Authentic vs. Awkward: Should Awareness Days Be Part of Your PR Strategy?
By Danté Piras
Every PR knows the dubious pleasure of trawling the internet for ‘special days of interest’ to jump on, often unearthing real gems, like ‘World Pineapple Pulp Day’ or ‘National Scratch Your Hairy Chin Week’. Sometimes, they’re gold dust - a chance to tap into culture, spark coverage and show personality. But awareness days only work when they feel natural and serve a purpose.
If the fit is authentic, lean in. But if you’re forcing tenuous links, it’s better to let the day pass than risk looking contrived. With that in mind, here are a few brands that nailed it - and a few that (in my opinion) missed the mark.
Smart Spins:
Tesco’s Pancake Day flip: Tesco marked Pancake Day with a bold out-of-home campaign from BBH London that literally flipped the script. Its trademark blue font was turned upside down to mimic a pancake toss, with posters listing only the essentials: “Flour eggs milk lemon sugar Tuesday.’’ Straightforward, witty and instantly tied to Shrove Tuesday, it reminded shoppers Tesco has everything they need, no gimmicks required. Simple and effective.
In light of Pride Month at Mighty Hoopla, Lidl’s “Live, Laugh, Lidl” activation showed how a brand can lean into cultural humour while celebrating inclusivity. Teaming up with Hunset, Lidl doubled down on its “hun favourite” status, bringing an experiential bus-turned-stage to life with lip-sync battles and tongue-in-cheek signage. The result felt playful, self-aware and rooted in the audience’s culture. Lidl wasn’t trying to reinvent itself, just amplifying the joy (and irony) people already associated with the brand.
Barbie’s International Women’s Day 2023 campaign was a strong example of an awareness day done with substance. By creating one-of-a-kind dolls modelled on seven trailblazing women in STEM, including Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock, the brand tackled the lack of female representation in science and engineering. Though a couple of years old, it still stands out as an authentic campaign that went beyond tokenism to inspire the next generation of innovators! L O V E D it.
Strained Stretches:
I’ve personally never been a fan of brands using April Fools Day as a way to get coverage. A few years ago, sure, it was a stage for the tiny-beanie-boasting creatives to really flex their imagination and surprise people with their almost-witty ideas. With the rise of AI, it now just feels like witnessing a mediocre graphic design competition. Terry’s Chocolate has launched a chocolate-mint toothpaste, mkay. Gousto has launched edible recipe cards, hilarious…meh. Snore.
Madame Tussauds x Greggs: The Sausage Roll: This stunt actually delivered blanket coverage, striking visuals and a clever tie-in with National Sausage Roll Day… on paper, it had all the ingredients. But it felt more like a quick headline grab (because there was budget) than a campaign with any real substance. The kind of throwaway stunt that’s remembered for a day, not as a lasting or particularly smart brand moment.
Finally, Deliveroo’s Valentine’s Day campaign was a classic case of a bad idea somehow making it through sign-off. Handwritten “secret admirer” letters may have grabbed attention, but the deception risked doing real harm, from unsettling single people to sparking tension in relationships, or worse, triggering trauma for those with experience of stalking or abuse. What might have seemed like a clever stunt came across as intrusive and thoughtless, proving that not every awareness day needs a damn gimmick.
Awareness days can provide powerful PR exposure, but only when actioned with intention. The best campaigns are those where the fit feels natural, the execution is authentic, and the brand’s voice shines through without gimmicks. On the flip side, when brands stretch too far or chase headlines without substance, it’s obvious and risks doing more harm than good.
In short: if the day aligns with your brand and audience, lean in with creativity. If it doesn’t, let it pass. Sometimes, restraint is the smartest PR move you can make.
Looking to make your brand’s PR campaigns smarter, sharper, and more authentic? We’d love to help. Drop us a line! lara.leventhal@visiblepr.co.uk