Our monthly PR winners and Losers review spotlights those who have pulled off a fresh PR masterstroke, and those whose efforts have fallen short.
March’s edition is written by Ella Simcock, an English Literature student from Newcastle University, taking part in our Fresh Adacdemy industry placement programme.
Staying Fresh
Tourist attractions seek weather app reform
As anyone who’s planned a day out with friends and family will testify, getting a reliable weather forecast can be a major challenge. So big applause to a campaign led by Chester Zoo on behalf of more than 80 outdoor tourist attractions that sheds light on the impact of misleading weather app icons.
This well researched campaign revealed how rain cloud icons are often used to summarise a 24-hour period, sometimes suggesting a washout even when the majority of that day stays dry. With the research suggesting 70 per cent of people check these forecasts before heading out, attractions have reportedly taken hits of up to £137,000 a day due to the way weather app symbols are used.
The campaign urged the Met Office and weather app developers to find more practical solutions and gained widespread national media attention as a result. Through its revelations it was also successful in asking families to second guess choices regarding the weather, as well promoting the importance of outdoor activities for both children and adults.
On a side note, a great comms response from the Met Office, which struck a conciliatory tone and showed its intention to work with the tourism sector to deliver improvements to way forecasts are presented.
Louis Theroux’s JD and Nike collaboration – fortuitous timing or deeper meaning?
Just prior to the anticipated release of Louis Theroux and Netflix’s ‘The Manosphere’ documentary, Theroux rolled out the legendary silhouettes of the Nike Air Max 95 OG Neon trainers in a new campaign by JD.
On the face of it, the collaboration between Nike and JD appears to be using Theroux to appeal to an audience other than JD’s typical teenage consumers – people who originally wore the Air Max 95s will now be around the same age as Theroux.
But by being part of a campaign alongside younger celebrities, including streamer Angry Ginge, the adverts will undoubtedly have brought Theroux into the consciousness of a teenage boy demographic that is also partly the subject of Theroux’s much talked about documentary on the harms caused by ‘toxic’ male influencers.
Team Freshfield is still not sure whether the timing of the documentary’s release just as Theroux appears in the Nike campaign (which falls in Nike Air Max month), is deliberate or a complete fluke. While it’s probably the latter, it shows the value of picking the right influencers to front your campaign.
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Gone Stale
BrewDog faces backlash for redundancy handling
Scottish brewing giant BrewDog faced criticism for the way the redundancy of 484 staff members was handled as the company was the subject of a rescue sale in March after entering administration with debts of over £500m.
Staff reportedly had no meaningful prior warning of the sudden layoffs which were made in a 15-minute Teams call without the opportunity to ask questions.
A consultation process, normally expected in situations of large-scale redundancy, did not happen and staff working in BrewDog’s bars faced the shock of their place of work being closed with immediate effect, with little support to transition into roles with other hospitality providers. The company has since been accused by unions of using controversial ‘fire and rehire’ practices as it looks to reopen some bars.
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Co-founder James Watt has said he was “heartbroken” and has admitted mistakes were made by the company. But BrewDog has faced years of bad press with allegations including poor working practices, inappropriate behaviour and misleading marketing, so the latest revelations can come as little surprise.
Monzo’s end of year spending reports cause unintended offence
UK-based app-only challenger bank Monzo has led a significant shake up of the banking industry in recent years. Many of the FF team are big fans by the way!
However, the bank has faced some negativity this month after some customers claimed they felt embarrassed and shamed by Monzo’s end of year spending reports, seemingly commenting on their eating habits and lifestyle choices.
Delivered in similar style to the well-known Spotify Wrapped summaries, some of the ‘Year in Monzo’ lines that caused upset included “You like your banquets beige and boxed up” and “You foraged and feasted. But mainly you fast-fooded”.
Maybe this will make companies start to realise that not every brand has to do its own version of Spotify Wrapped. We definitely do not need this from our banks… https://t.co/m6NcYZAHTW
— Tom Knowles (@tkbeynon) March 9, 2026
Although Monzo claim the messages to be automatically generated, not a personal commentary written by a human, some customers have been left feeling judged. People expect neutrality and trust from banks, not comments about their personal life. It shows the ongoing dangers of relying on AI and automation to deliver a customer message, particularly when that message is based on sensitive financial data.
Speaking of which, some Lloyds Bank, Halifax and Bank of Scotland customers were left in panic this month as they reported being able to see numerous unknown transactions from other users’ accounts. This included direct debit payments showing car registrations and national insurance numbers. All in all, not a great month for the banks who will have to work hard to repair their reputation.
