Public Relations Case Studies

In a few of my SOJC courses, case studies were required assignments. They were designed to help students identify best PR practices, (in)effective communication strategies and possible solutions for failures by looking at real campaigns or crisis communications situations.

— Topps: Garbage Pail Kids “The Shammy Awards” Collection —

Background excerpt: On March 16, 2021, trading card manufacturing company Topps released its Grammy-themed Garbage Pail Kids (GPK) sticker card collection called “The Shammy Awards” — the GPK collection started in 1985 as a parody of the then-popular Cabbage Patch Kids, and it is known for its satirical caricatures of pop culture figures. Among the GPK Grammys collection was a card titled “BTS Bruisers” with a violent depiction of Korean pop group BTS as bruised Whac-A-Mole pieces being beaten by a Grammy award hammer.

— Columbia Records: Harry Styles’ “Eroda” Campaign —

Background excerpt: On November 18, 2019, Columbia Records began its real-time “Eroda” campaign for artist Harry Styles. Columbia’s treasure hunt-style campaign was designed to generate fan engagement for Styles’ new “Adore You” music video dropping on December 6.

— Penguin Random House: “Find Your Light” Campaign —

Background excerpt: In 2021, major book publisher Penguin Random House ran its “Find Your Light” end-of-the-year campaign from December 1-31. Similar to Spotify Wrapped for music, this campaign showcased book trends and reading habits of 2021 using easily digestible and aesthetically pleasing visuals.