Is all PR good PR, and the power of personal brand.

If you’re not familiar or have yet to scroll through the shares of this on social media, Mike Gammell, founder of Days Beer, posted a snap of him stood in front of a billboard, strategically placed next to his brother’s billboard, who just so happens to be Kit Gammell, the founder of Surreal. 

The post has clocked up over 6,000 likes, 311 comments, and 47 shares over on LinkedIn, but this isn’t just a story of a social media campaign gone viral; it is a story of using personal brand, the role of PR, and being prepared for the good, the bad, and the ugly.

A tale of two halves 

Out of those mammoth numbers, there's a good chunk of people who think this campaign is brilliant, genius, and hilarious, with two brothers pitting themselves against each other in what appears to be a race to the top, and for their father’s approval. 

But, not every post was packed with high-fives and laughing emojis, as there is another camp sharing this campaign, who were keen to call out that these brothers are not only privately educated, but that their father is the Scottish oil baron, Sir Bill Gammell. Meaning that not only have they likely got his approval, but also had a big old leg up into the industry in the form of privilege and their alleged private education. 

Regardless of which camp you’re in, they’re getting a boat-load of coverage. Even the shares and comments in the second camp are pushing these brand names and founders out there.

Which makes us ask this question.

Is all PR good PR?

The short answer is, it depends. Largely on how bad the supposed bad PR is, and how high the stakes are in what you’re promoting. While there is no point PRing for PR sake, there is little control that can be had over what others are sharing about you, and that’s one of the risks you take when opening up your brand to the world of not only PR, but public perception. 

We don’t normally say that all PR is good PR, but in this instance, it isn’t really doing the brand names much harm to have them thrust out a little further into the ether that is social media. 

Can these pair help the family they were born into? No.

Could they maybe have been a little less tongue-in-cheek in their approach? Perhaps.

Are people going to buy their products anyway? You know it. 

What is a key part of this campaign is the seeming sibling rivalry, but what rivals are a non-alcoholic beer brand and a cereal company? 

What has been pitched as banter is actually brand genius, promoting both brands that are similar in audience and tone, to an audience that will lap up both of their offerings, and revel in the rivalry that they have created.

The role of PR has changed

PR is no longer a place for press releases and the outreach email. It hasn’t been like that for a long time, but especially in the last couple of years, the landscape has changed a lot. 

What we have now is something that has become a social currency, that isn’t only reliant on other publications, but on peers and social judgement, too. There are so many arms and tactics within PR, but this campaign is a prime example of how to PR without really PRing, with two brand names and two founders gaining traction and coverage, just not in the way that we would have typically described it. 

The lines are blurring. 

We used to have PR in one box, advertising in another, sales and marketing sitting in different corners of the room and brand in the kitchen making a cup of tea. Now, they’re all sitting at the same table and it is sometimes hard to distinguish who is who. 

Blending these channels might seem counterintuitive at times, but it is actually a lesson in brand mastery, and the best part about it is how effortless it all looks to the outside world.

How founder brands are bolstering brand success 

It’s no longer enough to have an eComm business and a marketing plan. The brands that are soaring and staying ahead have personal brands attached to them. 

Why? Because we want to feel something. Humans thrive on human connection, and personal brands give us a window into the worlds of these founders, and we get to see that they’re not so different from us after all. 

The jokes and the humour, the human error and the mishaps, all count to making us feel more validated, but feeling more connected to these brands. 

It’s something that the Gammell brothers do so well, sharing just enough to make you root for them, and also just enough to make you even more invested in their brands. 

Personal brand is no longer a nice-to-have, it is an essential in PR and brand building.