The Hawkstone Farmers Choir: A PR Masterclass Where Everybody Wins
If you were watching television this weekend, you didn’t just witness a piece of entertainment history, you witnessed an absolute PR masterclass.
The Hawkstone Farmers’ Choir winning Britain’s Got Talent is an incredible triumph for the choir itself, but it’s also a blueprint for how modern PR, community amplification, and brand alignment should actually work. It was a rare, beautiful moment where every single person involved walked away a winner.
Let’s break down exactly why this campaign was so brilliant, and the key lessons you can steal for your own business.
1. It Was Rooted in Real Community (Not a Corporate Stunt)
To understand why this win felt so powerful, you have to look at how it started. The choir wasn’t manufactured by a marketing agency to sell beer. It was originally set up by Jeremy Clarkson, whom we all know from Top Gear and Clarkson’s Farm, to support local farmers and raise awareness for mental health.
Farming can be an incredibly isolating job. Last year, the choir appeared in a Hawkstone campaign video that went completely viral. They were real, raw, they swore, they sang beautifully, and they grabbed massive press attention because they were completely authentic. And the fact that Jeremy said the ad had been banned…
When they stepped onto the Britain’s Got Talent stage, they brought that genuine community with them. It didn’t feel like a manufactured PR stunt, it felt like real people with a real purpose (because that’s exactly what it was!).
2. It Shattered Industry Stereotypes on Prime-Time TV
While Clarkson’s Farm on Amazon Prime has done wonders for changing public perception of agriculture, taking the choir to ITV for Britain’s Got Talent opened the floodgates to a completely new, mainstream audience.
For a long time, farmers have been saddled with a grumpy, old-man stereotype that is hard for the general public to connect with. The choir completely blew that up on prime-time television.
Looking at that stage, the audience saw:
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Men and women of all different ages.
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People of all different sizes from all over the country.
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Real, hard-working human beings who face the exact same struggles we all do, working tirelessly to feed us.
By showing the human faces behind the industry, they built an emotional bridge with millions of viewers who usually feel completely disconnected from agriculture.
3. The Power of “Snowball Effect” Amplification
One of the reasons this campaign reached such heights was the sheer scale of the amplification. Because so many different camps were passionate about the cause, the message snowballed naturally.
It wasn’t just the choir shouting about it. You had the entire ecosystem working in perfect sync:
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The Star Power: Jeremy Clarkson was backing them publicly.
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The Cast: Clarkson’s Farm favourites like Lisa Hogan, Kaleb Cooper, and Charlie Ireland were constantly championing them.
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The Judges: Amanda Holden even visited the team on their home turf during a previous show to support them on their journey.
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The Grassroots Hub: They held a massive watch party at Jeremy’s pub, The Farmer’s Dog, bringing people together physically to watch the final.
When you combine mainstream TV, hyper-engaged social media support, and real-life community hubs, your brand message becomes unstoppable.
The Ultimate “Everybody Wins” Result
The best PR campaigns aren’t zero-sum games. The Hawkstone Farmers Choir victory proved that when PR is handled with genuine care, the ripple effect of success benefits everyone:
| Who Won? | What Did They Gain? |
| The Choir | They literally won the biggest talent show in Britain and a life-changing platform. The first choir to do this in the show’s history. |
| The Farming Industry | A massive prime-time PR boost and a brilliant spotlight on the reality of modern agriculture. |
| The Hawkstone Brand | Priceless, money-can’t-buy brand awareness, visibility, and positive sentiment. |
| Mental Health Awareness | Vital awareness around isolation and mental health challenges within the farming community, encouraging people to speak out and find help. |
| Clarkson’s Farm & Jeremy | A beautiful, positive nudge for his show right as it returns to our screens. |
| Britain’s Got Talent | A massive dose of genuine, feel-good television that engaged an entirely new audience. |
What Can We Learn as Business Owners?
As business owners, we can extract a massive amount of value from this masterclass:
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Community is your superpower: Nurture your community fiercely. When your audience feels like they are part of a movement, they will vote, share, and fight for you.
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Storytelling is magic: A great story doesn’t just inform—it captivates and educates. The power of a human story will out-perform a slick sales pitch every single time.
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Commercial goals can be positive: Just because a campaign brings commercial benefits and brand awareness to a company (like Hawkstone), it doesn’t detract from the positive social impact. That is, if it is managed with true authenticity.
On Britain’s Got Talent, the Hawkstone Farmers Choir made history. But they also reminded us exactly what happens when you lead with real people, real passion, and a great story.
Want to elevated your brand’s PR?
Learning how to extract the gold from major cultural moments is exactly how you build a standout brand strategy.
If you want more practical PR tips, behind-the-scenes campaign breakdowns, and actionable tricks to give your product or service the spotlight it deserves, make sure to follow me over on Instagram at @rheafreemanpr! Let’s get people talking about your business.
