In today’s fast-moving media landscape, relevance isn’t just important, it’s everything. The brands that win are the ones that show up at exactly the right moment, with something useful to say. This is where news hijacking comes into its own.
Working with Lanes Health, we set out to do just that: tap into real-world signals, move at pace and position Olbas at the centre of the seasonal health conversation.
Timing the moment: turning pollen spikes into headlines
Our strategic ambition was clear: increase usage occasions for Olbas by embedding it within everyday consumer behaviour during hay fever season.
To do this, we partnered with family GP Dr Roger Henderson and combined expert commentary with real-time pollen data. The insight was simple but powerful – when pollen levels spike, consumer need peaks and so should brand visibility.
By aligning media outreach with these spikes, we were able to inject Olbas directly into the national conversation at precisely the moment it mattered most.
The hook: simple, useful, timely advice
We translated this data into practical, newsworthy advice, suggesting:
“Households should dry clothes outside for 4 hours in spring”
This headline wasn’t just clickable; it was genuinely useful. It offered a simple behavioural tip for hay fever sufferers, backed by medical expertise and perfectly timed to coincide with rising pollen levels.
The result? Immediate traction. Our story landed on the Newsquest newswire, triggering widespread pickup across regional media.
Because the story was both relevant and ready at the right moment, it scaled across the network achieving 114 pieces of regional coverage with a combined reach of 62M+.
But we didn’t stop at consumer coverage. At the same time, Olbas was preparing to launch its new Anti-Allergy Nasal Spray. We used the same pollen spike moment to pivot into trade media, pitching product news when buyer and retailer interest was naturally heightened. This led to coverage in Grocery Trader, TrendHunter and Convenience Store.
Relevance + Speed = Impact
This campaign is a clear example of how PR can deliver outsized results when relevance and speed come together. By leveraging the principles of news hijacking, we didn’t just generate coverage — we inserted Olbas into the moments that matter most to consumers. And when you get that right, the impact speaks for itself.