We talked previously about the bread and butter storytelling side of public relations and now it’s time to look at the fun stuff.
PR stunts are the cheap creative solutions that can give you a huge bang for your buck, traditionally they’re a bit risky, ‘of the moment’ stunts that deliver that water-cooler moment (where colleagues meet and it’s the first thing they talk about or share).
They go viral, they get people talking, they thrust your brand into the limelight. Think Salad Cream and its mock withdrawal from the market, resulting in consumer demand to ‘save the salad’ or the original Calendar Girls campaign, featuring naked members of the WI and their baked goods.
It’s easier to illustrate by example, so here are some of our favourites to give you a visual flavour of what we’re talking about:
1. Red Bull - Felix Baumgartner took the world by storm breaking the sound barrier by falling 23 miles to earth – Red Bull really does give you wings!
2. Dove campaign for real beauty - they’d call it disrupting the market, champions of change – well it did get people talking and other brands following suit.
3. KFC - ‘You must not remove your trousers at KFC’ – a video ad now viral across all SM platforms – cheeky, risky and entertaining.
4. Greggs and Primark – love it or hate it Greggs has a good handle on how to respond quickly to trends and consumer demand!
The take home for stunts
Don’t go off brand – yes, they’re stunts but they still need to reflect your brand narrative.
Video and image can be hero when it comes to stunts – a picture can paint a thousand words.
Don’t be afraid to join in a conversation – you don’t have to start a completely new trend. You can just do it better.
Build in an interative element – so the public can get involved and make it go viral.
Stunts are risky – but they can deliver a huge return – take a risk and be bold – social media is the perfect platform to maximise what you do.
The caveat… always, always proceed with caution!
It’s very easy to get carried away with an idea hatched in the pub on a Friday night, but it's a good idea to consult a marketing professional before you do anything. Remember your private, social voice might be very different from the brand tone of voice/personality. What you consider quirky, thought-provoking and creative could alienate your target audience. Things can sometimes go horribly wrong as these examples show:
Snapple made headlines in 2005 for a campaign to deliver the world’s largest popsicle to Times Square – the 25 feet tall ice tower weighing 17.5 tons melted before the photo-call as sticky liquid flooded the area, resulting in all the wrong kind of coverage.
Flake-gate - For those of us old enough to remember – let’s not forget flake-gate, where poor Anthea Turner was photographed eating the new Cadbury Snowflake on her wedding day.
The result was a barrage of negative press for Anthea and a lengthy career break. The jury is out in terms of whether the publicity helped sell the chocolate confection, but suffice to say it’s no longer on our shelves.
Are you a small business owner who thinks PR could be beneficial, but not quite sure where to start? Contact us today to see how we can help.