Case study · Christmas 2008

Practical Action

Relations Group ran a broadcast PR campaign for Practical Action around Christmas 2008. A radio day of interviews put their spokesperson on air, securing 17 items of radio coverage with a combined audience of 5.4 million. Highlights included talkSPORT, 97.4 Cool FM and Downtown Radio.

Part of Christmas on air →
17Items of coverage
5.4 millionCombined reach
1h 05mTime on air

Coverage highlights

The story

Practical Action, Christmas 2008

The aim
Practical Action wanted to position itself as the voice of authority on ethical giving at Christmas and raise awareness of its practical present gifts.
The message
Giving an ethical gift is a great way to support people with even less in developing countries. Practical Action helps poor communities choose and use technology to improve their lives, with the emphasis on helping people to help themselves.
The angle
Many Christmas gifts remain untouched and unwanted. With people counting every penny, Practical Action urged the public to give ethical gifts instead, such as a herd of goats for families in Sudan or a pottery wheel for women in Bangladesh.
The result
17 items of coverage reaching 5.4 million, including talkSPORT, 97.4 Cool FM, Downtown Radio.
Budget £2,500Delivered £2,700Above budget 8%On air 1h 05m

What the budget bought

£2,500
£2,700
£26,259
£78,778
32:1return on investment: PR value is 32 times the campaign budget

Coverage delivered is the value of the items at the Relations Group rate card. AVE is what the same airtime would cost as advertising. PR value is three times the AVE. ROI is PR value divided by the campaign budget.

About Christmas

Christmas Day falls on 25 December and marks the Christian celebration of the birth of Jesus. It is a bank holiday across the UK and the peak of the year for retail, food and family stories. For brands and charities with something useful to say, it gives radio and TV producers a timely reason to book an interview.

Planning Christmas for 2026?

Christmas Day next falls on Friday 25 December 2026. Talk to the team about a broadcast PR campaign that gets your spokesperson on radio and TV.

Book a call with the team