Patagonia and Oatly Just Used This Clever Tactic to Boost Their Brand Visibility—Here’s How You Can Replicate It

Brands are at all times looking for recent and revolutionary public relations and marketing strategies to stand out in a crowded market and attract the attention of their target market. One highly effective strategy is newsjacking, which involves using the momentum of popular news to significantly increase the visibility and engagement of firms.

In this text, we take a closer look at the concept of newsjacking, including its origins, mechanics, and the significant advantages it will possibly bring to your brand. Our team will share practical insights on the subject.

What is newsjacking?

Newsjacking is a concept introduced by David Meerman Scott in 2011. It involves participating in discussions about current news to increase the visibility of your brand. This strategy uses trends to draw attention to the brand. Newsjacking has gained popularity due to its simplicity and effectiveness, especially in the digital age, with the widespread use of digital and social media.

People are naturally curious and drawn to current events. By tapping into this curiosity, you’ll be able to present your brand in a compelling way and grab the attention of your target market. Additionally, newsjacking effectively leverages existing media attention. When a story goes viral, there is already a large audience being attentive to the topic. By associating your brand with popular topics, you’ll be able to direct some of that spotlight to your individual brand.

We’ve seen first-hand that newsjacking works. You’ll soon discover just how effective it will possibly be in increasing your brand’s visibility and engagement.

Key principles of effective newsjacking

• Timing: When it comes to newsjacking, the key is to respond quickly. If you’re taking too long to respond to a popular news event, possibilities are you’ll not stand out.
• Meaning: Make sure there’s a clear connection between your story and your brand. There’s no point in just reacting to every thing, because if there’s no real connection, your content will quickly be seen as inauthentic. For example, in 2023, we leveraged the attention around a major industry event—Money20/20—to create a guide with practical suggestions and insights based on our experiences to help attendees prepare. As a result, this agenda resonated with fintech media.
• Creativity: Add a unique twist or value to your message. For example, when we joined the Google for Startups Cloud Program, we linked the message to Google’s twenty fifth anniversary to make it more noteworthy.
• Sensitivity: Avoid controversial or sensitive topics that would damage your brand. Always consider potential reactions to your content.

Steps to Implement Newsjacking into Your Communication Strategy

To successfully implement message interception in your PR and marketing strategies, use this step-by-step guide:

Step 1: Monitor messages

• Use tools like Google Trends and Google Alerts to track popular topics.
• Follow interesting journalists, bloggers and news outlets.
• Example: After tracking relevant trends and discussions using Google Alerts and media research across ad tech, marketing tech, and business tech, we identified climate change as a hot topic. We leveraged our existing initiatives and created a piece that mentioned global statistics and highlighted our green efforts. This was in line with the trending topic and demonstrated our commitment to sustainability.

Step 2: Assess Relevance

• Assess whether your messaging aligns with your brand, products, services and values.
• Ask questions like: Does this message resonate with our audience? Can we provide a unique perspective?
• Example: For the guide we created for Money20/20, we identified its relevance to our fintech audience and pitched it to media outlets we knew were covering the event, which resulted in gained notoriety in the media.

Step 3: Write a message

• Determine the appropriate tone (informational, humorous, analytical).
• Offer original and useful content tailored to your audience.
• Example: We took an informational tone in our announcement to join the Google for Startups Cloud Program and tied it to Google’s twenty fifth anniversary, making our messaging more relevant and engaging. As a result, we had wide media interest.

Step 4: Distribution

• Share your message on multiple platforms.
• Use a combination of social media, press releases, blog posts, emails, and online communities that your target market visits.
• Example: Our article on climate change was presented to various media outlets, which resulted in publication in each activation and business sectors, increasing our reach.

Big brands also use newsjacking

Case Study 1: Oatly and Patagonia Mobilize EU Citizens to Vote for the Planet

In May/June 2024 Oatly and Patagonia joined forces to mobilize EU residents to vote for the environment during the European Parliament elections. The two firms freed a total of 1,000 of their EU employees to vote and organized educational programs to emphasize the importance of voting.

They also called on other firms to encourage their teams to vote for the planet. This campaign showed their collective commitment to protecting the environment.

Effectiveness: The campaign highlighted shared values ​​and encouraged energetic participation. This strengthened brand loyalty and positioned each firms as leaders in environmental protection.

Lessons: Link your brand to vital social issues to highlight your values ​​and reach a wider audience.

Case Study 2: The British Heart Foundation Till death campaign

In the run-up to the UEFA Euro 2024 European Championship, the British Heart Foundation (BHF) has launched a programme Till death campaignin partnership with Saatchi & Saatchi. The campaign featured huge murals commemorating young football fans who had died from heart disease. The murals were strategically placed in nine cities across the UK to maximise visibility during the European Championships and were accompanied by a wider media campaign across social media and radio.

Effectiveness:This campaign linked an upcoming sporting event to a serious health issue, increasing visibility and awareness of heart disease among youth.

Lessons:Two seemingly unrelated topics, football and heart disease, might be skillfully linked to convey an vital message.

Potential Newsjacking Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them

There are a few mistakes you’ll be able to make when newsjacking, corresponding to responding too late, selecting irrelevant stories, or overpromoting, that may make your brand seem opportunistic and uninspiring.

Another common mistake is posting inappropriate or sensitive content without fully understanding the context. This can lead to public outrage and negative reactions, as in the case of the latest Fashion Nova campaign about a positive approach to the body.

If you encounter negative reactions or backlash to your newsjacking campaign, it is vital to respond quickly and effectively. You should be willing to admit mistakes and take responsibility, even if you are taking motion that focuses on a sensitive and controversial topic. According to a study by Salesforce, 90% of shoppers say that how a company operates during a crisis reveals its credibility.

Showing empathy and offering solutions can assist restore the situation and regain public trust. A superb example of this is Unilever “I lost the pot” October 2022 campaignwhere they used all the negative consumer feedback in their recent campaign.

Application

Newsjacking is a powerful strategy that permits you to leverage news trends to put your brand in the highlight. As this text shows, connecting your brand to current events can resonate deeply with your audience and reinforce your values. On the other hand, potential pitfalls, corresponding to engaging in irrelevant or sensitive topics, can lead to negative publicity.

But most significantly, newsjacking is not only for large enterprises with huge budgets and extensive strategies. As our own experience has shown, even small and medium-sized businesses can effectively leverage newsjacking, resulting in significant media reach and audience engagement despite limited resources. This shows that with the right, relevant and creative approach, newsjacking might be a useful tool for any company looking to increase its reach and influence.

In summary, when done thoughtfully and strategically, newsjacking offers a unique opportunity to align your brand with trending topics, thereby increasing your reach and influence. By following best practices and learning from past examples, you’ll be able to effectively leverage the power of newsjacking to profit your brand, no matter your organization size or budget.