It has been more than two years since I last shared some thoughts on how to run successful PR campaign in Poland, so I decided it’s time for a major update. Poland is in the spotlight again, as our foreign minister’s slip took the Internet by storm, making a non-existent country –San Escobar – the top holiday destination for 2017. The unfortunate blunder illustrates how the world of communications has changed and how important it is for a company to stay on top of things. Especially for the brand that has the ambition of creating some buzz in Poland – the eighth-largest EU economy poised to become a growth engine in the region.
Here are three things about communications you might want to read before jumping on a plane to Warsaw.
1. Disruptive brands bet on real-time marketing and they know how to do it right
Let’s go back to San Escobar for a while as it still has its fifteen minutes of fame. When internet users responded to the minister’s slip, creating an official Twitter account for the imaginary state alongside numerous events on Facebook and memes, brands decided to have their share in San Escobar craze. For example, Koszulkowo.com (online store with personalized, funny T-shirts), quickly turned around a Facebook post presenting the latest addition to their collection – San Escobar Diplomatic Corps t-shirts. The post turned out to be an instant success and was shared by bloggers and influences. Other companies priding themselves in being bold enough to be controversial followed suit.
Real-time marketing requires courage, wit and agility but we’ve seen more and more brands in Poland successfully leveraging this technique.
2. There’s an online TV station that took ‘mobile’ and ‘live’ a little more seriously
I’d hazard a guess that all communications pros have heard how the media landscape is changing with traditional outlets losing their share. Yet, Onet RANO – a combination of a breakfast TV show and James Corden’s carpool karaoke – live streamed on Facebook every morning is a truly refreshing format. Jarosław Kuźniar, a seasoned journalist formerly working for one of the biggest TV stations in Poland, drives through the streets of Warsaw and invites his guests to this mobile studio. While they comment on current affairs, trends and events, viewers can contribute to the discussion by posting their questions on social media with the #onetRANO hashtag.
3. It was a Polish ad that out-Christmased John Lewis’s bouncing badger
Last Christmas undoubtedly belonged to the Allegro advert that touched many hearts, not only in Poland but also around the world. This slightly nostalgic story features an elderly Polish man learning English to introduce himself to his granddaughter in the UK. The spot was viewed by millions of users on YouTube and made headlines in such titles as The Independent, USA Today and The Huffington Post.
