. The DIY-themed activation saw a full makeover of the pub and also featured pub games, and the responsible recycling of all the keys collected
Why it matters for PR & Marketing: Linked to many of the jobs the website helps people get sorted, Taskrabbit has taken a familiar household object and turned it into a memorable brand asset. The idea brings furniture assembly to life in a playful way, while creating a strong visual hook, encouraging participation and giving people a reason to talk about the brand both on and offline.
Empty Chairs creates a space for connection
The Empty Chairs campaign is tackling loneliness with a simple but powerful idea: volunteers book a table in a pub, wear something bright orange and leave seats open for anyone who would like company. The initiative was created by Dean Perryman following the loss of his best friend and has since grown into a global movement, recently celebrating its 1,000th meet-up. The heartwarming gatherings are free, informal and deliberately low-pressure — people can stay for five minutes or the whole session, with no expectation to share anything personal. By using pubs as familiar, accessible spaces, Empty Chairs is making it easier for people to start a conversation and feel less alone.
Why it matters for PR & Marketing: This is a brilliant example of purpose-led community building that keeps the idea incredibly simple. The bright orange clothing creates a recognisable visual identity, while TikTok and social content help turn local meet-ups into a movement people can discover, replicate and share. Most importantly, the campaign is delivering genuine social value rather than simply asking audiences to engage with a message.
KFC gives posties an official reason to stop for chicken
In Australia, KFC has responded to a viral story about a postman being dismissed after visiting one of their restaurants during working hours in a savvy way that has garnered headlines. Acting on the moment, the brand sent postcards to its own restaurants, giving postal workers a legitimate delivery reason to visit and redeem a free meal — or, as KFC put it, “postage paid in chicken”. Bravo KFC!
Why it matters for PR & Marketing: This is reactive PR with excellent timing and a clear brand voice. Rather than forcing itself into the conversation, KFC found an authentic connection to the story and turned the original controversy into a light-hearted, low-cost activation designed to travel across social media and the news cycle.
Disney & TikTok team up on fan-made content
Disney and TikTok have agreed a landmark content-sharing partnership that will allow selected creators to make short-form videos using characters and stories from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and FX. The resulting content will appear on TikTok and Disney+ through Disney’s vertical video format, Verts, with the pilot launching in the US before expanding to other markets.
Why it matters for PR & Marketing: After Disney’s last technology partnership with OpenAI was swiftly vetoed, this partnership reflects the growing importance of creator-led storytelling and vertical video in a more real-to-life way. With Disney+ being one of the world’s leading streaming platforms, Disney is giving fans more ways to participate in its worlds while using TikTok’s creator ecosystem to reach younger audiences and potentially drive interest back to its streaming content.
Final Thoughts
This week's stand out campaigns went beyond promoting a product or service, and gave audiences a reason to take part, share the moment or feel connected. From Taskrabbit turning a forgotten Allen key into a free pint, to KFC’s cheeky support for posties and Reebok’s unexpected Big Mo collaboration, each brand found a distinctive way to create relevance and conversation.
As Disney opens its iconic characters up to TikTok creators, and Empty Chairs uses pubs and social content to bring people together and tackle loneliness, all these wonderful campaigns are a timely reminder that in a crowded marketing landscape, standing out doesn’t mean shouting the loudest, but by offering something useful, surprising, entertaining or genuinely heart-warming.
If you're looking for PR campaigns that get people talking, Visible can help! Let’s talk: hello@visiblepr.co.uk