There are a lot of articles out there about how to execute a strong public relations strategy. But are they effective? Here, we will walk through some of the best public relations examples across B2B public relations, consumer public relations, tech public relations and non profit public relations while evaluating what each campaign did right.
Successful public relations programs hinge on several factors including timing, messaging and knowing your audience. Most companies with good public relations programs have nailed all three of these components and have the ability to effectively get the right messages in front of the right people at the right time.
20 Best Public Relations Examples
B2B Public Relations Examples
B2B public relations helps businesses raise their awareness amongst other businesses who are likely target customers or investors. For B2B companies, public relations allows them to make noise when they have company milestones such as new funding or expanding into a new market. It’s also essential when the company does not have news to maintain momentum.
Here are five PR examples of B2B companies with successful PR campaigns:
Meteomatics launches into the US market
Meteomatics, a Swiss-based B2B company, looked to expand into the US market and sought out PR to generate buzz. Their first move in the US was launching a Meteodrone at GrandSKY Aviation Park in North Dakota, something one would think of as a local story.
Instead, we used the news as a hook to tell a wider story in the national press about how this set the stage for Meteomatics’ US expansion plans. Then, we maintained momentum by leveraging Meteomatics’ unique perspective of the weather industry at the intersection of businesses to insert the company into weather conversations.
Why it was successful: The campaign led to media coverage in The Washington Post and Axios as well as over 50 relevant trade publications. At Channel V Media, we were also recognized for our work on this campaign at the 2024 American Business Awards with two Gold Awards.
Salesforce doubles down on AI agents
Salesforce, one of the world’s largest CRM companies, unveiled its new Agentforce technology during its annual Dreamforce summit earlier this fall. Held in Downtown San Francisco, Dreamforce has long been a cornerstone event for the company, drawing in thousands of customers, partners, reporters and industry leaders from across the globe.
The launch of the new technology has sparked a wave of media coverage in the months following the event, with Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff at the forefront. His insights have been featured in dozens of prominent media outlets, such Fortune and Business Insider, where he has served as an evangelist for Agentforce to further articulate the technology’s potential to customers, shareholders and the business community as a whole.
Why it was successful: Dreamforce is a high-profile event that already commands attention from the media and other industry leaders. By timing the announcement of Agentforce with the event, Salesforce ensured a built-in audience and media spotlight. In addition, Marc Benioff’s active role in promoting Agentforce reinforced its importance. Benioff not only put a human face on the company’s AI efforts but also leveraged his credibility as an industry leader to drive the narrative. As a result, Salesforce’s messaging around AI and Agentforce has led to an increased stock price, as reported by Yahoo! Finance.
Blackstone is in its ‘Alternatives Era‘
Sometimes all it takes is an unconventional (and cringe) video to turn heads. Blackstone, a powerhouse in the finance world yet largely unknown by the greater public, garnered widespread media attention after it released The Alternatives Era, a tongue-in-cheek company year-in-review that riffed on Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour.
What began as a playful homage turned into a viral sensation that captured the eyes of over 8 million viewers and was featured in mainstream business outlets including The Financial Times, WSJ and Axios.
Why it was successful: By leveraging humour and leaning into pop culture, Blackstone made itself more approachable while also seizing on the culture phenomenon of the Era’s Tour. The video helped to humanize the corporate giant while also introducing itself and its accomplishments to the general public. The result? A viral moment that transcended the confines of traditional financial media.
Bank of America unlocks the power of data
Bank of America is both a consumer and corporate bank, meaning it is looking to attract the attention of B2B and B2C customers.
On the B2B side, Bank of America has a business line called Bank of America Institute that releases several financial data reports. The company then places stories in key trade media outlets that other businesses interested in the data stories read.
For example, a strong public relations campaign Bank of America executed this year was about the number of Americans living paycheck to paycheck. The survey was covered in publications, including Banking Exchange, Axios and Retail Wire.
Why it was successful: Data is a great way to attract media attention and secure stories. Bank of America can leverage the consumer insights it has from the consumer part of the business to build the B2B side of the company.
NVIDIA CEO becomes the leading voice on AI
2024 was the year of AI–and NVIDIA. Since the AI buzz started to drum up two years ago, NVIDIA has become synonymous with the technology. Before the AI boom, most people knew NVIDIA as a company that made GPUs perfect for activities like gaming. But the rise of AI changed everything.
In this B2B public relations example, NVIDIA transformed its image from a GPU maker to the company leading the rise of AI. Now, whenever the company is mentioned, it is often alongside AI and how it is powering the rise in AI with its technologies.
NVIDIA aligned itself with AI in every public interaction. When NVIDIA’s CEO gave a commencement speech, he spoke about AI (as covered in Fortune), in each earnings call, NVIDIA mentions AI (as covered by Reuters), every podcast (as covered by Barrons)and media interaction (CNBC) also mentions AI.
Why it was successful: As a brand, NVIDIA is now synonymous with AI across nearly every industry.
Consumer Relations Campaign Examples
Consumer public relations is a lot like B2B public relations in the sense that you are trying to raise awareness and visibility for a brand. The main difference with this is that good consumer public relations examples reach the masses
Here are seven consumer public relations examples of companies with successful PR campaigns:
Breaking Meatless Farms into the US market
The UK plant-based meat company Meatless Farm had proven successful in its home market but was completely unknown in the United States, so it turned to PR to generate buzz.
When the company was set to launch in Whole Foods across the US, we executed a widespread PR campaign that led to coverage in Entrepreneur, VegWorld and The Sacramento Bee.
Why it was successful: This consumer public relations example led to a decline in competitor Beyond Meat’s stock price as analysts took note of the new market entrant and competition.
Budweiser Ban at the World Cup
Soccer matches are not known for attracting a tame and sober crowd. To align itself with the largest tournament in soccer on the world stage, the World Cup, Budweiser entered a 30-year contract with the event to sponsor.
All was going well until Qatar banned the sale of alcohol at its 2022 event, just two days before it was supposed to happen. In response, Budweiser said the winning team would receive the beer that was supposed to be sold at the event with its campaign “Bring Home the Bud”.
Why it was successful: The beer ban at the World Cup could have easily turned into a PR crisis for Budweiser, but the team was able to quickly pivot and shed light on the situation while boosting buzz. The team’s agility led it to win several PR awards as well as stories in the NY Times and WSJ.
Goldfish turned sea bass
Most people remember eating Goldfish in their childhood at least once. But there likely comes a day when most start skipping over goldfish in the snack aisle in favor of some more ‘adult’ snacks. Goldfish knew this was happening, and in response, they created a PR ploy where the company rebranded goldfish as “Chilean Sea Bass” for a short period, making it available for online orders.
The rebrand played to the knowledge that as people got older, their palette likely got more refined. In a tongue-in-cheek way, it poked fun at people who thought their palettes were ‘too refined’ for Goldfish. It received coverage in traditional digital media (Today) and social media coverage with multiple videos on TikTok.
Why it was successful: The Chilean sea bass campaign aimed to point out that goldfish is for everyone, regardless of age. This was done by understanding the market and delivering a message that resonated.
Dunkin’s Spidey takeover
Brands praised for their social media strategy often have one thing in common: personality. Dunkin’ is a well-respected coffee and breakfast chain throughout the northeast that’s also had a very ‘Gen Z’ style across its Instagram content, with its feed featuring more niche memes than perfectly curated corporate content.
In October 2024, the brand introduced a Spidey character to promote its spider doughnuts and a holiday menu. On Instagram, the first 12 Spidey posts generated over 725,000 likes on one platform. The social media strategy was so successful, it caught the attention of traditional media outlets including Inc. and Buzzfeed.
Why it was successful: Companies with good public relations today have their finger on the pulse of content that will resonate best with their audience on different platforms to boost sharing, engagement and reach.
At Dove, diversity and inclusion is central to the brand
Over the past several years, Dove has worked to build a brand synonymous with a positive self-image and inclusivity.
@dove No filter should tell you how to look. 80% of girls are already using filters by the age of 13. It’s no wonder their perception of beauty and their self-esteem are distorted. Help reverse the damage. #TurnYourBack on the Bold Glamour filter and digital distortion. Real beauty is bold. #RealBeautyIsBold #Dove #LetsChangeBeauty #NoDigitalDistortion #BeautyCommunity #SelfEsteem ♬ original sound – Dove Beauty & Personal Care
In 2023 the brand launched its ‘Turn your back’ campaign, which promoted influences turning their back to heavy social media filters that distorted their face. The campaign generated over 170 pieces of earned media coverage in publications, including Women’s Health and WWD.
Why it was successful: This consumer public relations campaign echoes the brand’s inclusion and self-love messaging, which it’s stayed true to for the past two decades.
Wicked movie extravaganza
Before the Wicked movie launched in November, the cast went on a press tour. The tour featured the cast sitting down for video and print interviews about the movie, its filming and more.
These press interviews were not only stand-alone pieces, but some of them sparked entire phenomena of their own. The press tour included dozens of interviews in leading publications, sparking conversations about the press tour, with notable coverage in Vogue, NY Times, and Us Weekly.
Why it was successful: With a mix of earned and paid promotion, the Wicked movie grossed $163 million in its opening weekend.
Ranch on a branch
Few food and beverage products have the same cult following as Hidden Valley Ranch. The company wanted to generate some buzz, so they surveyed their customers and found that they enjoy holiday traditions but are open to spicing them up.
In response, Hidden Valley Ranch launched “Ranch on a branch”, a funny Christmas tree ornament meant to rival the famed elf on a shelf. The launch led to media coverage in Today, NBC and more.
Why it was successful: By doing market research, Hidden Valley Ranch was able to execute a strategic public relations campaign that directly fed into their target demographic’s lives.
Tech Public Relations Campaign Examples
Tech public relations campaigns can span across both B2B and B2C audiences, depending on the product and objective. Often in technology PR campaigns, brands will look to focus on the issues they are solving for their core market.
Here are five tech public relations examples of companies with successful PR campaigns:
Spotifty Wrapped
Spotify-wrapped day might as well be a social media holiday, leaving Apple music users feeling left out of the fun. Over the past decade, Spotify has taken on a life of its own and become a cultural moment marked by brands creating their meme content.
This year, Spotify expanded the reach of its campaign by offering exclusive data to Her Campus, which covered wrapped. Publications, including Forbes, also posted stories leading up to the release date.
Why it was successful: People have established a sense of pride in their Spotify wrap, making this a repeat success every year and even prompting non-music streaming applications to share a year-end wrap with their users.
Robinhood: Growth in the public eye
A few years ago, Robinhood was viewed as the platform for Reddit retail investors to pump GameStop stock. Since then, the company has gone public, and its image has been thrust into the spotlight.
Now, in interviews, you will often find the company’s CEO speaking about its technology innovation to meet new audiences (CNBC), the future of the financial technology space (Fox) and how far the company has come since the GameStop debacle (Fast Company).
Why it was successful: Even in stories about the company missing its Q3 earnings (MarketWatch), the headline still focuses on Robinhood’s continued growth and trajectory as a public company. This forward-looking sentiment is key to their market positioning.
Jaguar gets people talking
When rebranding, the logical thing is to include your company’s core products in the unveiling. But that’s not the route Jaguar, the legacy British car manufacturer opted to take.
In the company’s rebranding video, there were no cars in sight. Instead, there were editorial fashion models and bright colors. This sparked massive online conversations, with Elon Musk chiming in and asking “Do you sell cars?, in a tweet that has over 7 million views to date (Business Insider). Mainstream media publications, including NBC and The Guardian, also covered the news.
Why it was successful: Jaguar’s rebranding was an unexpected move for a legacy car brand—so unexpected that it brought Jaguar into mainstream conversations despite being brand that is inaccessible for the everyday consumer.
Doritos silent chips
Doritos, the chip brand, often does not come to mind when you think about technology. However, the chips used technology to their advantage for a successful PR campaign.
The company launched a technology for gamers that would cancel out the sound of them eating chips when playing games online with friends. Understandably, nobody wants to hear their friend eating a snack when they are fighting Zombies in Minecraft or playing Roblox.
The company’s ploy gained significant attention from the media, with stories in Fortune, The Washington Post and PC Gamer.
Why it was successful: This clever PR campaign showed that Doritos has its finger on the needle of its target market. They increased visibility with the gaming community through a ploy that some may even want to try, influencing consumers to go out and purchase Doritos.
A Bold PR campaign
Bold Commerce shifted its product strategy and, as a result, needed to speak with new audiences. The company needed to get the right messages in front of omnichannel retailers, e-commerce giants, and the larger tech industry.
At CVM, we worked with Bold Commerce to use clients as proof points to demonstrate the success companies have achieved using the technology. We also treated product releases as opportunities to showcase how the company was creating value for its clients.
We generated key media stories across trade and national press titles, including VentureBeat, Bold Commerce and WWD.
Why it was successful: CVM reimagined how Bold Commerce talked about itself to get the right messages in front of the right audiences, in turn, shaping the industry’s view of the company.
Non Profit Campaign Examples
Nonprofits each have a mission; depending on their mission, they will each have a different audience. Some nonprofits raise money and look for donations, while others do not. Either way, for the nonprofit to achieve its mission.
Here are three nonprofit public relations examples of organizations with successful PR campaigns:
Interledger Foundation spearheads cost effective cross border payments
When Interledger Foundation approached CVM, it had a small media presence in distributed media outlets. The organization wanted to attract more users to its open payment network to build brand awareness with key financial services companies.
The first case study we worked to promote with the Interledger Foundation demonstrated how Interledger’s technology is used to transact money across borders fast and cost-effectively to impact local communities positively.
The nonprofit public relations campaign generated media coverage in three languages across five countries, covering publications including The Banker, Payments Journal and American Banker.
Why it was successful: CVM changed the way the Interledger Foundation spoke about itself, focusing on the impact its solutions have on communities rather than the fact that it’s a grant-making organization. Now, the Interledger Foundation is one of the first that comes to mind when thinking about nonprofits shaping the payments landscape.
Salvation Army Joy of Sharing drive
The Salvation Army has built significant brand recognition with bells and red buckets around its holiday drive.
Each year, in addition to the organization’s ads and boots-on-the-ground approach, they also generate a strong public relations campaign within local communities.
This year, the nonprofit has generated stories on CBS Philly, NBC South Carolina, and NBC Corpus Christi.
Why it was successful: The stories Salvation Army generates include all parts of their Christmas drive, including the donation process and highlighting the families impacted by the donations. In turn, they can show their impact on the community and influence more people to get involved.
Make a Wish makes a local impact
Make a Wish is a nonprofit that’s established a highly recognizable brand over the years, and it continues to stay at the top of many minds as it continues its work to grant the wishes of children with terminal illnesses.
Aside from the national coverage Make a Wish generates as an organization, it also secures stories in local press coverage about how the organization impacts children in different communities.
For example, when Make a Wish was granted to a child in the Dallas area, the local ABC station covered the news. When a child’s wish was granted in Las Vegas, the Las Vegas Review Journal covered the news.
Why it was successful: Make a Wish can maintain its high level of awareness by constantly creating local stories that tie the organization into individual communities.
Our approach at CVM
At Channel V Media, we help companies take advantage of public relations campaigns by driving value for their organization. There are many examples of good PR campaigns, but there is no one size fits all approach.
We work hand in hand with our clients to understand their wider business goals and develop a tailored public relations strategy. Once we are aligned on strategy, we then work to craft thoughtful campaigns to align the right messages with the right audience at the right time.
In turn, we are working hand in hand with our clients to help them achieve business goals.
Reach out to our team if you want to learn more about what types of PR campaigns are best to help you achieve your goals.