World’s Longest Lanyard
The Sunflower Lanyard scheme is a very simple but extremely effective way for people with a hidden disability to let others know they may need extra time, help or patience when out and about in public spaces.
Airports, supermarkets, sports grounds and universities are among the places that give out the colourful lanyards. So when the team at Hidden Disabilities Sunflower approached us for support with a potentially record breaking story, we couldn’t wait to get involved.
They had created the world’s longest lanyard - a whopping 3784.5m - and wanted to know how to maximise the publicity for their new record.
We came up with the idea of displaying it across the Kop at Anfield, home of Liverpool FC who are supporters of the Sunflower scheme. We arranged for autism advocate, proud lanyard wearer and Liverpool fan Christine McGuinness to come down to support the event, we booked drone footage so we could see the lanyard in all its glory, and we pitched the story to the Press Association.
We achieved widespread coverage - more than 150 national and regional titles - as well as reaching Christine’s 700,000 social media followers with her posts.
And the Hidden Disabilities Team went on to win the prestigious Shaw Trust Media Moment 2023 award for the world’s longest lanyard coverage.
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“Working closely with our ambassadors, our impact and reach was incredible, which featured national and regional TV, press and radio. Sam was also a joy to work with; combining a serene calmness with a tenacious approach and a black book to die for.
Our media results were phenomenal, which went far beyond my wildest expectations. I will certainly be working with Sam again for our next #PurpleSockDay campaign.”
— Andrew Douglass, Parallel Lifestyle