A publicity stunt, also known as a PR stunt, can make or break a brand. While they have the potential to garner a slew of positive press, they can also easily turn sour.\u00a0This year we\u2019ve already seen our fair share of both, from the overwhelming success of Adidas\u2019s 3D-printed statues of sportswomen and activists to the outrage over Grubhub\u2019s New York City free lunch promo. However, since PR stunts need to be both carefully calculated and perfectly executed in order to make a lasting positive impression, it\u2019s essential to guide clients along the way.\u00a0Therefore, this article will explain a pr stunt, its examples, what makes it successful, and smile stunts in horror movies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A publicity stunt, or PR stunt, is a planned event that marketers and public relations specialists design to attract the public\u2019s attention while garnering media coverage for a figure or brand. PR firms, performers, and public figures can professionally organize PR stunts to stand out from the rest. A PR or publicity stunt is a large and coordinated professional or amateur public relations event that is intended to raise awareness about a cause or product. Other publicity stunts may be done for fundraising. While the end result of publicity stunts is very public, the work that goes into them stays behind the scenes. This results in most people, including clients, assuming all it takes to pull off a successful stunt is a big idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s the PR professional’s job to point out what ideas will be valuable to the brand\u2019s goals, and which will go nowhere. So if your clients want a publicity stunt, it\u2019s up to you to ask the right questions to identify their goal and create a campaign that will achieve the desired impact. This post discusses different kinds of PR stunts, how to create a successful publicity stunt, and whether they work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These three factors determine whether or not a PR stunt is successful:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Community involvement<\/strong>: Having a few participants doesn\u2019t automatically make a stunt a failure. However, it\u2019s always best to have as many people as possible involved. The power of numbers can influence other would-be participants to join, raising the profile of the stunt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Creators, then, should try to be exact about the exact number of people they are aiming for. For some stunts, one or two donors may be enough. For others, anything less than a big crowd means it\u2019s a dud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Be Memorable<\/strong>: While a stunt drawing a crowd can point to short-term success, it doesn\u2019t necessarily indicate that the stunt is more successful than one that pulled, say, half the size. If the stunt that pulled in the smaller crowd is still being discussed several years later, that\u2019s a better metric to use to measure its success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Be bold<\/strong>: People remember publicity stunts that do something fun and unique. A good example is the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, which was so bold that it influenced costume companies to create a Halloween costume based on it. Looking back even further, Snapple tried to create the world\u2019s largest ice cream popsicle in 2005. While that objective wasn\u2019t met on account of the popsicle melting, interest in the Snapple brand rose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The mentioned examples of the pr stunt conducted by the most popular companies will allow you to comprehend the objectives, the significance, and the influence of such stunts on the public’s smile or frown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2014, ALS held an Ice Bucket Challenge that saw people pour a bucket of ice water on themselves or others to promote awareness of ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) and raise money for its research. The stunt helped the ALS Association raise over $100 million for research due to celebrities\u2019 participation, including then-president Barrack Obama.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2014, dating site Tinder launched a national \u201cSwipe Right to Adopt a Dog\u201d campaign during National Adopt a Shelter Pet Day. The stunt aimed at connecting ten dogs available for adoption with homes. It generated over 2,700 matches in one week and set the dating company apart from its competitors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Two years ago, \u201cThe Greatest Showman\u201d debuted in movie theaters all over the country. It\u2019s based on the life of renowned showman, P.T. Barnum, also the founder of Barnum and Bailey Circus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After founding the circus in 1871, Barnum began the pioneering of one of the most successful uses of PR to generate interest in his business. Barnum became an even more recognizable face through his PR stunts. One of the main ones was the use of an elephant to help clear his yard after a show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n His early adoption of PR comes with some criticism, as he\u2019s widely regarded as having been dishonest, and even deceitful. Despite that, it\u2019s obvious that he knew and used the power of free PR in the media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A few months ago, Justin Bieber sent out a tweet challenging Tom Cruise to a fight in the octagon. His reasons for taking the challenge were never fully explained. A few weeks after, he would go on to issue another challenge to the actor, this time opting for the bottle cap challenge as the competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While no explanation was given for this as well, the reason soon became clear when he released a new single, \u201cBetter With You.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Actress Janelle Evans appeared in the press and tabloids in a story about the killing of her dog by her estranged husband. Given that she has over 5 million followers on social media, some have speculated that this was an attempt to garner interest for her autobiography.<\/p>\n\n\n\n McDonald’s capitalized on simple but clever PR by turning its \u201cM\u201d upside down on International Women\u2019s Day, as a show of support for women\u2019s rights. The message was well received while being very low-cost for McDonald’s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When trying to come up with ideas for a PR stunt, referring to some that have been successful in the past is a good starting point. The more recent they are, the greater the chance that they will appeal to today\u2019s audience. In 2017 and 2018, there were some innovative creations in PR that can offer inspiration to companies looking to stage their own stunts. Here are some of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n An interactive ad campaign by the Cancer Research charity in March of 2017 was both highly impressive and impactful. It was designed to help people all over the world smoke as they wait for the bus. To help people see how smoking affects their breathing, the advertising strategy placed posters in bus shelters that encouraged people to breathe in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The longer someone would take to exhale, the more of the poster they would be able to see. Smokers didn\u2019t have as easy a time blowing out, which caused smoking helplines to appear on the screen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Walkers has built up a reputation for giving customers the choice of the kind of food they want to eat. The UK snack brand initiated a nationwide vote that allowed individuals to select new flavors in favor of older ones or save the old flavors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The aim was to encourage people to try the new flavors they were offering or save their older offerings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In March 2017, KFC embraced the fun and carefree nature of its brand with a marketing stunt designed to encourage greater appreciation of its chicken. The KFC UK and Ireland brand designed a bland kale, cauliflower, and chicken burger. The idea, which worked, was to remind their customers of what they\u2019d miss out on if they adopted the healthy eating craze.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When Elon Musk launched his car into space in a highly publicized stunt, it showed people all over the world how reliable and sustainable Tesla cars are. Following the launch, there was a significant uptick in interest in Tesla cars, along with sustained social media discussion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Controversy can, when used wisely and with caution, be an effective ingredient in staging a PR stunt that causes a stir. IHOP decided to launch its name change as a campaign that invited customers to guess what the reason for the change was.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When the company revealed that it was to match its emergence as the international house of burgers, many customers were left unhappy, and they voiced that through social media and other channels. Regardless, the stunt resulted in an increased discussion about the brand and media attention for IHOP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On paper, Smile might seem like another run-of-the-mill horror movie a la Ma <\/em>or The Black Phone.<\/a> <\/em>It doesn\u2019t seem like a movie that will go down as a classic or keep you up at night, but it might give you a good scare or two when you are trying to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night and accidentally look at yourself in the mirror.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Director Parker Finn took the inherently silly premise of \u201cHey, what if smiling was actually scary?\u201d<\/em> and just ran with it, which is a very honorable thing to do. But the real magic of Smile, <\/em>which hits theaters this Friday, is their A+ marketing team that thought \u201cHey, what if smiling<\/em> while watching baseball<\/em> was scary?\u201d<\/em> And it worked!<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n There’s a reason why PR stunts are called “stunts”\u2014it’s because that’s the idea behind them. Everything about them is meant to make people notice them. Many people who work in PR think that the bigger the press stunt, the better. As long as it’s big enough to make people talk about it, it’s done what it was meant to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A PR stunt is done to bring more attention to a business or person. A PR stunt doesn’t have to be a traditional marketing effort. It can take many different forms. The key is to be unique.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The goal of influencer public relations is to coordinate the desired brand or behavior change with the efforts of the targeted influencer. You may learn more about the effectiveness of influencer marketing by reading about its measurement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A well-executed publicity stunt, especially during a major event like the Super Bowl, can increase brand awareness and, in turn, sales for a company. A publicity stunt’s success hinges on its capacity to amaze and astound in equal measure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Publicity stunts that work and ones that don’t show us the risks and growth possibilities of this type of marketing. In the 21st century, there is no such thing as black and white, and companies should be well-informed and ready to make the right choices before planning and carrying out a PR stunt. As shown by the examples of the best and worst publicity stunts of all time, publicity stunts should be done with care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n #1. Drum<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n #2. Fitsmallbusiness<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n #3. Uproxx<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nPR Stunt Examples <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
#1. ALS Ice Bucket Challenge<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
#2. Tinder\u2019s 2014 Adopt a Dog Campaign<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
#3. The Greatest Showman<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
#4. Justin Bieber and Tom Cruise<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
#5. Janelle Evans <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
#6. McDonald’s<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
#7. Cancer Research<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
#8. Walkers Crisps<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
#9. KFC Christmas Campaign<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
#10. Elon Musk\u2019s SpaceX Launch<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
#11. The IHOP Name Change<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Smile PR Stunt<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Why Is It Called PR Stunt?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Why Do PR Stunts?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What Is PR Influencer?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Do PR Stunts Work?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Reference<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Related Articles<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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