Achieving National and International Coverage with Rio Ferdinand

It’s okay not to be happy all the time. Rationally, we know that must be the case, and yet our daily pressures, busy lives and social norms mean that sometimes we forget to be mindful of every emotion. Even more so with kids – have you ever encouraged a child to “stop crying” or “not to be sad”? It’s a common reflex many adults have. 

When we worked with Ready10 on McDonald’s ‘The Meal’ campaign, we were tasked with spreading this important message through national and international broadcast coverage.

Who Are They: A creative PR agency & international food brand 

Sector: Public Relations & Food 

Objective: Secure coverage across national and international broadcast media.

The Challenge: We worked with our client Ready10 on the McDonald’s ‘The Meal’ campaign whose aim was to raise awareness of how it’s okay for kids not to be okay all the time. To mark this, during Mental Health Awareness Week, the iconic smile was removed from the Happy Meal box with the hope of sparking family conversations about emotions.  

Recruiting the help of Rio Ferdinand, whose family and children have suffered bereavement and know all too well the power of speaking about emotions, we secured coverage across national and international broadcast. When you have a top tier talent who can authentically speak about a story, it unlocks platforms for important conversations. The strategy was to place Rio on as many national opportunities as possible, targeting parents and families especially to get the key messaging far and wide.

What We Delivered: Rio appeared on Good Morning Britain, Radio 1 XTRA, LBC News and Radio X to name a few. What’s more, the campaign secured 270 pieces of coverage nationally and internationally.

The Impact: For this campaign, it was clear broadcast was driving the news agenda, as well as hitting the McDonald’s target audience. In fact, 40% of those who saw the campaign discussed it with their child/friend/partner, highlighting the impact of the campaign. This campaign has also been nominated in the Broadcast category of the PRCA UK 2024 awards.