If you want to build brand awareness and get noticed, launching a public relations campaign, also called a PR campaign, can be a great way to do it. It’s a strategic way to get people talking about your brand, generate buzz around a new product, amass media coverage, and spark a conversation about topics related to your brand values. When you execute PR campaigns successfully, they can lead to positive outcomes like increased sales, improved brand reputation, media mentions, or customer loyalty.
Here’s what you should know about launching a PR campaign, how it can help your business, plus real-world PR campaign examples from successful brands.
What is a PR campaign?
A PR campaign is a series of marketing tactics designed to generate publicity. An effective PR campaign can come in many forms, from celebrity and influencer partnerships to ads that spotlight a specific product or message. All public relations campaigns aim to drive real-world and online engagement, getting more consumers interested in your brand identity, goods, and services.
A successful PR campaign requires a carefully planned marketing strategy to meet your specific business goal, such as boosting brand awareness or driving traffic to your company’s site. You need to determine the campaign’s message, timing, and duration. Identify your target audience, the best channel or platform, and draft a compelling press release to let everyone know what you’re up to.
What can a good PR campaign accomplish?
When you or your team execute a well-planned, comprehensive PR campaign, it can lead to one or more positive outcomes for your brand, including but not limited to:
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Increased brand recognition. A successful PR campaign raises brand awareness, earns media coverage, and sparks conversation—whether it be in real life, on social media platforms, or both. The resulting PR metrics can be used to inform every component of your next PR campaign.
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Boosted website traffic and sales. You can use a public relations campaign to create a connection with consumers, but the best PR campaign examples all prompt people to not only check out a brand’s website or app but also purchase its products.
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Enhanced credibility. A PR campaign featuring trusted third-party sources (such as celebrities, respected influencers, or media outlets endorsing your brand) can bolster consumers’ trust in your products and services.
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Improved brand reputation. A compelling press release highlighting the positive aspects of your brand can help shape or reshape your brand reputation and public perception.
4 main models of a PR campaign
The four main models of a PR campaign include:
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The press agent/publicity model. Using this one-way communication model, public relations professionals focus on creating a positive image of the company by highlighting a brand’s products or services, as well as its core values.
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Public information model. This one-way model aims to inform people about brand news and updates through press releases and other forms of media distributed directly to the public.
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Two-way asymmetrical model. PR professionals use this two-way communication model to coax people into supporting a company’s products or values, though they don’t necessarily collect feedback in the process.
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Two-way symmetrical model. This two-way communication model gives customers a voice and fosters conversation, brand engagement, and community building in addition to spreading the word about a brand.
7 real-world examples of successful PR campaigns
Famous PR campaigns come in many different shapes and forms, but they all have a common outcome: attracting attention. Here are seven examples demonstrating what goes into creating successful PR campaigns:
1. Allbirds
In 2018, the sustainable footwear brand Allbirds launched a PR campaign called Meet Your Shoes featuring its Wool Runner sneakers (made from merino wool) and Tree Runner sneakers (made with eucalyptus tree fiber). The public relations campaign ran across multiple media platforms—including Instagram and YouTube.
A classic public information campaign, it encouraged its target audience to visit an interactive website, where they could learn more about the sheep and trees behind their shoes. These public relations videos not only created buzz around the sneakers but also highlighted Allbirds’ commitment to making sustainable products.
2. Fly By Jing
In 2021, condiment company Fly By Jing created waves when it launched a public relations campaign on OnlyFans in which it used the cheeky phrase “hot noods” to refer to their noodles. The PR strategy prompted its target audience to subscribe for free to its OnlyFans community to learn more about the brand and its products.
For each new subscriber the digital PR campaign gained, the brand pledged to donate $1 to organizations supporting and protecting sex workers. The public relations campaign got people talking about the brand and highlighted Fly By Jing’s brand values—a great example of a two-way symmetrical campaign.
3. Dove
The personal care brand Dove’s Real Beauty initiative is still relevant two decades after it debuted in 2004. The Real Beauty public relations campaign and ad strategy highlighted a diverse group of real women rather than models, aiming to challenge society’s unrealistic beauty standards and promote self-acceptance among women. Dove has continued to iterate on the initial public relations campaign over the years and work with media professionals to spread the word about its initiatives.
For instance, in 2024, the brand released a press release pledging to never use AI to represent real women in their ads. While Dove’s Real Beauty PR strategy doesn’t directly relate to the brand’s products, it continues to generate earned media attention and shape consumers’ perception of Dove as a body-positive brand.
4. Honey Pot
In 2017, feminine care brand Honey Pot launched its Humans With Vaginas campaign on social media channels. The goal was educating its target audience and normalizing conversations about vaginal health and human rights. The two-way symmetrical PR strategy featured real women sharing their stories and experiences of living with a vagina. It established the brand as a pioneer in vaginal health education and female empowerment. According to The New York Times, the PR efforts also helped Honey Pot increase its sales and exposure.
5. Burger King
In 2024, Burger King launched its Million Dollar Whopper campaign. The highlight of this public relations event was a contest that prompted current and future customers to design their dream Whopper with a fresh mix of different toppings. The brand selected three finalists and made their Whopper creations available on Burger King’s menu for a limited time.
After customers had the chance to taste-test and vote on the burgers, the winner received a $1 million prize. Their creation became available in Burger King stores nationwide, generating a lot of buzz. With over a million submissions to the contest, the fast food company successfully enhanced its real-world and social media engagement.
6. Then I Met You
In 2025, Korean skin care brand Then I Met You launched a mobile pop-up campaign in New York City in collaboration with Sephora to increase brand engagement and attract new customers. The pop-up shop gave the brand’s target audience the chance to get one-on-one time with the brand’s founder, Charlotte Cho. It featured free skin care consultations, samples, snacks, and merch. The store was open for only one weekend, driving demand and prompting people to shop for Then I Met You’s products at Sephora.
7. Gillette Venus
In 2021, shaving brand Gillette Venus launched a two-way asymmetrical campaign called #SayPubic. It aimed to reject the taboo perception around pubic grooming and destigmatize the term. The brand timed the campaign to run around the launch of its Pubic Hair & Skin Collection and released a video in which an animated pubic hair sang a funny tune called The Pube Song.
The brand cultivated media relationships to help the video go viral. Ultimately, the PR efforts drew attention to Gillette Venus’s new product line and showed the brand’s commitment to empowering women and shifting societal norms.
PR campaign FAQ
What does PR mean?
PR stands for public relations. It refers to managing the public’s perception of either an individual or a brand. PR firms focus on implementing marketing campaigns to drive brand awareness and increase sales for their clients. The best PR campaigns do this by highlighting what’s unique about their client or products.
What is PR in advertising?
Unlike traditional advertising, which often includes paid media channels, PR-driven marketing campaigns focus on getting free publicity (earned media coverage). This is done through strategic communication via media relations, press releases, influencer and editor outreach, and other organic tactics. Instead of paying for an ad, you influence outlets and creators to talk about your brand organically.
What are the models of a PR campaign?
The four main models of a PR campaign include a press agent/publicity model, a public information model, a two-way asymmetrical model, and a two-way symmetrical model.
