Our monthly PR Winners and Losers review spotlights those who have pulled off a fresh PR masterstroke, and those whose efforts have fallen short.
Staying Fresh
Cultural venues offer a cool response to the heatwave
August’s record-breaking heatwaves had everyone searching for affordable ways to escape the scorching summer sun.
While some booked “coolcations”, the BFI, Arts Council England, LIVE Green and Julie’s Bicycle were ready with a more convenient alternative with their UK-wide ‘Cool Off in Culture’ campaign.
The initiative signposts members of the public to museums, galleries, libraries, cinemas, and other cultural venues where they can rest and cool down during periods of extreme heat. An online map tells visitors whether each venue is free to enter and offers air conditioning, shaded seating or water-refill points.
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The network grew from almost 80 venues in June to nearly 400 by late August, and includes Preston’s own cultural bastion, the Harris, close to Freshfield’s Lancashire office.
As questions increase around the future of these institutions and the value of “third spaces” in twenty-first century Britain, the campaign reminded people that these venues can offer far more than art, entertainment or education.
It didn’t require new buildings or expensive public infrastructure; it simply reframed spaces we may take for granted and encouraged footfall in a new and creative way.
Dobby’s grave puts stakeholder relations to an unusual test
Moving on from footfall to landfall, this month an unusual story emerged about the development of Greenlink, a £430m electricity interconnector between Wales and Ireland.
The project team reportedly received hundreds of calls from Harry Potter fans concerned that its route would disturb Dobby’s “grave”, as depicted in the penultimate film in the franchise.
Despite early, and perhaps understandable, scepticism (“he’s a fictitious character in a fictitious book, the whole thing is fictitious, what are you talking about?”), the company took the complaints seriously and worked with planners to move the cable away from the unofficial memorial.
The revised route subsequently passes close to a genuine Bronze Age burial site.
Avoiding a fictional grave at the risk of genuine archaeological remains makes for unusual, if not slightly uncomfortable, optics, but it doesn’t detract from a stakeholder engagement success. The team recognised the strength of public feeling, regardless of its unconventional source, and adjusted its plans accordingly.
It is a useful reminder that the most influential stakeholders are not always the most obvious – and that even fictional characters can inspire very real reputational risks.
Creative newsjacking eclipses the eclipse
Finally, for one evening this month, millions of people stopped what they were doing and looked towards the sky as the UK experienced its most significant solar eclipse since 1999.
While the natural spectacle may have held our attention for an hour or so, brands kept us captivated in the days before and after the event with content on how best to view the eclipse, safety warnings, and eclipse-themed reenactments.
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A personal favourite was Jaffa Cakes, who revitalised a nostalgic 90s campaign for their socials.
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Gone Stale
Thames Water’s £1m signing-on fee deepens a drought of public trust
While museums and art galleries may have found a way to make the heatwave work for them, Thames Water faced a far less positive communications challenge.
As hosepipe bans came into force across England, news broke that the company paid its finance chief, Steve Buck, a £1m signing-on fee in what it described as a “necessary incentive” to persuade Buck to join.
Yet after years of damaging headlines, from missed leakage targets and pollution incidents to its £20bn debt pile and the prospect of temporary public ownership under a special administration, this payment looks like another own goal.
Alongside the ongoing problems at Thames Water’s £500m desalination plant, designed to support London during severe droughts but out of operation until the end of the year, the company faces an uncomfortable and familiar contrast between executive reward and operational delivery.
At a critical point in the debate over its future, the company has given its critics a clear, emotionally powerful story to use against it.
Logistical oversight looms over Lumo’s partnership with Preston North End FC
Somewhat closer to our Winckley Square office, a link-up between the Preston-headquartered low-cost rail operator Lumo and the Preston North End Football Club should have been an open goal.
With five Championship away fixtures in London this season, the partnership promised supporters an affordable and convenient way to follow the team, with fares starting from under £30.
However, the offer quickly lost its allure when it was discovered that Lumo’s last service back from Euston on a Saturday is at 4.19pm – and when the final whistle on afternoon fixtures typically blowing at around 4:45pm, any fans wanting to make the return journey would need to leave long before full-time.
Preston North End’s subsequent clarification that the partnership was actually aimed at supporters combining an away match with a weekend stay did little to stem the criticism.
📝 Preston North End’s partnership with Lumo is aimed at fans who might be heading to London to watch North End away, whilst also looking for a weekend stopover.
Lumo provides supporters which much more affordable travel from Preston down to the capital, so arguably you can… pic.twitter.com/OwUvrL3zL8
— Preston North End FC (@pnefc) August 22, 2026
National media picked up the story, and fans took to social media to voice their disappointment with the oversight.
Great idea, overshadowed by a simple mistake.
