Is Pret's pickle shortage a PR plan, or is the community too cynical?

My name is Sarah Tickle and I’m a big fat Cornichon Conspiracist.

In a world where the biggest food and drink story of the last month has arguably been the mystery heist of 12 tonnes of KitKats, this week, I reached peak PR suspicion levels.

PRs, we love to consume each other’s work, comment on it, learn from it and, occasionally, compliment it. But faced with the news that Pret’s beloved Jambon Beurre is off the shelves due to a cornichon shortage, I smell… a potential pickle of its own making?

Maybe it’s years of seeing PR stories come and go, maybe I’ve spent too much time on Threads, but my immediate thought was… Ah, for the PR!

Multiple nationals have already covered the story. They say "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery" and “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”, after all.

As a glass-half-full person, I really hate that this was my first reaction! Commiserations to Pret if this is 100% true, but when your most beloved, foodie zeitgeist product mysteriously disappears from shelves because of an issue with a product you can clearly still shop for in le supermarché, my PR spidey senses can’t help but start to tingle.

(Love you Pret, I’m writing this from your London Bridge location and I’m sorry for your cornichon loss xoxox)

I hope this isn’t the direction PR is heading.

In a world overrun with an incredibly negative newscycle, the consumer PR space has a unique opportunity at this time to have more fun and provide light relief, not add more bad news.

So PRs, please see this as a call to arms for positivity.

Whilst serious campaigns absolutely have their place, have we lost the art of silliness? Are we in danger of a world where our audiences’ first reaction is cynicism, not a smile?

With pickles on the brain, the perfect recent example of having a bit of fun is KFC’s 'The Pickle Puffer'. Inspired by a viral, AI-generated video of someone walking and handing out pickles taken from a clear jacket filled with gherkins, the Pickle Puffer was bonkers, divided opinion, but ultimately - was FUN. And not in a “let’s make a bag way” (sorry, bag babes).

This self-titled “unhinged” idea was a long game newsjack that went wild across media and on social—a PR dream. It was so ridiculous, and I personally loved it. Let’s have fun, people!

Pret, if you’re reading this, I love the Jambon Beurre and I hope the situation is resolved swiftly for you. If you’re desperate, pop over to mine. We’ve always got cornichons in the fridge.