PR case studies

Campaign:

Does weight matter?

HeadOn PR team developed a brand awareness and thought leadership campaign based on a national survey of 1,000 employers and their attitude towards hiring overweight and obese people following a high profile, EU court ruling which means obesity can constitute as a disability following an unfair dismissal case brought by Karsten Kaltoft, a Danish childminder, who claimed he was sacked by his local authority employer because he was so overweight.

HeadOn PR crafted the research findings into a news story which revealed a prejudice attitude among British employers when hiring obese workers. The story generated mass national media interest including national papers, tv and radio; positioning the MD, Beverley Sunderland, and Crossland Employment Solicitors’ as experts on the legal dangers of a prejudice attitude towards employees and the discrimination laws around obesity and disability.

Results:

• 35 pieces of coverage – 29 of these pieces of coverage appeared within just one month.
• Coverage included: – The Telegraph, The Times, The Independent, The Daily Mail, Daily Express, The Sun, Yahoo Finance, Real Business, HR magazine, HR Director, HR Review, and TV/radio appearances on LBC, Share Radio and That’s TV Oxfordshire with MD, Beverley Sunderland.
• Reached over 37.5 million print and online readers in just two months.
• The story was also picked up by international media, and even two years after breaking the research, the press continued to cover the story.
• Research findings were repackaged to strengthen Crossland’s sales and marketing strategy.