25th Apr 2014 by Lauren Wilden

10 Yetis Insight Blog- Tips for Planning a PR Stunt

As a creative PR agency, here at 10 Yetis we are proud of our ability to entice consumers and excite the media with our PR stunts.

PR stunts can sometimes get a pretty bad rep. Something controversial occurs that just happens to get extensive media coverage and all of a sudden critics are straight away taking to social media to condemn something as a ‘bad publicity stunt’ or a ‘PR stunt gone wrong’. That being said, when planned thoroughly and executed effectively, a good publicity stunt has the power to completely eclipse anything else associated a particular company or brand, and transform their reputation overnight.

Bearing this in mind, we have put together for you the top things to take into account when planning a PR stunt:

1. ‘Be unique and original’

Let’s be honest, no one is going to give a fiddle about something that has been done a thousand times before, so try to think of something that is original for your own stunt. It may seem as though everything has already been done sometimes, but there are always new things happening that you can take inspiration from when brainstorming for a PR stunt. Just look at what is considered to be the first documented PR stunt of modern history. In 1896, William Crush had a somewhat crazy idea to publicise his company, the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad, he decided to stage a crash between two full-size trains. He let the general public watch the crash for free, and over 40,000 people flocked to watch the event.

2. ‘Stay brand and value consistent’

Your next creative idea could be the most amazing PR stunt in the world, but it is not going to benefit a client one little bit unless they get numerous mentions and credit for any media coverage garnered as a result of your hard work. The most successful stunts correlate with the brand values of the company that it is representing. A great example of a PR stunt that did this well were the ‘Will it blend’ videos, which were created by blender manufacturer BlendTec. The videos, whilst both hilarious and informative, aligned with the businesses brand values superbly as to not distance the company from its existing audience base.

3. ‘Stay simple’

Less is more. That is a famous saying for a reason, and definitely apt when planning a PR stunt. If you cannot imagine a group of your friends down the pub or your favourite radio DJ chatting about the PR stunt you are planning, then chances are you aren’t on to a winner I’m afraid. One of the most famous stunts of recent times, was also one of the most simple. It involved The Queensland Tourism board posting an advert for the ‘best job in the world’. The stunt involved looking for island caretaker who would be willing to spend 6 months exploring Queensland whilst staying in an island villa completely free. The board received applications from all over the world and estimate the publicity has been worth over £120 million.

4. ‘Stay memorable’

Whilst simplicity is a key factor of any PR stunt, if you can successfully crack the memorability factor and create a PR stunt idea that will stick in people’s minds for decades to come, then you have won half the battle! Even though it happened last millennium (well, 1999!) many people still remember the iconic image of a completely naked Gail Porter that was projected, 100ft high, across the houses of parliament.

5. ‘Social media friendly’

In 2014, how successfully a PR stunt is received by the media and the general public will likely depend on how it is received over social media channels, in particular YouTube, Twitter and Facebook. To further my earlier point regarding the importance of simplicity, if you cannot easily describe your planned PR stunt in a short status update or a mere 140 characters, then chances are that no one will bother talking about it with their friends online. No-one can predict the enormous impact even the smallest stunts can have when it comes to the world wide web. For example, in 2012 a tongue in cheek Facebook post criticizing Bodyform and its slogan ‘Have a happy period’ received over 100,000 Facebook likes, and even a HILARIOUS response video produced by the feminine hygiene product distributors.

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