Year-in-Review: Top PR Moments of 2024

Megan Paquin

This month, our team was recognized at the PR Daily Awards in New York. We were honored alongside dozens of outstanding corporate communications teams, whose campaigns truly raised the bar. To cap off an exciting year in PR, we thought we’d share our tops for 2024. 

In the category of “most unhinged,” we have The Pop-Tarts Bowl. Hosted in our hometown of Orlando, Fla., the Pop-Tarts Bowl was quite an experience. Going viral and winning a Cannes Lions Grand Prix, the brand toasted its mascot and let the winning team eat it at the end of the game. Need we say more?

Literally, everywhere all at once, the next campaign on our list is for “Wicked: Part One.” The movie’s marketing efforts included collaborations with 400 brands. You couldn’t look anywhere online – or offline – without seeing a product tie-in, clever content, or interviews with the stars. Variety reported Universal’s chief marketing officer Michael Moses told movie theatre owners the campaign’s mission would be to come in “just short of obnoxious.” And it paid off – the movie has grossed over $500 million since its debut.  

Nostalgia has also been on trend this year. Widely regarded as one of the top marketing campaigns of 2024, Coca-Cola brought back its 2011 “Share a Coke” campaign. The combination of Coca-Cola’s timeless branding, a 2000s trend and the enticement to share on social media was a winning combination. While a marketing campaign at its core, the PR benefits are clearly seen in the publicity and audience engagement this campaign generated.

Lastly, we couldn’t look at the top PR moments without recognizing at least one brand that took a high-stakes issue or crisis and met the challenge head-on. McDonald’s stands out for its bold internal memo to employees after a presidential candidate was seen serving up burgers and fries at a Pennsylvania restaurant. The statement, “We are not red or blue – we are golden,” was right on brand and not only spoke directly to its team members, but also to a broader, international audience. McDonald’s met the moment with grace and turned this challenge into valuable goodwill.

There’s always something we can learn from others’ winning campaigns. To discuss how such insights can empower your success in 2025, reach out.