What makes a great PR Stunt?
PR stunts are a great way of attracting attention to a brand. But what makes a really good stunt, one that stays in the memory for a long time to come?
Behind every successful PR stunt there is a simple formula
• The stunt matches brand values
• It is designed to increase sales and consumer interest
• It taps into current concerns
• It possesses that indefinable something that creates ‘Buzz!’
Creating that buzz is the hardest part, and needs a lot of imagination. You need to think outside the box, and think about what will grab the attention of your audience. It needs to be visual and newsworthy, something that will make people talk about it and share it.
So what makes a buzz?
Unusual – Providing something that people haven’t seen before
Funny – it makes people smile and laugh
Outrageous – makes people talk and discuss
Secret – everyone loves sharing secrets, so finding out something that might not otherwise be know has great appeal
Controversial – raising awareness, tapping into controversial issues
Cost
PR stunts don’t have to be costly. You can achieve a lot with simple, low budget effects.
Take a look at these simple PR stunt based campaigns:
Create a crowd event – hire a few singers & dancers to do something unexpected for example a Canadian food court was enlivened by singer after singer suddenly joining in a rendition of Handel’s Hallelujah chorus
UNICEF has Soccer Aid, using celebrities to gain attention
Rainforest Trust is brilliant at visuals. Rather than focus on the negative aspects of deforestation, the Rainforest Trust takes a different approach. It sets out to show what can be done if people work together and provides a regular flow of interesting, visual case studies that capture attention and can be easily spread across a wide audience.
RSPCA held a low budget campaign by highlighting animals that looked like Game of Throne characters. Not surprisingly, it was very popular and shared extensively across social media.
Save the Children undertook an amusing Christmas campaign based on ugly Christmas jumpers. They linked up with Madame Tussauds and dressed up models of the Royal Family – including corgis – in the most ugly Christmas jumpers they could find!
Want to see some PR Stunts in action?
See some of our work here!
