Publicity stunts are not all glitz and glamour. They require huge amounts of planning and preparation to provide the necessary levels of attention in the targeted public’s and media. Publicity stunts can be used to announce any number of activities and events ranging from launches and celebrations to corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities, like fund raising for charity.
Publicity stunts are just one of a range of devices used by PR professionals to raise the profile of their clients and a vast range of people and companies in the public domain. Politicians use them; David Cameron’s trip to a Norwegian glacier, as do celebrities; Michael Jackson’s giant effigy floated down the Thames, and companies use them too. At Black Pig we recently coordinated our own publicity stunt by creating a giant crop circle in the shape of a pig to celebrate the company’s 10th birthday.
A survey undertaken by PR Week found that “too many firms highlight activities that are just publicity stunts [which] damages CSR’s reputation and makes it difficult for genuinely committed firms.” In this respect it’s important to use stunts strategically and adopt other tactics to maintain a profile.
The thinking and strategy behind a stunt is vitally important, if there is no rational behind it or if you’re having an event “just because”, then it doesn’t bode well for success. Think about it this way, how often do your organise a party for no reason at all? Very rarely. Most of the time parties are based around celebrations, anniversaries, seasonal events and alike. Stunts are just the same. Of course, if you are desperate to have an event, PR professionals have learnt to be creative around the rationale for having one. For instance, on the news that the Mir Space Station was crashing back to earth in 2001, Taco Bell set up a 40-by-40 foot vinyl target emblazoned with the company’s logo and the words ”Free Taco Here!”, 10 miles off the coast of Australia. In the extremely unlikely event that Mir hit the target, the company promised free tacos to all 281 million Americans. A minute-by-minute countdown of Mir’s descent and a photo of the floating target were anxiously monitored by millions of hungry web surfers on the Taco Bell site. This stunt resulted in huge amounts of media and consumer interest which was allegedly worth millions of dollars. The story was also fueled by a leak announcing that Taco Bell had taken out insurance incase of a direct hit by the space station.
When organising a publicity stunt it is important that you know the outcome you want, and how you will measure its success. The most obvious outcome and measurable is press coverage, but if your aim is to attract more clients then it may be that the stunt can be tailored to that goal. This may be as simple as only inviting target audiences or target trade journalists to the event.
As with any public event, there is the potential for disaster. Professional organisers can help to eliminate any possible problems by addressing them beforehand and preparing for the worst eventuality, like having a back up speaker in case your high profile keynote speaker gets stuck in traffic.
Overall publicity stunts are an excellent PR tool but since a reputation and profile can’t be built and maintained overnight they are best used as part of an ongoing strategic PR campaign.
0 Responses to “PUBLICITY STUNTS – IT’S NOT AS EASY AS FALLING OFF A CLIFF”